My Three Sons

Big waves and an outing with Mace

2012-01-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

Mace and I went to catch a view of the "high surf advisory" waves. The waves were nice and big and I broke out the camera for a few shots.... It's difficult to get good shots of waves without a killer zoom lens (which I lack) so mostly these are just some scenic shots that I toyed around with while lugging my huge stomach over the rocks to get certain angles. As you can see, I had more fun editing them in weird ways when I got home.

We love Pacifica!!!

2011 Wrap-Up

2012-01-02T22:09:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I said I'd do a wrap up of 2011, ya know, since I never did a family letter/Christmas card. So here's my feeble and rushed attempt.

Son #3 is loving Kindergarten. He's excelling quickly and surprising mom and dad with a long attention span and very good behavior. Seriously, who knew he had it in him? At home, he NEVER sits still, cant hug, cuddle or watch TV without wiggling his entire body incessantly. I think it's time for him to be back in swimming! He loves Mr. Bean and Lego video games. After years of claiming that he's NOT A BABY, he has decided that he's a baby again, complete with baby talk and a never-ending need for attention. (yes it all started when he found out another baby was coming into the family)

Son #2 is in 2nd grade at a school separate from his brothers. He has become a voracious reader, gobbling down entire chapter books in one night and waking in the morning eager to tell you all about the book. He still is full of curiosity and is addicted to anything scientific, gross or weird. He is adept at doing what he's asked quickly and never complains. He's a super good helper and a peace maker among his brothers.

Son #1 is eagerly growing up and has landed in the 4th grade. He enjoys typical boy stuff: riding bikes and scooters, running and playing in the woods. He is responsible and dependable. He is excelling in scouts quickly and just started Webelos! He's in his 3rd year of piano and we're so proud of his diligence. On the verge of the "tween" years, we can see little changes starting to take place and we enter a different era of parenting with him.

Mom has enjoyed her first year of not having a job outside the home! Thus leaving more time for her hobbies of baking, cooking, photography and cleaning. Currently, she's gearing up for Boy #4 by getting lots of sleep and preparing the house for him. She's been busy with a calling in Scouts and will probably never leave.... what with 4 boys and all.

Dad is plugging away at Dental school. He's half way through his second year and doing very well, especially at the hands-on stuff. The Doctors are always impressed by his work and attention to detail. He's going to be an amazing and honest dentist! He's doing a wonderful job at leading family scripture study every night (we've been doing it for a year and a half strong! Go dad!) He still loves watching sports and trips to the beach.

As a family, we are loving living near the ocean in the mild climate. It's also nice being near Mom's family and childhood friends. The year 2011 was not lacking in sadness; mom lost a baby in February, mom's uncle committed suicide in May, then a few month later mom's grandma was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, followed by many small scares with the current pregnancy. With all of these things looming we come out of it renewed in our faith that we will see our loved ones again. We are at peace knowing that we have living truth in our lives and amidst it all we are a happy family. How wonderful the Christmas season was! I think this time of year is magical because it's when we gather as families and remember the most important birth that ever occurred. We hope the New Year rings in many blessings.

If you're looking for a little something more in your life, visit mormon.org to request a free Book of Mormon or have missionaries come visit you. (my kids really like to watch the "i'm a mormon" videos. :)

Love to all!!!

The Gibbons

The Christmas Card Dilema

2011-12-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

Do you feel you need one?

When Nick and I were first married, I started sending Christmas cards. We were doing it every other year and it seemed to work well for us. Then a few years ago, an "on" year, I thought about it and came to this conclusion: I can count on one hand the people that would get a card from us that probably couldn't access our family blog. Friends and Family tell me all the time that they feel like they know us so well because of the blog. And for the most part, those people that cant access this blog, we speak to often, usually weekly. And I always felt like I was leaving people out. And I dont like feeling bad about things, so I figured if someone is going to be left out, it's going to be all of them!

Then you get the cards that are simply that. A card with a holiday message, no letter, no photographs... ::YAWN:: So maybe it's just me, but I'm a sucker for pictures and a nice little, "this is what we're up to" letter. Not to mention, I'm like a little kid when it comes to getting a non-bill in the mail. It brings a smile to my face and a little piece of that family seems to creep into my day. Then I start thinking again, maybe I should?

I don't know, what do you think? Christmas cards, a thing of the past that's dying fast OR keep the tradition alive because it helps my Christmas spirit thrive?!

Next, I'll be posting our family end-of-the-year wrap up shortly so stay tuned.

What do you do on Christmas Break in California?

2011-12-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we took a trip to Half Moon Bay. The kids sipped hot chocolate and ate clam chowder from a Boudin sourdough bread bowl as we ate some local fish, artichoke hearts and chips from Barbara's Fish Trap in the harbor. It was a sunny 65 degrees. We then hit the salt water taffy store to taste samples and use our groupons. Mom's favorite flavor was pomegranate and Cooper's was Chocolate Chip cookie. On the way home, we stopped at Gray Whale Cove, hiked, got wet and took some photos. You wanted LOTS of photos right? At the bottom is a little video treat.

Cool ray o sunshine, hahaha! Take THAT December!

Nick's money-shot, can you find Cooper?

Sean in Shadow, can you find the Seagull?

Bro's goofin' off

Mr. My Three Sons as "King of the World!"

They're such buddies.

Very cool shooting directly into the sun with some cool wave splashage

HDR shot

Very cool HDR shot

and another one....

and another.... almost over.

Mag

Sean

Coop

Dad dad Daddio

Mom on the beach with the boys (being this pregnant, that's about all you're gonna get of me)

What an awesome day! It was gorgeous! We've always wanted to hike down to this little secluded beach right off of devil's slide. I find it just a tad ironic that we finally got around to it just days before Christmas. I guess that's what you do in California.

Here's your treat for making it this far. Watch the entire video for a wet kid.

Mr. Muggins

2011-12-12T17:55:00.001-07:00

That's what you get when you let the boys name the elf whatever they want. With a little too much influence from the movie, "Elf" this year, they named our elf on the shelf "Cotton-headed ninny muggins." I call him Mr. Muggins for short. He's a nice elf with brown hair and blue eyes. He finds pretty good hiding spot while the kids sleep at night, but he has yet to stump them. I think he needs to try just a little harder :)

The dining room light, not too shabby of a hiding spot. It took the kids a long time to find you that morning, Mr. Muggins.

The fruit bowl, this would be good if me kids never ate fruit.

The art-deco lattice work in our totally 70s house

Real original Mr. Muggins, the Christmas tree, really?

And right next to the Wii? Like they don't look there? C'mon, get more creative

Hanging off a picture frame? A little better....

Irregardless, it's been quite the fun tradition to start this year. When they're fighting or acting up, I simply have to say, "Mr. Muggins is watching you" and they shape up pretty quickly. Does anyone know where I can get some coal? I'm seriously thinking about making these for their stockings....

A close up and other boring haps

2011-11-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that it's already Thanksgiving!! I mean really? I must be getting old because time is flying by. We've been here in California for almost a year and a half. It's just plain insane. 2.5 years to go and we'll be off somewhere else. Can I just say that I LOVE being back in Cali? Mostly because it's beautiful, sunny and mild. I mean it's not everywhere that your kids can be out riding bikes in t shirts in the middle of November.

Here's an awesome song about my home state for you to enjoy.

The apples on our trees are finally ready. At least the birds think so. They just wont leave them alone. We've been picking and I've been waiting for the energy to can them.

I rented a macro lens to help Nick with a school project. So I played a little today. And I mean a little. I took less than 10 photos. Really!

I just need to survive the holidays, then get ready for baby! SO EXCITED! Although entering the beginning stages of the third trimester has NOT been fun. It's going to be a LONG 3 month wait. My poor family. It's hard for me to cook when all I want for dinner is grapes and these chips from Costco. Am I the only person who is motivated to cook because I'm excited to eat whatever I'm making? When pregnant, food is my enemy and my best friend. I need a private chef.

Gilroy Gardens

2011-11-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to Gilroy Gardens. They were in little boy heaven. My aunt and her daughter gave us 7 free tickets so we brought my mom along and gave the extra ticket away at the door. It was fun to yell at the people standing in the ticket line, "does anyone need a free ticket??" I gave it to the first taker.

What I liked most about this place is the garlic, artichoke, gardeny (yes it's a word, i just made it up) theme. And I really liked the circus trees.

Anyway, my poetic voice is on hiatus, so you'll have to be satisfied with unedited, fresh-off-the-camera snapshots. Yes, I'm that lazy.

My Three Grandmas

2011-11-06T17:57:00.001-07:00

We had three grandmas come out for Sean's baptism. So we thought it'd be fun to get a photo of three boys with the three grandma's. We love them all individually for their strength of spirit and support. Love you grandmas!!! We had so much fun with you!

It's great to be 8! Part II

2011-11-06T17:51:00.001-07:00

For part I click here. Mom could pretty much cut and paste the feelings of that day to today.

So yesterday Mr. My Three Sons baptized boy #2. It was a great day. Sean was so excited and full of life. Mom blubbered like an idiot through her talk on the Holy Ghost. And we sang the best song EVER from the children's songbook.

Today he was confirmed and he couldn't stop smiling.

We love LOVE that he's chosen to be a member of Christ's church. It's difficult to describe the tender feelings that a parent has for a child. I imagine is a microcosm of our Heavenly Father's love for us. I imagine that not only were Sean's family, friends and parents smiling yesterday, but also his Father in Heaven.

Sweet Inspirations

2011-11-02T17:54:00.000-06:00

I think there is little man that whispers in the ears of novelty food creators. This little man is my friend. While shopping at Target I stumbled across these very cool things.

I swear, they were created JUST for me! They SCREAM my name. The problem is, they make cool stuff like this and then later down the road, it doesn't sell very well so they stop making it or the store stops stocking it.

Such has been my dismay with two things I miss dearly. The avocado hummus they used to sell at Costco. I would put it on everything from sandwiches to salads to Stacy's simply naked pita chips. And does anyone remember when Costco used to sell polish bagel dogs (it was like 20 years ago)? I'm totally NOT a "dog" person, but those things were killer yummy! Yes, I have made my own but they're not the same. And I still haven't tried to make my own avocado hummus, but I will because I pretty much thought my life was over when it was no longer on their shelf. Oh and I almost forgot about Sweet Baby Ray's Creamy Buffalo Wing Sauce... super delish, and I mourn for it's death, well it's death to me, it's no where near accessible to me at a price I can justify. (I mean, I could pay 14.95 + 10.99 in shipping... who pays that?)

The moral is: don't get too attached because it's not always going to be available. And moral #2: how freakin' spoiled am I? I mean my ancestors were worried about things like bombs dropping on their house and buying shoes for little Billy.... and I guess there will always be something new. :)

Made it through another Halloween!

2011-11-01T10:32:00.002-06:00

The boys asked what the "real meaning of Halloween" was the other day, I felt like saying, "it's a holiday that's just for kids to act like someone else and get a stomach ache from sugar overload." I mean why do they even go to school? Here in Pacifica it's quite different than it was in Salt Lake City. Here the entire day is a party, the kids get out of school early and two of the kids even had their homework cancelled. I mean, it's HUGE here! So much fun for kids. So much work for parents. In Utah, their school did practically nothing for Halloween. No costumes. NADA.

Yesterday, we did 3 parades and 3 school parties. Mr. My Three Sons didn't have school so he LUCKED out and got to help tag-team the parades. So sad that the camera cant be in two places at once! Poor Cooper was ninja at school, but got teased so ended up changing into Dad's wizard costume for the night.

After the evening festivities, we walked in the front door, showered the boys, sent them to bed and watched Gold Rush until midnight instead of cleaning up the Halloween mess. So guess what mom is doing today? Blogging! Okay, so this post will take like 10 minutes, then I'll clean before I lose my mind. Then I'm off to do a project. I was thinking of this for my barren-walled living room. We'll see how it turns out.

Family pumpkins 2011

2011-10-25T09:40:00.004-06:00

It's one of THOSE nights. You know the ones I'm talking about. No one wants to admit it, but mom and dad aren't really in the mood for a "Family Night." It's one of those nights where you aren't feeling well, or you're just having an off day, or you're not ready, or you have a million other things to do.... but you have to bury all that stuff, put on a smile and gather the family for some tradition that you kind of regret starting in the first place. (I think next year we'll try pumpkin painting, I mean how cute are these?). I know all you perfect moms out there NEVER feel this way, but I tell you, I would have been much happier with a bowl of soup, a fire and a good book over diving into this tonight.

But I don't regret for one minute ignoring my nauseous tummy and aching back, keeping our promise and giving the kids a little piece of us. And hey, we appreciate our bed much more on evenings like this.

We're so proud of Cooper! For the first year, he carved his pumpkin all by himself!! He did a great job!

Sean wanted a monkey. Yes, you read right... a monkey. So mom came up with the simplest one she could and well, as you can tell she's no artist. All Sean cares about is the pumpkin seeds anyway.

Mason wanted a cat. Seriously, where do they come up with this stuff? Well, Dad helped him and so he ended up with a transformer. Which Dad nearly cut off his finger carving.... what's Halloween without a little, or a lot, of blood?

Mom's pumpkin, or pumpkinS, well... they're odd. We'll just leave it at that.

Dad was a trooper and still carved after cutting the tip of his finger (almost) off. His pumpkin has lots of personality and it's mom's favorite :).

Today, homework can wait

2011-10-24T17:03:00.002-06:00

Break time is over and it's time to call them in to start homework. I walk onto the front porch, glance across the street and I just cant bring myself to interrupt them.

Arata Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-19T15:07:00.002-06:00

Today I went with my kindergarten class to a pumpkin farm! I had a BLAST!

I got to ride a pony (mom didn't think they still did this??!?)

Ride on a little train that went in circles.

The petting zoo was my LEAST favorite. BORING!!

The hay ride was awesome!

And I got to take home a pumpkin.

What a day! Happy pumpkin month! I mean who doesn't love fall, right?

I'm EIGHT! It's GREAT!

2011-10-16T22:30:00.003-06:00

Sean Age 3

Sean turned the big EIGHT!! He had so much fun! Grandma and Uncle Dan came up and everyone ate dinner. Sean personally selected the menu which consisted of fettuccine alfredo, steamed broccoli, garlic bread and parmesan shrimp. His ice cream cake was vanilla cake with pumpkin ice cream and cream cheese frosting.... I know it sounds gross, but I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was!! NO KIDDING... maybe this kid is going to be a gourmet chef?

His favorite gift was this ant farm... what a HUGE hit and great gift idea for anyone looking for an inexpensive awesome gift. He opened it, couldn't even breathe was speechless then turned and asked, "did you get this for me mom?" Mom said, "Yep," and was soon showered with hugs and kisses.... who knew? Ants should be here any day :) He's so excited to fill it with ants he can hardly contain himself.

Sean has decided that he want to be baptized. So we'll be doing that in a few weeks. I'm not a "formal invite" kind of person, so if you're reading this, you're invited :) and can ask me for details.

Happy Birthday Dude. You're growing so fast.

Coop Piano Recital October 2011

2011-10-15T21:03:00.001-06:00

yes yes, we need some digital video lessons on shooting and editing, but you get the point....

Cooper's photo album

2011-10-06T16:57:00.006-06:00

So Cooper has been begging me for weeks to download the photos off his camera.

Here's a sample of what we found on there....

Hey, just be happy that something actually got posted.

My blog layout is all messed up and I cant get it back to normal. It's totally frustrating and makes me not motivated to blog.... that and I have no ideas. The baby is sucking the creativeness right out of me.

I've really got nothin' for ya

2011-09-27T10:50:00.005-06:00

Seriously. It's not like I dont have the time. It's not like I dont have the energy (I'm feeling really great!). It's simply that I dont have anything creative or fun to blog about. But, it's been such a long time, maybe I should play a little catch-up.

Dad-is back in school! He's had a whopping 3 days of school and after 3.5 months off, it's hurting a bit. He lost his attention span sometime over the summer and longs for home and the beach... sorry babe! We love you and promise to say, "the Master is home" when you walk through the door everyday! :)

Mom-is a little baffled with the quiet home everyday. With 3 kids in school, it's like the mornings are peaceful and serene with time to get things done. Then the afternoon hits and the chaos of dinner, homework and breaking up little boy fights commences. Mom is now 18 weeks pregnant and feeling really great (hope it lasts!).

Boy1-Cooper is doing good in school. He still has that beginning-of-the-school-year motivation and is working hard. He rarely needs help and even helps his younger brothers (when they'll let him) with their homework. He's advancing as a bear in scouts and is usually a good kid. He cant stop talking about his upcoming field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where they currently have a great white shark.... hello, little boy heaven or WHAT?

Boy2-Sean has become our little reader. He'll read for hours everyday if we let him. He's currently plowing through the Geronimo Stilton series faster than we can get the books. He turns 8 in a few short weeks and is excited about starting scouts and getting baptized.

Boy3-Mason is uber-excited to be in school. He's in a Kinder/1st grade mixed class. If you know our Mason you will be surprised by a few things we've learned about him since starting school. #1 he's a pleaser, he doesn't have to just do the minimum work and level of behavior, he has to exceed the norm. He isn't happy unless he is praised for his over-the-top efforts. #2 He has an amazing attention span! Who knew? His teacher has commented to me and we've noticed at home that when doing his homework, he's perfectly happy plowing through his 2 week homework packet in one afternoon. He doesn't get distracted.... Yeah, I'm as shocked as you are!

The Cat-She's still cranky and unhappy. But since Twilight is no longer here (she went to a nice home where they aren't allergic to cats) she may be happier? Who knows? We cant really tell between all the hissing and non-purring behavior.

September Happenings

We attended the stake temple day at the Oakland Temple. It was CRAZY crowded. When we got there, there was this huge wedding party there taking pictures and I swear it was no temple wedding (what with the Jersey Shore bridesmaid's dresses and party graffiti all over their cars) Why would anyone want to take their wedding photos at the temple if they weren't actually married there? Weird.... Anyway, our primary hosted a primary activity on the temple grounds for those attending the session. I'm not sure they knew what they were in for. The session was HUGE. They had to bring in extra folding chairs to seating everyone. Hence, it took FOREVER and the poor people stuck with all the children... They should be sainted. We were tired. Bay Bridge traffic sucked.
But we came home to a BBQ with Nick's dental school friends to watch the UTAH vs. BYU game. We are U fans and everyone else was BYU fans.... Utah destroyed BYU so badly that we began to feel sorry for our friends.
September 11th, for FHE that week we talked to the kids about that day. We watched some videos and talked about terrorism and the firefighters and others that helped and lost their lives. It was emotional. Mom balled the whole time (it's so much worse when you're pregnant). The boys were very serious and attentive and I saw some tears in their eyes too. I think they understood. I think that day changed a little something in all of us.
We finally got our dishwasher replaced. Missed it SO much. I tried to get back in the hand washing habit that I was in for so many years, but it never took. So happy to have a new working dishwasher. ::sigh::
We had a cold go through the house. Mom got it the worst. But it's almost gone. Just a few leftover runny noses to keep the tissue supply depleting.
Not only were we sick, but our computer AND dad's laptop have a virus. It's nothing major, just irritating.
Mom and Dad saw 2 pretty bad movies: The Adjustment Bureau and Season of the Witch. You can skip them.
Mom got to go the The Help, finally. It was good and pretty close to the book!
We had a pretty good FHE last night. We sang "I love to see the temple" and talked about our ancestors. We told stories from their lives and made a family tree. We topped it off with a little TopShot competition (with nerf guns, of course)

So our boring September is almost over. Sorry that I have no photos, I haven't had my camera out all month! Well that's not entirely true, yesterday I had the opportunity to do a little shoot with my friend and her family. Such a beautiful family!

And if you made it this far you deserve a treat.... Hooray for Mikan, I mean Grumpy with Lighty Growlin' (Mason's WebKin) You know you love it (um, this is sarcasm, since I know that more than half my friends are cat-haters :p ) ;)

Summer Sum-up

2011-09-08T10:54:00.000-06:00

Slip slidin' at Grandma's. I think it's funny that when I was a kid we weren't allowed to use slip n' slides on our lawn because it ruined the lawn... but the grandkids can? What's up with THAT?

My sweet grandma is being plagued with health issues. She goes in tomorrow for surgery to remove a tumor thats invading half of her internal organs. Love you Grandma! You're amazing and strong! (ps. Sean was so excited about the HUGE lemon he found on GGrandma's lemon tree and even more excited when she told him that he could pick AND keep it)

This tooth does NOT want to come out. It's crooked. It shifts and moves around and the adult teeth are coming in and around it. It's crazy. Fall out already!!

So the boys have been in school for a week and dad doesn't go back to school until the end of the month. Mom and Dad have been enjoying the quiet time at home together which mostly consists of watching Pawn Stars and doing housework, I know, so romantic, right?

3 boys in school. 1 more to go and then mom will have a lot more free time to get things ready for the new little one :)

My four sons??

2011-09-02T09:39:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the crinkly photo. I suppose it's what happens when you throw the photos in your extremely unorganized purse.

So baby X has had 3 ultrasounds. What a lucky kid. He's only 14 weeks old and already so much attention. So many worries that have turned out to be only another reason to get an ultrasound and see that his little heart is still beating and he's growing perfectly.

2nd ultrasound-The tech was a veteran and showed us the little boys parts, although she said, "I dont tell you the sex unless I'm 100% sure." Well she could only get one view, so she told us that it's probably a boy, but she wasn't too sure. (I saw with my own eyes and it looked like a boy to me!)

3rd ultrasound-Upon our request the tech brushed over the crotch area and we saw what looked like little boy parts again. But I dont think she was allowed to tell us for sure. She just said, "looks like little boys parts to me, but sometimes you can get duped."

So two "pretty sures" is good enough for me. It's another boy!

No, we dont have a name yet and probably wont until little dude pops out. Also, I'm not one of those people that calls my baby by a name before it is actually born. It's just not my style. He'll be called several things like "the bump, the parasite, little dude, kicker, etc."

Stay tuned for leap day baby: Due February 29th :) (we'll see if he makes it. he was measuring 5 days ahead of schedule yesterday.... that's because i'm feeding him so well)

Welcome Home! Love, the FOG

2011-08-26T14:09:00.004-06:00

On our drive back from Northern California we were welcomed back to the bay with a healthy dose of fog. Dad wanted pictures badly... so we pulled off and took a few.... here's a taste of what we saw. Pictures dont do it justice, neither does my uber-amature video. Watching it roll and change forms is AWESOME!

This is Dad's Dental school.... right below the tower.

2011 Family Summer Fun - Hangin' on the Ranch

2011-08-25T00:03:00.003-06:00

So the whole reason we went up to Humboldt county was NO, not to grow some weed, but to take care of the llama ranch! Oh boy, the kids had a blast... I'll let the photos speak for themselves.... you can match....

fishing
swimming
boating
picking blackberries
feeding the llamas
taking care of the donkeys
the TREE house
the garden
the fog

did I mention they had satellite TV? that made dad pretty darned happy :)

:::click on any photo to view entire album:::

2011 Family Summer Fun - Sea Glass Beach

2011-08-24T22:52:00.000-06:00

So if you EVER find yourself close to Fort Bragg, CA, which is totally out of the way and NOT close to anything major, you cant skip Sea Glass Beach! Anyone who's visited us and hung at the beach, knows that we love sea glass. At this place, you would just pick up a handful of rocks and it would be 50-70% glass. Over 100 years ago they began using this beach as a dump site. In 1967 the dump was shut down. So there is some old "garbage" hanging around and it's not entirely pleasant. But I actually thought it was interesting seeing old rusty engines under the water encrusted with shells, glass and rocks.

2011 Family Summer Fun - Shelter Cove

2011-08-24T22:34:00.002-06:00

We took a day and headed over to the coast to Shelter Cove. It's this charming little beach town. We had fun checking out the tide pools and playing on the rocks. Sean caught a crab and Mason loved popping seaweed balls.

We had some killer fish 'n chips. Hung with the pelicans and seagulls. Then headed over to Black Sands Beach. There, the boys climbed rocks and played in sea caves. There were peals of laughter coming from Cooper as he let the water rush in and scare him out. They had a GREAT time!

click on photos if you wanna see more....

2011 Family Summer Fun #1

2011-08-24T10:41:00.001-06:00

You know you're so excited to hear about our family fun. So here it goes. I'll do it in segments as to not overload myself or anyone else.

We went to the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It was AMAZING! Anyone who's been to the redwoods doesn't need me to tell them how FREAKING huge these things are.

Click on photo for more :)

noteworthy events:

sean got bit by a random bug when we stopped for lunch by the river.
cooper wasn't feeling well the whole trip and was a little whiney
we saw the "travel log" i must say, it was pretty cool
we saw the former "tallest tree in the world" it fell in 1998. very cool
we saw lots of poison oak
we got lost a little bit, but it's was so beautiful just driving around, it didn't really matter.

Once upon a time....

2011-08-06T12:04:00.003-06:00

i was pretty diligent at blogging. summer is keeping up fairly busy. and sometimes lazy. but here's a little insight into what we've been up to. we've had plenty of company in the last month :)

we've spent many hours on the beach. surfing, boogie boarding and hunting for sea glass.

we visited the USS Hornet with Grandma and Uncle Colton

we took the kids to the Oakland Temple for a little "learn about forever families" outing.

we did the tourist thing with family. visited the golden gate bridge. (we even saw someone jump off the bridge and subsequent emergency procedures, it was quite a day!)

and coit tower. i really wanted to see the famous parrots of telegraph hill. we looked for some, but never found any :( probably went to the wrong spots....

and yes, the boys need some serious haircuts. although maybe we should go for the 70s look?

we have just a few more weeks until school starts!! YIKES! i'm not sure we're ready for early mornings. we have some fun planned until then so stay tuned!

sanchez adobe

2011-07-19T15:23:00.002-06:00

Today we absorbed a bit of local Pacifica history (and passed off some stuff for scouts).

"The Sanchez Adobe was constructed between 1842 and 1846 by Francisco Sanchez, owner of Rancho San Pedro and one-time alcalde of San Francisco. Sanchez was a leader of Mexican California who led volunteers against United States forces at the Battle of Santa Clara.
Sanchez raised cattle for the hide-and-tallow trade. When ships came to California, Sanchez could trade his hides for manufactured items. Known as the “California Dollar,” hides could be made into clothes, shoes, and saddles. Tallow or cow fat was made into soap and candles."

to stay or not to stay?

2011-07-19T15:16:00.004-06:00

when we got her, she was pretty dirty and did this to Cooper and Mom

Dad gave her a bath and we'll see how it goes. She's cute, cuddly and a furry purring ball of friskiness.

let the trial period commence.

Rainy Summer Monday

2011-07-11T19:04:00.002-06:00

it's hard to be crusty today, even though it's summer, and it's raining.... because mom got the verizon and canon situations all sorted out

::big sigh::

the rain didn't hold us back though. we took the boys to a wildlife refuge in half moon bay today and it was awesome! we got so close to the animals! the boys were in little boy heaven! and Cooper got some stuff passed off for scouts.

so much fun!! thanks to Jen! and Wildlife Associates!

can't be crusty today

2011-07-04T23:12:00.000-06:00

how can i be crusty on a holiday? especially a holiday that celebrates the birth of this rockin' country in which we live? so i did a lot today. (for what it's worth, i only cropped a few of these photos, they were fresh off the camera with no editing, so please dont judge ;)

first, we slept in. again.

second, the cousins came over with grandma and her friend and a few dogs.

third, we BBQ'd, i grilled spicy honey chicken, yum!!

fourth, we ate a 'smore ice cream cake! (yes you read correctly, white cake with rocky road ice cream, with a layer of marshmallow covered graham crackers, and topped off with chocolate frosting... SWEET! but good!)

fifth, we walked to the beach. as i was waiting for people to gather shoes and sweatshirts i noticed that my camera has a tilt-shift setting, so of course on our walk i had to experiment, here's a sample of what i got (if you're into photography and dont know what tilt shift is, you can google it, it's kinda lame but was fun to play with for a day)....

this bird isn't really "tilt shift" but i like the way the photo turned out

and the boys spit on some nice little frogs...

sixth, poor mason's hand got slammed in the front door... then he fell on our walk and cut the same hand... it was nasty, he was tough, lots of blood, NOT a good day for him. let's just say he fell asleep the first chance he had.

seventh, we watched Mary Poppins

eighth, we found and accidentally killed what we think was some kind of gopher (i took a photo, but i'll spare you all the details)

ninth, we played with sparklers. well, mom and dad played, the boys used them to burn ants.

tenth, for photo club we had an assignment. i had always wanted to try this and so glad i was nudged a little... these shots aren't really up to standards (now of course, i see where i could have done so much better, but what the heck, i tried!)

Happy Fourth Everyone!!

Nine!

2011-06-30T20:43:00.003-06:00

has it really been nine years? it just seemed like yesterday that we were amazed by this special spirit that entered our family. he was under 7 lbs with long fingers. he didn't like to be cuddled and always wanted to know what was going on around him. he didn't even cry, but just squeaked a bit when he was born. he cried a little when given a shot, but quickly calmed himself. what a dream baby he was! and to this day, he's just a good kid!

mom and Cooper went on a mom-son date and saw Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3d. then we hit the See's factory on the way home (he really had to twist mom's arm on that one!)

he's been wanting a pogo stick for a while, so he got one! along with a video game of course.

happy birthday buddy! please stay sweet and kind....

fillin' summertime gaps and a crusty monday complaint

2011-06-27T19:03:00.004-06:00

summer so far has been great! we've had beautiful weather, spent a few days on the shore and have had a nice relaxing time yesterday and today since a few of us have been plagued with a cold, a cold that steals away your voice.

so today, for lack of anything better to do and since i had a rental lens to play with, i took some shots of the boys. i've been wanting to experiment with the natural light from the skylights in our family room... here is some of what i got... (if you want to see more, click on one of these and it will take you to the gallery)

and since it's monday, i should be crusty right?

todays crusty:

Why do people (government, schools and others) think they have to control our lives?

you cant get a Happy Meal in San Francisco anymore. well, you can still get a Happy Meal, but they took the "Happy" part away. why? because they promote "unhealthy eating." i'm not even kidding about this one. seriously, for the 1 or less Happy Meals my kids get a year, i think that as their parent, i should be the one making this decision, not YOU!
mason will be starting kindergarten in the fall. the school is telling the parents (all 80+ of us) that we have to come 15 minutes early everyday to read with our child. yes, that means that 80+ of us have to find a parking spot in an extremely congested street (the school has no lot for parents, only staff) so that you can make sure that our child is getting read to everyday (because they dont think we'll do it at home) plbbbtt! i think it's bogus and i'm going to fight it!
at mason's mandatory school check up (at the doctor) they asked me the most irrelevant questions. like, does your child play in the front yard? yes. under constant supervision? constant? he's 5 and i'm no spring chicken with go-go gadget legs! do you have a gun in the home? yes. is it locked in a safe, unloaded? yes. is the ammunition locked in a separate safe? um, what does this have to do with my child attending school? nothing at ALL!

if i think of anymore, there are PLENTY, i'll add them later. i just wish that the schools would teach reading, writing and arithmetic and stay out of our lives! i wish that instead of trying to create a master race of like-minded people, the government would let us live our lives in peace and quit butting in! i know you mean well, and i'm sure there are a few sperm/egg donors out there that are doing a horrid job of parenting, but don't assume everyone falls in this category and let me keep my parental rights, and other rights as well.

not enough said, but oh well, i need to make dinner.

thank you
and goodbye

last day at ortega!

2011-06-20T17:44:00.004-06:00

so the boys' last day of school was bittersweet because Cooper for sure wont be returning and there's a good chance Sean wont as well. they've loved the school and we're sad to be moving on. hopefully they'll be able to keep in touch with the close friends they've made.

it's not always easy to say goodbye! Cooper loved his teacher this year and we loved her...

sean got to decorate cupcakes!

Sean will miss his super cool teacher too!

here is Sean with Finley, his "friend."

now we just need to survive summer.
any tips besides, "just keep busy?"

::sigh::

M n' M

2011-06-17T17:41:00.005-06:00

I had the privilege of watching these two little ones while mom was busy getting an ultrasound... They should make a 100 more babies because they make cute ones!!! So freakin' adorable!

awe a woman from the career of her humor

2011-06-13T11:22:00.000-06:00

"Shall quips and sentences and these paper bullets of the brain awe a man from the career of his humor?"

--Billy Shakespeare

i was telling the hubby last night, "i wish that i didn't get so worked up about some things." i was created completely backwards. major stuff, i seem to handle better. minor stuff is like a thorn in my side.

like last night, i could hardly enjoy watching one of our favorite shows, Dog, The Bounty Hunter, with said hubby because i kept thinking about:

the stupid rebate situation from verizon that i'm trying to get worked out
the stupid canon situation
the cavity that i know i have
doctor's appointments that need to be made
bills that are due (why are there so many?)
as always, the "monday" do-list

i emailed myself at midnight last night, wrote it all down, so i wouldn't forget, so that i could fall asleep. and there is so much more than mentioned above. i'm feeling much less crusty, since i've made a huge dent in mr. crusty list. but still, i need to learn to cope better because there are always going to be these minor things to worry about.

they're never going to go away. i cherish those moments where is nothing to worry about. those moments where you take a deep breath and smile on the inside.

so i ask all the pros out there, how do you cope?

crusty monday

2011-06-06T14:13:00.005-06:00

lately, i'm hatin' on money. and debt. and the stupid solicitor calls that we get to "consolidate" our debt.

we haven't ever been in debt until this whole "student loan" thing. i miss all those years knowing that we don't owe money to anyone. and now that we have loans, it's like a whole other world.

a world that i'm not liking, and we're nowhere NEAR the point of paying them back because daddy of my three sons has 3+ years left. then we get to start paying it off.

i think this is what it must feel like to be on a hitlist.

don't get me wrong. we thought long and hard before making this decision and it's an amazing opportunity for hubby to attend dental school.... but,

that's why i'm hating money today. i need to find a way to get me some. quick.

that california lottery is looking kinda tempting. then again so does this warm pile of laundry.

Braggin' Friday

2011-06-03T17:44:00.003-06:00

Lovin' on Cooper today!

Cooper is responsible, always willing to help and is a good-natured and mellow kid. Granted there are times (usually when surrounded by a bunch of other kids) that he gets crazy.

Cooper is doing fabulous in scouts! He's earned his wolf and will move into the bear den as soon as he turns 9! We are planning on spending the summer doing stuff to earn his bear award so he can quickly move to webelos.

He's also doing very well with the piano. His teacher suggested that I sit and listen to him practice and so I did.... with camera in-hand of course. He's doing so well. He's very close to passing up his mom in skill level, yikes! I'm still so very thankful to my dear aunt Nancy for giving us this piano! What a HUGE blessing it has been! It gets played nearly everyday and doesn't collect dust.

takin' on the high dive

2011-06-02T18:30:00.002-06:00

that would be me. i love heights and water. i think i may grow some gills someday.

i promise you'll see less of mason and swimming, his parents are just so proud of him!

My End of Year Field Trip - 1st Grade

2011-06-02T17:44:00.004-06:00

disclaimer: photos and words entirely by Sean (mom just typed and uploaded pictures for him)

Today, I went on a field trip to Pier 39. Mom let me take an old camera.

We saw lots of sea lions.

We were on the water on the blue and gold fleet. We saw dolphins (I didn't get a picture because they were too quick).

We saw Alcatraz. Alcatraz is an old prison that the worst bad guys went to. It looks like it got hit by a nuke.

We went under the Golden Gate Bridge. When we went under, it was really bumpy and I was almost falling down, but I was hanging onto something.

These are some of my friends.

This is Finley. She really likes science. I really like her (and science).

Crusty Monday

2011-05-30T19:38:00.002-06:00

disclaimer: i love memorial day, this post is completely irregardless of the fact that it's a great holiday!

a few things to be crusty about today.

Crusty #1

the boys and i took a hike over the hill from the school they're going to attend this fall. i thought that the boys could walk over the hill after school. well, after today, here is the conclusion.....

can you see our house?

the walk itself wasn't bad. the views, spectacular. on the school-side of the hill, there's a nice trail. on our side however, we had to do a little trail-blazing. which was kinda fun except for ONE thing.

eight-legged freaks, otherwise known as ticks. i hate them, loathe them and we were stopping every 10 feet to pick them off of ourselves. and if you want nightmares tonight, go to google images and search for ticks. this was the least scariest photo i could find.

we arrived home and de-ticked ourselves. luckily no one got bit. but we wont be trail-blazing in the foothills anytime soon.

Crusty #2

my photo blog is already full. to my demise, i happen to love full resolution, high quality photos. they're so crisp and clean. so i broke down and moved all my photos to smugmug. for future use, there is a link on the side of this page to link you to my photos, if you're interested in that stuff. it definitely helps me to get more traffic if you "like" some of the photos ;)

In Memory....

2011-05-28T14:45:00.003-06:00

the boys and i went to the Golden Gate cemetery to place flags on all the graves.

it hits me when i hear the patriotic music of the bagpipes coming down from the hill.

and for the next 30 minutes or so, my eyes are wet with tears, the lump in my throat makes my voice crack and i'm overwhelmed by the sacrifice so many have made for our country and the everyday freedoms we take for granted. i'm overwhelmed by the people who show up to pay their respects. it's just awesome.

okay so i'm a sap. i still cant say the pledge of allegiance or sing the national anthem without that lump pushing against my throat.

and it just breaks my heart to see people have disrespect for our heroes. the same people who are exercising the same freedoms these people died for.

<----- click on mace for more photos

for your memorial day weekend down time, i highly recommend this movie. if you're a sap like me, you'll cry through the whole thing, but it's worth it!

it's the little things that make us smile

2011-05-25T21:33:00.008-06:00

what is she doing now?

you may find her with her nose in this book...

where?

just follow the drips of Hershey's syrup.

::smiles::

evolution of a fish

2011-05-21T14:35:00.002-06:00

remember this baby?

and remember this kid? (<----- click here, seriously for some good laughs, watch the videos on that old post, that kid was so funny!)

well he's evolving.

learning to tread water

hanging out on the edge of the pool because i'm bored, and that's how i roll

diving for the ring

jumping in the pool, trying to make the biggest splash possible

he's been in swim lessons for about 4 months and he loves it!

his teacher recommended that he skip a level because he's just too advanced (and fearless) for their age group.

way to go Mason!

watch out Michael Phelps, you have some competition coming!

because i can....

2011-05-20T15:10:00.000-06:00

this is what mace and i had for lunch....

because it's that kind of day.

and instead of favorites friday, it's sicky friday (doesn't quite roll off the tongue),

and because i can.

a post that actually fits the title of my blog

2011-05-18T19:25:00.002-06:00

today was a typical day, to give you a glimpse, it consisted of the following:

removing 5 splinters
getting yelled at by the neighbor for basketballs going into his yard
friends coming over to play Mario Cart and Halo
mud on my carpet
searching for something that was, and still is, lost
saving the cat from a moment of torment
falling asleep on the couch with mason while watching "Curious George 2"
sneaking some chocolate dipped s'mores from Trader Joe's so they wouldn't catch me
picking up used snotty tissues from behind beds
being asked if they could keep slugs as pets

Crusty Monday Injury Complaints

2011-05-16T14:47:00.002-06:00

i am feeling crusty about blogger's "read-only day" and am i the only one that lost something? but now to the good stuff....

notice i didn't blog on friday? didn't think so, but this leads to my crusties today. i hate getting injured, no matter how minor. it sucks. it seems to come in waves. it never fails to humble me.

last wednesday, i was putting dishes away. as i was shoving utensils in the drawer, my thumbnail nicked the side of the drawer giving me a beautifully placed splinter under my nail. i could see that it went pretty far down.... but i didn't really want to deal with it so i calmly dealt with the pain all day. later that night, i let the hubby dig in there with some tweezers, but all we got were a few chunks of wood.... after a restless night of trying to sleep with a hot throbbing thumb, i thought maybe i should go to the doc and get it out. so i called around, only to find that no one could squeeze me in and was told to "just go to the ER" several times. i just couldn't do it. the ER? really? for a stupid splinter?

so friday, i wake up and the thing is oozing yellow puss. i squeeze out as much as my stomach will handle and decide to go in... only after i get the house clean of course. around 11am, after hair and make-up (to lessen the embarrassment of going in for such a lame reason) i headed to the ER with mace in-tow.

so, i'll spare you all gory and boring details like:

sitting in the waiting room for hours
the old people comparing fall injuries
the 3 patients that coded
the crack whore trying to get free prescriptions
the drunk homeless dude, who made many appearances throughout the day
the fact that they couldn't get my finger numb meaning lots of shots
i picked like the busiest day ever in that particular ER

but i survived! the doc (who was super cool) cut a portion of my nail off and got the little sucker out. and i guess it had gotten pretty infected. he said that it was a good thing i'd come in (made me feel a little less like a dork).

moral of the story:

opposable thumbs, may be slightly overrated, however, the things that i noticed are hard to do without a working thumb

curling my eyelashes
hitting the lock/unlock button on the car remote
fastening my bra in the back
and a few more....

if you've made it this far through this most-boring post ever, you deserve a treat! your treat is .... a photo of mason and what he is up to right now.....

will he ever tire of Indiana Jones? he's having a marathon day....

Sunday's Cupcake Concoctions

2011-05-15T15:58:00.001-06:00

what is it about Sundays that brings on a hungry sweet tooth? i seriously sit in church with motivation veering in the wrong direction... i find myself thinking about what i'm going to make for lunch when i get home. complete with side dish, drink and dessert. fast Sundays are the worst. by the time i hit relief society, i'm lost in a world of foody thoughts.

my hubby has been missing Crown Burgers (a Utah hotspot). so today i concocted a pastrami burger, fresh with homemade onion rings, fry sauce and potatoes. then for dessert i made peanut butter cookie dough cupcakes. oh, so sinful! i think i've concocted a little piece of heaven. yes i just used sin and heaven in the same analogy. and yes, you just may find me on the kitchen floor licking the beaters caked with peanut butter frosting. it is that good.

just a month left with him

2011-05-11T10:32:00.002-06:00

the car door slammed shut and i looked back at mason, all alone in the very back seat. "well it's just you and me again today buddy, what should we do?"

"huh?"

"should we have a party? just the two of us?"

"yeah!"

"okay, i'll make eggs with peppers and mushrooms!"

mason scowls and curls his upper lip "no! ew!"

after a few minutes....

mason says, "mom, remember those days when you would let me play video games without practicing my letters? i want one of those days."

i guess this mom just cant win. after bringing in the garbage cans he heads straight for his room to outfit himself for a morning of "scaring the cat."

so far she doesn't look too bothered.

once again i'm reminded of how short my time is with having him to myself during the day.

i think i just may miss it.

Crusty Monday Morning Musings

2011-05-09T10:43:00.000-06:00

in talking with Mr. My Three Sons last night, i realized most poignantly that i despise waking up.

i envy "morning people." and it's to you i make my plea. how DO you enjoy it? i tried the "do it for long enough and it'll become habit" thing. yeah 5 months of waking up at 5 am, and mr. habit never showed so i gave up.

i love my bed. i love to sleep. at night when i fall into my bed, a big smile spreads across my face and it's like falling in love all over again, everyday.

then the morning bells ring and it doesn't matter if i slept 12 or 2 hours, i never want to get up. i just want to stay there and go back to sleep. and it's soooo much harder when it's dark. and cold.

on the days i do get up early for no reason (it happens, like once a year, but it happens!) i do love it, i get so much accomplished and i feel great. but how, pray-tell, do you get over the HUMP of waking up?

because i don't like it.

DISCLAIMER: i'm a happy person. i'm rarely sad or depressed. my kids haven't been late to school once, i get up in plenty of time to get them fed, clothed and out the door without rushing. i'm just sayin...

Kitchen Koncoctions

2011-05-08T21:48:00.002-06:00

I just caught myself in the kitchen making these.... Sometimes I wonder what possesses these onsets. I'll be happily doing something and then BAM all of the sudden I'll find myself making something I shouldn't. Today, is Mother's Day, however. I deserve it, right?

Yesterday, I made these... They're just your basic everyday rolls. But they were so pretty and my camera is so fun, I just had to snap a shot. Made them for a Memorial service in which I'm sure they weren't appreciated because they were broken apart and tossed in with the Costco rolls. Looks-wise you almost couldn't tell the difference. But you sure could taste it! YUM!! But so NOT a healthy roll. Full-on white bleached flour, with lots of butter and a dash of sugar. Don't drool on your keyboard!

On a more healthy note, I'm trying really hard to cook healthier. About a week ago, I attempted a meatloaf recipe with flaxseed. Talk about an EPIC failure. While eating it, I kept trying to push away the thoughts of "this must be what dog food tastes and feels like going down." So the next day I attempted a save by sauteeing the meat in a pan, stirring in pasta sauce and serving over spaghetti noodles. The kids ate the noodles and sauce but wouldn't touch the meat. I couldn't blame them. I didn't eat it myself.

::tossing THAT recipe in the trash::

Anyone has any good recipes with flaxseed that actually are palatable, I would LOVE them!

This was surprisingly a bigger hit than I expected. (Tofu and Veggie stir fry with pork over somen noodles with homemade stir fry sauce)

Oh man, I need all the help I can get. I have no problem cooking with butter, sugar, fat, starches, etc etc.... But I have very few recipes that are genuinely healthy all around that the family will LOVE. I do have a few, in fact I'll post them on my recipe blog ;)

This is a cry for help.

and healthy family friendly recipes/ideas.....

Friday Favorites and Foreverness

2011-05-06T10:10:00.000-06:00

a few years ago, nick and i went up to boise, idaho for one of nick's cousin's missionary send-off. this particular young man is well-liked by all that know him and the service was packed and overflowing into the gym behind the chapel.... anyway, the bishop asked all of the men and young men in the room to stand and sing, "Army of Helaman."

i was surrounded by men singing this song with fervor and faithfulness. it was amazing, my heart was so full that my eyes spilled over with love for the men in my life. especially the three that i'm raising, i looked at them and knew my responsibility as a mother was great. i saw them grown into men of strong character, men that love their God and Savior. it was then that i realized the importance of my calling as their mom.

it used to be a cute primary song and now it means so much more to me.

The story of the 2000 stripling warriors or the "Army of Helaman."

Alma 53:1021; Alma 56:4456; Alma 58:39
And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him. Alma 53:2021

The people of Ammon, who were called the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, had covenanted with God never to kill, even in war. They lived in the land of Zarahemla, where Nephite armies protected them from the Lamanites. (See Alma 53:1012.)

However, as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies saw the danger and everything the Nephites suffered for them, they wanted to break their covenant and fight to defend themselves. But Helaman, the leader of the Church, persuaded them not to fight. He worried that they might lose their souls if they broke their covenants. (See Alma 53:1315.)

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies had many sons who had not made the covenant not to go to war. Two thousand of these young men gathered together and promised to defend the liberty of their people and the Nephites. They asked Helaman to be their leader. (See Alma 53:1619.)

Although they were young, these men were strong and brave. Most important, they were trustworthy and obeyed God's commandments; "they were men of truth" (Alma 53:21; see also Alma 53:20). Helaman called them his sons, and they called him father. When Helaman asked them if they were willing to go to battle, they answered, "Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth" (Alma 56:46; see also Alma 56:4445).

These brave young men did not fear death. They valued the freedom of their people more than their own lives. Their mothers had taught them that if they trusted in God, He would protect them. (See Alma 56:4748.)

Helaman led his young warriors in a terrible battle against the Lamanites. With the help of Helaman's army, the Nephites won the battle. Helaman feared that many of his sons had been killed, but to his great joy, he found that not one had been killed. The young men had fought with the strength of God, and He had protected them. (See Alma 56:49, Alma 56:5456; Alma 58:39.)

it's always interesting to me how tragedy can change you, change your outlook on life, change your feelings about death. my heart is full today, perhaps on a day that it shouldn't be. we lost a family member this week and his funeral is tomorrow. my heart is full because i have the peace of knowing truth in my life. i know where i came from, i know where i am and what i need to do, and i know where i'm going and how to get there. and even though kate looked beautiful in her "fairy tale" wedding this last week, i have no desire for her life, because i have exactly what i want, an eternal marriage that extends beyond the grave (to a very handsome and faithful prince, i might add). and i have 3 young men that are amazing and full of love for their Savior. seriously, what more could i want? i know it's not mormon culture to stand up and shout "AMEN!" or "Hallelujah!" but sometimes i wish it were.... because sometimes i want to.

lovin' free fridays

2011-04-29T12:36:00.003-06:00

drawing to the end of a long week i'm grateful that there is nothing on the agenda for today.

(well nothing, but vacuuming, laundry and typical every day mom stuff)

i'm grateful that the fridge is full of leftovers.

i'm grateful that the rag quilt i've been working on is finished! my first ever, and i think it turned out kinda cute. next time, i'm going to make smaller seams.

and i'm grateful for these babies, who worked their mango/oatmeal yumminess into our kitchen. for recipe, click here. of course, i have a fridge full of fresh healthy fruit and i choose to bake it into something fattening.

::rolling eyes at myself::

will i ever learn?

i need a good book to read.... any suggestions?

Crustiness of Picking Sides

2011-04-25T05:21:00.090-06:00

Today I would like to address the issue of picking sides. Do I have to? Cant I be Switzerland?

I'm not sure why this has frustrated me lately. But it began with the whole Mac vs. PC debate. It seemed that you would get into a conversation with someone, the topic of computers would surface, and all of the sudden you found yourself defending the fact that you own a PC instead of a Mac. I probably take it personally because the computer is like a member of the family. Not only would I find myself under attack but being belittled because I chose a PC. There is no middle ground. You must pick a side. Why? I love my PC, but I also love Macs, if I could afford one. They are both awesome for different reasons.

Another debate I find myself forced into the the Canon vs. Nikon debate. Seriously? They are both superior in the DSLR industry. I bought a Canon because at the time, I felt that I could get the best bang for my buck. I've been 100% pleased with the quality produced from my camera. I have no complaints about the product (don't ask me about their customer service, and I'm sure there are people out there just as dissatisfied with Nikon's CS). These two play cat and mouse and you cant go wrong either way. There is no middle ground and once again, you must pick a side.

Then there is the much larger issue of politics. I find myself torn here as well. I feel like I'm attacked all the time with little darts tossed at me. Defending what and why I feel the way I do. Especially in this time of governmental unrest and distrust, I feel that it's important to make educated decisions about the issues individually and not just to pick a side (a party) and follow them blindly. I'm not a Republican, I'm not a Democrat, but I'm a citizen of this country and believe in defending my rights.

For example, people assume because I feel strongly that I have the right to bear arms, I must be a crazy gun-toting dangerous Republican freak. A classic example of this dynamic was when the Democratic Congresswoman in Arizona was shot, and before anyone had specific information about what happened, there were posts on facebook and twitter and all over about this person who shot her and how he must be a crazy right-winged nut and how guns must be outlawed (by the way, the guy ended up just being a whack job with views all over the board, not the type of law-abiding citizen that would obey a gun law in the first place). Using a tragedy to force an agenda is wrong in every way, but I see it being done more and more. Why are some so quick to put people on a "side"? So they can pounce? So the have further justification to hate the other side?

The reason I'm addressing this tendency to force others to "pick a side" or to put others in a specific category is because I see the hatred that is beginning to form. It wasn't like this when I was younger. You could have opinions about things and others wouldn't agree, but you could discuss things and become educated on others views. Now, there is instant and apparent hatred and walls put up. No one wants to listen to anyone from the other side. It reminds me of the Civil War in America, where they had to pick a side and sometimes it meant fighting to the death against your own family and friends. It really scares me, the hatred that is out there. Whether it is hating "team Jacob" or the fans of an opposing sports team, it's not acceptable on any level. Is society given too many liberties and is mankind so bored that hatred is the outlet?

Please don't make me pick a side. I love the beautiful patchwork quilt of this world. If it were all one color and pattern, it wouldn't be beautiful.

My Favorite Good Friday

2011-04-22T23:54:00.001-06:00

COOPER: mom, i don't wanna go, my car isn't fast

MOM: hmmm, that's not a bad idea, dad, should we just stay home?

DAD: um, shouldn't you go? you are a den leader....

oh yeah, i forgot

but we're glad we went. i'd never been to a pinewood derby.

for those of you who were as clueless as myself on this whole thing... the boys are given this.

and with their dad (or mom), they are to shape and cut the car, paint it and mount the wheels.

luckily the Lowe's by us has a pinewood derby workshop saturday where the boys can go and get lots of help on their cars (this is great for people like us, who dont have the proper tools).

nick took cooper and they came home with a pretty sweet looking little car.

fast forward to last night (the night before the race). we still needed to mount the wheels. nick brought home his dental tools to buff and polish the nails to make them slicker. we had bought some graphite lubricant, but i guess i had purchased the wrong kind because it melted the plastic on the wheels, EEK!! nick worked hard to try and get the wheels balanced and everything, but really the car just didn't roll well. i was a bit apprehensive about letting cooper race it. i could just picture his pouty little face when his car came to a dead stop before the track even flattens out.

we arrived at the race a little early and i told a guy there about what happened to cooper's car, he said, "let me see if i can help" and i pointed cooper out. he grabbed cooper and his car and they went into a corner, where this man put some graphite powder (the right kind) in the wheels and taped it shut.

well, thanks!! because cooper won FIRST PLACE!!! he is still on cloud nine. i apologize that i didn't take the time to edit these photos, they're not the greatest. i've only had this camera for a day!

here is the final and winning race... it was SO CLOSE!! too bad i stopped recording so early.

Crusty Monday

2011-04-18T20:17:00.000-06:00

feelin' crusty this monday. because it's spring break and i feel like one of my arms has been chopped off. because i'm waiting for my new camera (i had to send the other one back and canon is being lame about this whole return thing). so i'm waiting and seething at canon, considering switching to Nikon. (notice how i capitalized Nikon? canon doesn't deserve it right now).

i have lots of things planned for the boys. and no camera. how much does that SUCK?

good thing my phone has a camera.

phbblltt! (that's how i spell the sound of blowing raspberries)

Friday Favorites

2011-04-15T08:28:00.006-06:00

weeks go by so quickly these days. and fabulous friday is here again. a time to be positive.

i couldn't help it. i was browsing youtube last night and stumbled across this beauty... after a few tears, that i hid from nick because he doesn't love it like i do, i thought about the story. the themes of forgiveness, God, honesty, trust, charity, love and more make this a classic, well-rounded novel and play.

i'm reminded of the awkward days of my youth, when i would blast this soundtrack and rock in my dad's big leather rocking chair and sing along for hours. putting myself in the story. then later, when my mom got me 5th row center seats!! i remember smelling the smoke as it rolled off stage and feeling like i'd been sucked back into revolutionary france.

i love this scene where valjean is escaping the rebellion, with wounded marius in his arms, through the tunnels, he sings to God asking him to spare the man his daughter loves, to take his life instead... so simple, so selfless, i'm a totally gushy woman who loves musicals and get sucked right into the sap.

amazing right??

4 Valjeans? it's like the icing on the cake of les mis. who is your favorite valjean? i'm partial to Irish-born Colm Wilkinson (1st singer). although that Alfie Boe (4th singer) is amazing (in another version of this same performance you can see him getting all teary-eyed and having to pull himself together before he comes in). freakin' awesome.

i thought this info from Wikepedia was fun (The London production of Les Misérables opened in October 1985, and transferred to Broadway in March 1987. Originally, the American Actors' Equity Association refused to allow Wilkinson to play the part of Valjean in New York, due to their policy of hiring only American actors. At this, producer Cameron Mackintosh refused to open the show unless Wilkinson played Valjean. Actor's Equity subsequently relented.)

what more could i ask for? besides TICKETS?

it never fails to touch my soul. i'm sure i'll be responsible for at least 10 more hits on the counter today while the kids are at school.

wednesday oddities

2011-04-13T11:18:00.002-06:00

actually a little time to breathe today.

well, in theory i should be cleaning, doing laundry and trying to play catch up.

but i demand some me time.

so i was editing some photos that i took out on the salt flats in utah a few years ago and found this photo.

nothing unusual right? now if i fiddle with the brightness and saturation a little.... (obviously this photo isn't the greatest, i only posted it to show my point)

sometimes when you edit photos, you can bring finer details into view. also when shooting directly into the sun, you can get some funky effects. so in fiddling with this photo i noticed something unusual. aside from the spots, which probably means the lens was dirty, something caught my eye.

can you see it?

i'll give you a small hint. it's on the right side of the photo. don't look too hard or you might not spot it.

for the answer click here.

what is emily going to complain about today?

2011-04-11T14:02:00.001-06:00

since i spared everyone last week and decided to take a break from my moanings and complainings, i decided it's time to dive back in. now, in talking to the husband last night, i thought that maybe i should do away with crusty mondays, because there is a large gaping hole in my life for where optimism and positive thinking should reside. now that being said, i think as long as i stick to "minor" things--like cup rings on the coffee table, molds and mice, and defective electronics--i should be able to laugh through my complaining and open a forum for possible coping mechanisms/solutions. now for today's complaint....

::bad customer service::

we've all had to deal with it. and i'm one of those door-mat type people that just shrugs, walks away, gets home and regrets not having stood up for myself a bit more.

friday was such a day. i was totally discriminated against at my local Safeway (i'll spare you the details)
then there is a problem with my brand new dear camera and Canon's customer service has been quite lacking in that department (once again, i'll spare you the details)

i'm just frustrated and think back to when i worked in retail and how, no matter who my customers were, i did everything within the power i was given to "hook" them up and send them home smiling.

and why is it that when we have a bad experience the crustiness lingers in your soul. like, i'll forget about what happened, but still be grouchy and think, "why am i so grouchy? .... oh yeah! it's because of what happened this morning at the store..." or whatever.

so rasberries to YOU naughty, haughty customer service rejects.

take this VENT for all the whopping 6 people who read my blog!

Friday Favs

2011-04-08T11:38:00.005-06:00

i tried really hard to come up with a friday favorites post today that did NOT center around the new camera or photography in any way, but i'm going to resolve myself to the fact that i'm failing miserably. i thought about my beloved glider chair, my favorite spot to sit and read. i thought about the gas stove in the family room and the warmth it provides. i thought about my bedroom and the haven that it is... and then i thought of my camera and how i want to play with it some more. and just gave up.

i love photos! of course i had to break her in today. it's a little different and going to take some getting used to. it does so MUCH more than my little rebel (don't get me wrong, the rebel is an awesome camera and i would recommend it to anyone)

now if i could just get that laundry folded! and stop following mason and mikan around with a camera in their faces.

**video not shared for artistic reasons, just for entertainment, i obviously dont know how to keep my subject in focus**

It's like Christmas!

2011-04-07T18:28:00.004-06:00

i'm so giddy with excitement.... when i got the automated message last night that my package was coming today and that someone would have to be home to sign for it, it was like santa calling a 6 year old to say, "i'm on my way, make sure the flue is open!"

so it showed up on my doorstep today a few minutes after 5pm.

oh man, i can wait to break her in.... why don't they send them with a fully charged battery?

anyone want to be my guinea pig and let me shoot them?

trying something new

2011-04-05T16:52:00.005-06:00

because the more hobbies a girl has the less she eats.....

so on the way home from picking up the kids, i stopped at the beach and took a few (86 to be exact) shots.

i have taken an interest in HDR photography. although i think most of it looks unreal and kinda bizarre, it's fun and some of it can be very beautiful, if you don't "over-edit."

so here are my very first attempts.....

please cut me some slack, i have a long way to go!

Monday Monday

2011-04-04T13:05:00.003-06:00

Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee
That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Monday Monday, can't trust that day,
Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way
Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be
Oh Monday Monday, how could you leave and not take me.

Every other day, every other day,
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin' all of the time

Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee
That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Every other day, every other day,
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin' all of the time

Monday Monday, ...

every time i go to do a monday post i sing this song in my head. so i just had to post. especially since it's hard to be crusty after a wonderful conference weekend! i usually do a LONG post about all that impressed me in conference and what changes i need to make after my eight hour spiritual beating. i'll spare you.

Fantastic Friday!

2011-04-01T09:06:00.001-06:00

feelin' only appropriate to praise the sun today

i like to consider myself "solar-powered"

it took me many years to realize that i need kisses from the sun to keep me in my happy place

living in utah was an experience for this california girl. i will admit that i did love the snow. but i loathed how long the winter lasted. it was like a month into winter and i was ready for spring. but i had to endure 4+ more months of bone-chilling cold. i dealt. whatever.

but being back in this mild climate has done wonders for my psyche. i love the sun. i love the mild sea air. i love the mist and fog. i love that i never need heavy coats, mittens or snow boots just to take kids to school.

my favorite thing. the sun. and living where it can kiss my cheeks often.

*photo by Curtis Martin

our first taste of spring on the coast

2011-03-30T20:02:00.006-06:00

i looked up from my book for just a second to watch mace bolt for the ocean. it wasn't a normal run. it was like i could see his happy care free attitude in his little run. for just a moment a lump formed in my throat and i'm overcome with appreciation for my family and moments like this, that help form who they're going to become. i never thought, upon becoming a mother, that seeing my children content and worry free would make me so happy.

today's beach finds included jellyfish, huge sand crabs, a giant crab claw, and miscellaneous seaweed. sean found a "magnetic rock" that had attracted "magnetic sand." he was thrilled about his find, but mom wasn't too thrilled when he scratched his hand on the rusty hunk of metal.

nick helped the boys build a sand castle, but the tide was creeping and wiped it out in one shot.

i read my book for 2 hours and didn't even get my feet wet. i'm getting old. hey, at least i didn't forget my camera ;)

I love relief society!

2011-03-29T14:41:00.003-06:00

some of us gathered today to make dolls for the UCSF childrens hospital.

it's so nice to gather together, talk girl talk, and eat good food. and hey, the kids at the hospital get a little something out of it too! love all the gals there! MWAH! although i did complain a lot.... i really need to work on that one.

can i just tell you that i love being a part of this organization.

it's awesome on so many levels.

Crusty Monday in my neighborhood

2011-03-28T14:02:00.004-06:00

across the street, we have this.....

the baseball fields are obvious. if you click on the photo, you'll notice at the base of the foothills a playground with swings, rock climbing wall, etc. also in the hills is a tree fort and rope swing.

naturally, this has become my kid's favorite spot to hang out. it's a heaven for my 3 young boys.

since the mentality of the area that we live in is to have dogs instead of children, our beloved baseball fields/playground has become the local hot spot to take your dog, let it off it's leash and let it run amok chasing frisbees and balls. this is all fine and dandy. i have nothing against dogs. just clean up their poop, and only let them off their leash if they're harmless (which most dogs are). people drive their dogs here, park their cars and let the dogs run.

really, i could care less. have fun with your pooch, all dressed up in a sweater, and pretend that you are normal. whatever.

now for my griping.

what i do care about is when you tell my children that they cant play there when there are dogs not on leashes. you want a private place for your dog to play undisturbed. (if your dog is dangerous then keep it on a leash, heard of them?)

really? really! the gall of some people. had i heard about this when it happened, this momma bear would have marched right over there and given mr. "my-dog-has-more-right-than-a-child" a piece of my mind! unfortunately it was two minutes too late.

what gives? it's a BASEBALL field. it was built for kids. it's a PLAYGROUND! i think that was built for kids too! if you want a private place for your pooch to run unleashed with no children, take mr. muggles to a freakin' dog park. ya' know, the dog parks that are everywhere in the bay area?

enough said. i really hope he yells at my kids again. i'd really like to have some words with him.

idiot.

It's Friday

2011-03-25T14:22:00.000-06:00

and i'm finding that i have more to be crusty about than things to shower with emily affection.

but one of my favorite things in the whole world is rain.

i'll never complain.

it's like one big shower, turning the hills green, and saturating the air with that fragrance we're all familiar with.

i love you rain. dont go away.

on a walk

2011-03-23T17:14:00.006-06:00

i just dont think i'll ever get sick of it. especially now that the rains have come and turned the hills green. (on the trail back from the beach)

nick has the week off of school, so today we ventured to Rockaway beach. we experienced rain and sun, waves and wet.

the boys thought it was fun to stand on the sea wall and get splashed by the waves.

they got pretty wet!! in the words of Sean, "the ocean showed me who was boss!")

mom and dad enjoyed the soothing nature of the coastal breeze, scenery and laughing kids.

Crusty Monday

2011-03-21T22:01:00.002-06:00

have you ever opened several windows (i'm tech talking here, so i mean, like windows on the computer) and the speakers start blaring. then you have to go back to find which window is playing music? it's especially annoying if you're on your laptop next to a sleeping spouse, or trying to discreetly look at a website on your smartphone while standing in line at the grocery store. ya know?

this happens on sites, like weather.com and cnn.com, etc etc.... the ads start blaring, GRRRR. also, people have music player on their blogs.

to save some friends, i love all my dear friends who have music players on their blogs and i've learned who you are so i can be prepared for the music to start. i like the music players on the blog. it's fun to see what people enjoy listening to, but i would like to be the one to push the play button if i'm in the mood to listen. i'm in the mood to read, that's why i'm sitting at my computer reading. i'm not to groove out. my advice, turn off the autoplay.

don't worry, he survived

2011-03-21T01:10:00.000-06:00

lookout!

2011-03-19T18:44:00.001-06:00

we drive past this "lookout" spot all the time. today we stopped and i shot a few pics of the boys.

look out world, here they come!

Friday Favorites Closet

2011-03-18T09:52:00.004-06:00

what is your "go-to" food? (okay, i know i was going to stay away from food for favorites day, but what can i say, i'm a loser?)

what is it that you turn to when you are hungry, standing in the kitchen, and completely stumped on what you're going to eat for a late night/midday snack? what is it that always ends up being just what you wanted when you didn't know what you wanted?

i doesn't matter what my mood, i always turn to popcorn. i eat it almost daily (hope my dentist doesn't read this). and yes, i've become a popcorn snob. it ticks me off when i buy popcorn at the store and pop it only to find it's stale. GRRR! and i'm all about WHITE popcorn vs. yellow (although yellow pops up bigger if you're making candied or caramel popcorn)

i pop mine in an air popper. then i spray with canola oil, sprinkle with Johnny's popcorn salt and spritz a little bit of "i can't believe it's not butter" spray as i toss. in my "guilt doesn't exist" world, i would pop in Orville Redenbacher's butter oil, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with real butter :P. and don't even get me started on how yummy the popcorn is at the movie theater... you know the kind they must pop in liquid gold and pepper with diamonds?

popcorn, i just love you.

how do you do popcorn?

72 Hour Kit Updating

2011-03-17T11:04:00.010-06:00

as Mason was watching me unpack and repack the backpack, he asked, "is that for me?"
"It's for our whole family," I responded, a little despondent because it just doesn't seem like enough.

we have 3 kits. i've adapted this list from the LDS church to fit our family a little better.

kit #1 the grab and go bag. this is what you grab, when you don't even have time to think, when the water, fire whatever is seconds from endangering your life and you have to leave on foot. this must be able to be carried on your person (without a car). ours is in a backpack.

water
granola bars, jerky, canned meat (with pop-top lids)
emergency blankets
water filter (we have the water bottle that filters as you drink through a straw)
flashlight (with extra batteries, or crank-powered)
radio (with batteries)
pen and paper
knife
first aid kit
medications (acetaminophen, benedryl, ibuprofen, and whatever your family needs)
candles
lighter
matches
money (small bills)
small bible/scriptures
extra ziploc bags
wipes
a small hygiene kit (soap, toothbrushes, comb, shampoo, small towel)
feminine products
cell phone charger

kit #2 this is what you grab along with your backpack if you have a few minutes to get them in your car and drive away. i keep mine in 2 rubbermaid bins.

MRE's (you can buy these online, or through a military surplus store) they last for 10 years and are full "just add water" meals)
water filter, pump style (good ones aren't cheap! ask for one for Christmas, that's what we did ;)
shovel
axe
rope
duct tape
toilet paper
a clean change of clothes (socks and shoes too!)
jackets
poncho's
tarp
blankets (keep the sleeping bags near your 72-hour kit, so you can throw them in if you have time)
flares
toys for the kids (diapers and formula if needed)

kit #3 the safe. small portable (fire and waterproof is best) safe that you can keep your valuables in. if it's not water proof, put papers in ziploc bags.

money (have smaller bills on-hand)
immunization records
insurance information
credit cards (as well as the contact information in case you lose them)
birth certificates
marriage documents
portable hard-drive backed-up with valuable document/photos (i back mine up every few months or so)
pre-paid phone cards
contact list of friends and family
guns (with extra ammo, if that's your thing)

if you have pets, set their carrier with your kit, so you'll remember to grab them.

now that that's done, time to move onto getting the water barrels full (i never re-filled them after the move, shame on me!!), stabilizing furniture and cupboards, and taking inventory on the food storage.

Crusty Monday's

2011-03-14T08:43:00.003-06:00

spring forward.

i hate you. you take me weeks to get over.

but i like your sister, fall back, she's my friend.

the tsunami hits Pacifica, CA

2011-03-12T11:39:00.007-07:00

can i be off the hook for flaking on favorites friday? what a crazy day we had!

March 11th 2011

6:14 AM phone rings, it's Sean's teacher telling me that school was canceled because there was an earthquake in Japan and tsunami was headed our way. grrreat. i woke up nick and hopped on the internet since we don't have tv. i called my friend who lives closer to the water and she said that they were told to evacuate at 4 AM, they were all ready packed up and hanging out inland at Denny's. we find a map which shows that we are right on the evacuation border. we contemplate leaving. nick suggests driving to the top of the hill behind us to the church building.

7:30 AM another friend calls and offers her home to use. she's 5 minutes away on high ground. not to mention they just bought a trampoline and i knew my kids would have fun. they were out of school for the day and thought, why not? we have nothing better to do.

8:00 AM car is packed with kids, safe (with documents, money, guns), the cat meowing in her carrier. we head up.

8:08 AM tsunami begins (the swells last for hours). we were very lucky that the waves hit during low tide. we stand at the look out point and take some photos while kids play. we go on a hike. the kids play in the WWII bunker. we have continued views of the ocean, where i snap a few shots here and there.

9:30 AM back at friends house where we decide to bake while the kids play.

11:00 AM when the swells were possibly expected to be at their biggest. i go to the lookout point, shoot a few pictures of the waves (not too exciting)

1:00 PM things have died down. i head home (mostly for the cat's sake, she was growing sick of the car)

photos that i shot. notice how high the surf is for low tide. there is definitely something happening here. we were lucky. pacifica was completely safe. the hardest-hit place near us was santa cruz, where the harbor and boats suffered a lot of damage. (click on photos for larger image)

thoughts about Japan and friends

the tsunami's hit hardest where Nick served his mission, in Sendai. it's incredible to watch the video footage of our old stomping grounds being devastated.

friends from my mission are all accounted for and okay based on who i've heard from. one friend on facebook posted that he walked home from his office in Tokyo taking him 7 hours. he came home to his wife and family safe. :) family members of some friends are still missing. prayers would be much appreciated.

we altered our emergency preparedness plan based on the events of this day. i am reminded of the power that mother nature has over us. i mean wow a whole country has moved.

i slept well last night. grateful that i had a bed and a safe family.

Happy B days and Hodge Podges

2011-03-08T16:17:00.005-07:00

Happy Birthday to Mason, he's the big 5 today! we celebrated on Sunday with grandma and cake. i made my first ice cream cake and it was a hit thanks to Rach for tips ;) !

today, his actual birthday was just a typical day in the Gibbons' home. we took a walk to the beach. the hills are turning green and the wildflowers are blooming.

here is the view looking from the beach back towards our home.

nick worked on waxing some teeth for school. mikan thought that she should be involved somehow. anytime a project is in process. she thinks that she has to be in the middle of things. very irritating, but kinda cute!

Monday's Crusties #3

2011-03-07T10:01:00.003-07:00

well, i think we've made it over the $4 hump.
i'm really sick of watching the numbers go up. and up. and up.

if i were in the mood, i could make this post insanely long and talk about all of the causes behind gas prices skyrocketing again, possible solutions, and upcoming repercussions.

but the cost of gas simply makes everything else cost more. and that sucks. because whether we like it or not life is easier when there is more money in our pockets.

these gas prices are killing us! pray that my kids will get into the school by our house (Mason is already in, so, YAY for that!) so we don't have to drop 4 bucks a day to drive them to and from school.

Friday Favorites #4

2011-03-04T09:37:00.004-07:00

this Friday, let's talk about entertainment. the higher powers that be, high up in the entertainment industry know that we Americans are addicted. they know that us women need unrealistic expectations of romance to get us through the week. they know that the men need their violence and sports-fix. and they know that the kids don't bug their parents if they have mind-numbing animation to turn them into drones.

to segway into my next problem. the cost of said entertainment. ridiculous!! who wants to pay $100 or more a month to have all of these things at our fingertips? most of us do. most of us cant live without it. i'll admit, i have those days where the world has gotten the better of me and i just want to be sucked into a good movie or story.

which brings me to my point.

i love Netflix!!

since we've decided to live without cable TV, we rely on HULU and Netflix to give us what we need. it's cheap. you can watch on several devices (computer, xbox, Wii, etc) at one time. no limit. no advertising! you can fast forward and save your spot. streaming in HD :) we just love it.

two things i wish Netflix had:
1. subtitles
2. autoplay on series (like when one episode is done, the next one automatically begins)

i'm also afraid that people are going to figure out how much money they can save and the price of Netflix will also skyrocket like everything else in the entertainment industry. for example there is this article about Apple possibly taking over my beloved Netflix. the Apple corporation doesn't know the concept of "unlimited" anything. they nickel-and-dime you to death.

thank you dear Netflix.
please don't change.

Phrases I Wish I had on Speed-Voice

2011-02-28T19:02:00.002-07:00

* Homework, now!

* Do you need to pee?

* Go wash your hands.

* Well, clean it up.

* No.

* Mason, calm down!

* Guys, is that indoor behavior? Take it outside.

* Do I need to take video games away again?

* Did you flush?

Am I missing any?

Monday's Crusties #2

2011-02-28T07:38:00.002-07:00

i know i'm going to get a lot of flack on this one, but hear me out.

you know you've seen this woman. everyone has.

most of you love her for your own reasons. but personally i loathe her and all her friends and followers.

Costco is very dear to me. i remember the days when you could roam the isles with all of the "wholesalers." the isles were wide, tall, and free of congestion.

buying in bulk isn't always a good idea. and sometimes i see something and think, "oooo that looks good, but i wish i could try it before i buy a 100 of them...." hence the idea behind the free samples. admittedly a good one. and i remember when i was like, "oooo free sample, cool!" and "oooo, i actually wanted to try that!"

however, Costco here in San Francisco is a crazy cesspool of cheapskate hungry vultures lacking manners and morals. when a tired mother of 3 boys heads into Costco to load up on food, the last thing she wants to dodge are the people who are just there for the free samples. maneuvering a full cart while herding three kids is difficult enough without these people crowding the isles. they don't care who they block or cut off, it's all about them and their sample, nothing else exists, just themselves and the food. sometimes, even those waiting in front of them don't exist, they cut in line or just grab what is "theirs."

seriously irritating.

now for some coping mechanisms (since my blog post wont magically make all this nonsense go away)....

1. go to Costco when it's less crowded.
2. ask your local Costco if there's a time when they DON'T have samples out.
3. ask your local Costco if there's a time and day when they are not so busy.
4. weld spikes into your shopping cart
5. go "elaine benes" on them and yell, "trying to shop here! move aside!"

any other suggestions would be welcome ;)

7 1/2

2011-02-26T14:12:00.002-07:00

it's about time he lost his first tooth!

he wouldn't let me pull it out even though i told him that it doesn't really hurt. but i convinced him to open his mouth. and i said, "does this hurt?" as i lightly pulled on the tooth. "no," he said. so i pulled a little harder and it popped right out. i didn't tell him. he just kept talking and finally said, "HEY!!" and i showed him the tooth in my hands, "told ya it wouldn't hurt," i said. he grabbed the tooth and ran to his room where he promptly deposited the tooth under his pillow.

a few hours later, he came to me, a indecisive little wrinkle on his face. "my smile is different, mom" he said. i replied, "yeah, you look so grown up now! and so handsome!" his questioning glare melted and in a typical sean manner he ran off while saying, "i know!"

Friday Favorites Closet #3

2011-02-25T08:09:00.002-07:00

i'm diligently trying to keep my Friday Favorites posts away from food. i love food so much, i'm sure that a few will creep in, but for now i'm going to go with non-food favorites.

one of my favorite things lately stems from our new home. we have two showers. the kids have theirs and we actually have a master bathroom! it's as small as a closet, but hey, it's mine. unfortunately i hate it. but, i LOVE the kids' shower.

i'm talking, i love the fact that it's NOT low flow. i steal an extra few minutes every morning just standing in it's warmth, not wanting to leave the embrace of it's inviting privacy and steam. i love showers! and i love all the smells that come with it, whether it's a new shampoo or body soap, or the smell of the grapefruit face scrub.

and i hate getting out.

Monday's Crusties #1

2011-02-21T16:22:00.003-07:00

to balance out the Friday Favorites, i decided i would try Crusty Mondays. a place to vent about my peeves and complaints. so crusty monday #1 is all about, view-cutters.

view-cutters is a name i have given to the people that cut right in front of you and stand right where you were looking. this mostly happens in the store. you're standing there reading the signs and labels, trying to decide what you want exactly, and someone comes and stands right in front of you. this drives me NUTS. i seriously have been tempted to say, "um, you know you just blocked my view, that's rude, in case you didn't know."

at first i thought, "maybe it's cultural?" when i lived in Japan, i used my toe to point to an item on a bottom shelf once. the clerk kicked me out of the store. i guess it was rude and i had NO idea. but i dont think that "view-cutting" is cultural, because all kinds of people have done this to me.

and i'm not sure why it bothers me so much. i just think, "i know you noticed that i was standing here looking, but you just didn't care, what you needed to see was more important."

the thing is, sometimes i wish i could be more like elaine benes (for any and all Seinfeld fans out there). she would never let anything that bugged her slip through her fingers. i guess i would call her the antithesis of a "doormat."

so to conclude, if you were elaine benes, what would you do about "view-cutters?"

lovin' my boys on their turf

2011-02-18T14:44:00.003-07:00

as much as i'll admit that i really don't like hanging out at the kids' school, the smiles on their faces are priceless when i enter their school territory. it's like entering another world to me. this is a second home for my children, thus they love having me there. for now.

cooper in line for goodies at the valentines day party

sean with his teacher

they are such good boys. the never make problems for their teachers. i wonder sometimes why i was blessed with such good-natured children. then again..... this one is about to start kindergarten in the fall and i may be in for a rude awakening!!

Friday Favorites Closet #2

2011-02-18T14:29:00.003-07:00

i don't claim to be green and to those that care, my most sincerest apologies ;) but i despise the rags that hold onto smells even AFTER you wash them. i realize that there are jobs that my beloved wipes cannot tackle. but i love them nonetheless.

here is my ode to disposable wipes,

i love that you wipe up AND disinfect with one swipe, this makes for a happy mommy.

i love that i can toss you in the trash and not have to worry about washing you right away to prevent smelling.

i love that i can buy you at my favorite place on earth, Costco. and you seem to last 6 months or so.

i love that i can keep you anywhere, under every sink in the house, in the car, above the washing machine, ready to freshen up my day with your bleachy smell.

on a side note, i bought the Kirkland Signature brand once.... NEVER again, they left a sudsy film on everything... YIKES!

YAY for Clorox wipes, hopefully you'll be in my life for a long time.

Friday Favorites Closet #1

2011-02-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

my first "favorites Friday" post. for lack of anything else to blog about (my life is pretty boring these days) i thought i'd piggyback other bloggers and try it out. here we go!

my favorite thing this week is.....

crisp, clean, preferably ironed, high thread count (600+) sheets

since my crummy week last week and subsequently contracting a cold, i've spent lots of time in my bed, developing a deeper appreciation for my sheets.

i really don't know if there's any quite like the feeling of emerging from a hot bath, all clean and fresh, and sliding between clean cool sheets.

i love it. 'nuf said ;)

it's the little things that make a difference

2011-02-08T19:26:00.005-07:00

like finished homework (which mom sprouted another gray hair nagging them to get it done)

or homemade chocolate peanut butter ice cream (which mom gains 10 pounds just by thinking about eating some)

like warm "fresh from the dryer" laundry to cuddle under while watching a movie (which mom will have to fold later tonight)

trying to be positive isn't always easy!

the little story

2011-02-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I wrote this mostly for me, to remember the events. It's a little TMI in places and quite boring in others. it's not a work of non-fiction, just my recollections of the past week.

i found out i was pregnant about a week and a half before Christmas. i wrapped up the pregnancy test and stuck it under the Christmas tree for Nick to open on Christmas morning. and that's where my little story begins....

in the following weeks as i began to plan. i got excited, but stayed apprehensive, it was still quite early and my symptoms were very mild. i started to worry that i didn't feel sick at all, and right about that time, BAM the sickness hit me something fierce. it gave me a little peace, but wore off after about a week, i started feeling normal again.

my first appointment with the doctor was at my 11 week point. she couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler (happened with all three boys, so i wasn't worried), i told her of my lack of symptoms and she scheduled me for an ultrasound at another hospital. i went and picked up the boys from school and drove down to the hospital. i left them in the waiting room and when into the ultrasound room. I was HIGHLY uncomfortable because i had to keep my super-full bladder! the ultrasound tech was super nice and chatty. she began the ultrasound by doing all the measuring of the ovaries and lame stuff, i just wanted to see the baby, but every time i saw the baby flash on the screen she wouldn't leave it there. she said she needed to switch to vaginal ultrasound and let me pee (relief!). when i came back in, she'd turned the monitor so i couldn't see and wasn't talking to me at all. i knew something wasn't right as she was punching buttons like crazy. the tears almost started when she left the room to the the radiologist to go over my results. i was freaking out! you have these conversations in your head like, "maybe they just do things differently here" or "maybe it's twins!" but really, it just didn't seem good :( the radiologist came in and one look at her face told me that my baby was dead. she was really nice and gentle, but i was all business, "what do i do now?" since it was Friday at 4:30pm my doctor was gone for the day so she'd gone ahead and made an appointment with one of her partners. i said, "forget it, what's the point?" and told her to cancel the appointment, mostly because i wasn't excited about seeing this particular doctor she'd scheduled me with, i've heard horror stories about her.

so i held my composure checking out. i held it as the kids shot questions at me, "did you see the baby?" "did you get a picture?" "can we see?" i kept it together as i left the hospital and trudged to the car. i phoned my doctors office because i knew once i got home, they'd be closed, to schedule a monday appt. the scheduler was rude and i wanted to reach through the phone and SMACK her. if the kids hadn't been in the car, i would have yelled, "you COULD be a little nicer to me, i just found out that my baby is dead!" i didn't realize that i was upset until i felt hot tears rolling out from under my sunglasses. thank heavens for sunglasses!

i dont know how i made it home, but i did. we walked in the front door. "you can do whatever you want, but dont play outside" i told the kids and went in my room and shut the door. i texted a few people that i had told and let them know. i then let the tears come and i had myself a good cry. i'm not the kind of woman that feels a connection to her fetus in a mommy/baby sort of way. i can describe my main emotion as dissapointed, sad and very dissapointed.

Nick called on his way home from school and offered to pick up dinner, YES PLEASE!

waiting the weekend was difficult. every little pain and twinge sent me to the bathroom to check for blood. i kept waiting for it to happen. there was a sort of catharsis in a way. what i was dealing with was minor on so many levels. i have friends and family members going through trials way beyond mine. i was actually growing thankful for the constants in my life. my healthy family, a loving supportive husband, and a firm testimony of God. if any of those things were to be threatened or disappear, then, i may have an excuse to feel sorry for myself.

monday came and Nick came with me to the doctors. she wanted to do a d&c the next day in the office by giving me valium, vicoden and lidocaine. oh man, i really wanted to be knocked out! so i pushed for general anesthesia and they complied, i was scheduled for monday evening between 4 and 7 pm. but she wanted to put lamanaria (some seaweed) on my cervix to begin the dilation process. so once again i was droppin my drawers... i had no idea she was giving me a shot of lidocaine "down there" until i started FREAKING out. my whole body when shakey and numb and i felt like i was floating and going to pass out. i started balling my eyes out (not because i was sad, but because i was scared) it was the weirdest reaction EVER and it confirmed the decision i'd made to NOT get the lidocaine again the next day for the actual d&c.

i went home and waited. my mom came to help with the boys and the hospital called at 4:30 and asked me to head over.

i was starving. since i couldn't eat for the entire day and my body was still technically pregnant, it was awful! every time the nurses or staff would ask if i needed anything, i'd ask for a sandwich and they would just laugh.

they let Nick stay with me since it was really slow. we talked a lot and Nick said, "the is the first date we've been on in a long time." and it was nice, just laying there for hours, chatting, with some occasional studying on Nick's part, and reading on mine.

the hospital staff was so sweet and attentive. seriously, they were awesome! my doctor was busy delivering babies and was a little "put-out" by my demanding general anethesia. when she finally got to me in the OR, her first words were "now WHY are we doing this in the OR and not in the office?" well, it was nearly 11pm and she was exhausted. there were so many people that were waiting around the hospital JUST for me. i felt horrible for being so demanding, but i just couldn't imagine doing it in the office with the lidocaine and the sucking sounds of the machine.... to give my doctor a little more credit, she was very nice after the procedure and said, she'd remember my story from my appointment on friday and was very chatty.

the procedure itself wasn't that bad, they had to wake me up early because i was bleeding too much. (when you are under general anethesia, the uterus relaxes making it more difficult for them to stop the bleeding, if i'm awake the uterus hardens and contracts) so, i woke up to the doctor massaging my uterus like a meat tenderizer. then she called for some medicine from l&d that helps the uterus to contract. it's administered rectally and seriously, THAT was the worst part, my bum was sore for a few days.

post-op was fine. i was so happy to adorn my happy pants and hoody. we stopped at jack-in-the-box and i got an oreo milkshake :)

i didn't sleep well that night however. i was exhausted, but i could still feel the drugs in my system. my limbs felt different, my head cloudy. it was almost as if i didn't want to go to sleep because i wasn't sure i would wake up. weird, i know. luckily my mom stayed and took the boys to school in the morning. over the next few days, i'm trying to take it easy. when i do too much, i feel it! so i think i'm gonna give it another few days before i hop back on the treadmill and resume my kitchen duties.

it hasn't even been a week, and yet i'm grateful for this experience. it's refocused my thoughts on the things that matter most. i have a greater appreciation for my children, my friends and family and especially my husband.

random saturday morning allergy thoughts

2011-02-05T10:53:00.006-07:00

having a tough kid isn't always a good thing.

Mason will fall down and get all bloody, but he doesn't care, he jumps back up and continues with what he was doing. i sometimes wonder if the kid feels pain at all. of course he does, but still!?!

so yesterday, Mason ate a mango/coconut smooze!

a few minutes later, i notice a red rash on his cheek and neck. all we could find in the house was Clariton and Nick gave him some of that. the rash continued to spread and we picked up some benadryl at the store. the rash went away and Mason fell asleep early, so we put him in his bed.

later that night while i was trying to sleep, Mason was coughing up a storm (from a lingering cold). i went in to give him some cough medicine and he said, "mom, i threw up in my sleep." he'd barfed and didn't really care, so he just went back to sleep.

after changing his sheets, his clothes and giving him some cough medicine, i thought, in the last 8 hours, that kid has had more drugs then he's had in the past year. poor thing.

so now i have to figure out if he's allergic to coconut or mangoes, the only 2 ingredients in what he ate. and, if it's coconut, that will open up a whole other world of nuts and things he could possibly be allergic to. ARGH, i really thought i'd lucked out in the allergy department.

so, back to my original thought. if this had been Cooper, i would have heard about every minor detail, several times over. it would have gone something like this, "mom, i'm all itchy" "mom, my face is red, LOOK!!" "mom, something is weird with my face!" "mom, look at these bumps!" and later, it would have been, "mom, i threw up in my bed" and "mom, i cant stop coughing" etc .... etc... etc....

it amazes me that kids raised by the same parents can be such polar opposites.

and sometimes i wish that Cooper would complain a little less and Mason a little bit more.

Stuffed Stuff

2011-01-18T15:19:00.003-07:00

how do I hate thee? let me count the ways....

#1 really, you're just glorified pillows
#2 you collect dust, germs, mites and drool
#3 you're not really washable
#4 you seem to multiply, like in the horror film, Gremlins
#5 you're impossible to sneak into the donation pile because random attachments keep you stapled to my child's affections

i think that's enough reasons why i loathe stuffed animals. but it doesn't change the fact the boys insist that stuffed things have feelings and even tell me that "my teacher at school said so!!" and for those of you who don't know, the teacher trumps mom and dad. ::evil eye to the teacher that told my kid that their stuffed animals had feelings::

i mean really.... would you walk into this living room and think, "wow, this room feels healthy, fresh and full of fung shei." i didn't think so. all i see is a haven for spiders and a cave of beady little eyes saying, "donate me!"

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT my house, nor in the house of anyone I know. It's some random photo that I found online when I googled "stuffed animals, hoarders"

warm in January?

2011-01-18T15:01:00.003-07:00

I'm pretty sure that after a year of living here.... my posts will veer from the typical beach posts and "I love the climate" etc etc. I just cant get over how different it is from Utah. I'm amazed that on a Saturday in January, I look outside to see that it's 70 degrees and sunny!! So we head to the tide pools for the boys to expel some energy and curiosity.

Life has settled into a daily grind and my motivation at creative blogging is at a complete standstill.

I did read a new book this week, VERY good and highly recommended!! It was called Sapphique and it was the sequel to Incarceron. Only pick these up if you enjoy the genre containing The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner series.

Life at the Gibbons' home is pretty uneventful.

I promise that I'll try to get more creative with blogging!!!

delusions and resolutions

2011-01-04T22:31:00.007-07:00

New Years Resolutions are not the thing for me. I'd like to think that at the beginning of the New Year, I reflect back on the mistakes and bad habits of the preceding year and just try to be more aware of who am and what I want to be. I've never been a goal setter. I just think, I really want to do THAT or be THAT way and just do it. Then there are of course a few things that I fail miserably at and I've put those in another category all together, "the demons that must be faced when I'm ready to face them."

2010 was an epic year for our family. It was huge. Surprisingly enough, the only family member still having a hard time with the move is little Mason. He is always saying he wants to go back to Utah. Mostly because of his memories of Lake Powell, but he's under some delusion that his life will suddenly and magically become this exciting Disneylike world of fun if he moves back. Sorry to burst your bubble little buddy! We've signed him up for swim lessons and he's excited to start. He asks me everyday when he's going. Time just moves too slowly for a four year old.

Sean, is he EVER going to learn? I really pray that he comes to an understanding that learning from others' mistakes is much better than making them yourself. He hasn't changed much from this post 2 years ago where he just didn't believe the fire was hot, even after he watched his little brother get burned, he had to check for himself. Let's hope this behavior changes before he hits puberty or heaven help the Gibbons family!

Cooper strives so hard to be the "good child." He is naturally a good kid. But he's also very dependant on the praise and attention of others. I'm really trying to find some activity or way that I can give him what he needs.

I watch as my babies and toddlers have grown into little men. The challenges have gone from scribbling on walls and spilled milk, to "mom, guess what I heard at school today?" and the challenges of how-much-do-I-tell-them-at-this-age?

At the beginning of this year, I find myself projecting even farther forward, to years in the future, when I'm going to be asking myself, "why didn't I hug them more?" or "how did I miss that?" or even "I should have tried harder!"

With all the struggles of raising up these boys to someday be men of strong character, I'm positive that with the help of the Lord and by staying close to the scriptures and teachings of a modern day prophet that I can do it! Nick is incredibly good at gathering us for prayer and scripture study every night. How grateful I am to him for keeping us going!

Proverbs 22: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

and December is coming to a close....

2010-12-27T20:30:00.005-07:00

I can hardly believe that 2010 is coming to a close. It seems the older I get, not only am I sprouting jowls, gray hair and raisin wrinkles, but time is speeding up!

The week preceding Christmas wasn't going so well for me. Issues with bank, getting a speeding ticket for doing 8 over (stupid cop) and trying to find my typical holiday purchases in a new city proved a difficult few days for me. However, somehow I survived.

On a more positive note. We got to see the full lunar eclipse, a first for Cooper who stayed up to watch.

We also got to spend Christmas with my family from my mom's side, something we haven't been able to do in years. It was wonderful to see everyone again, to catch up and celebrate Christmas.

Cooper performed "The First Noel" and "White Christmas" at his piano recital on Christmas Adam. He did very well and continues to surprise us with his talent.

On Christmas Eve, my brother Dan and his family came up and we had a nice Prime Rib dinner. My mom was here as well and it was nice to just kick it with family. The six boy cousins together gets a little crazy, but they sure do have fun!

Christmas day was enjoyed by all. It was stormy and rainy. We were very lazy and I sat back in contentment as the living room exploded. The house still isn't back to normal, but I think everyone understands how that goes!

We feel very blessed at the closing of this year. So much has gone down and we must give credit to our Heavenly Father. His hand is ever-apparent in our lives and we hope to fill the coming year with more consecrated lives, more thoughts of others and more thankfulness.

wailings of the flakey Christmas mom

2010-12-11T22:17:00.010-07:00

Sitting here munching on Moose Munch, I cant believethat it's been almost a month since my last post! We really haven't done much.

The boys are enjoying school. We had parent teacher conferences. It seems that Sean's aloofness is still an issue, however both boys are doing wonderful and getting high marks.

Cooper is still playing the piano, but I'm having some trouble getting him to practice lately. Hopefully he's ready for his recital in a few weeks! He's also LOVES scouts and is working hard on all his achievements.

Sean is still as curious as he can be. He informs me daily of the happenings at school. Here is an example of a recent conversation, SEAN: mom, I joined a club today.
MOM: oh really, what kind of club?
SEAN: the hippy club
MOM: Wow, what does the "hippy club" do?
SEAN: We play secret games, like "hippy tag." Its just regular tag, we just call it "hippy tag."
MOM: Sound like fun.
SEAN: Yeah, they made me the master of the club. So if I dont like someone, I cross their names off the hippy list. Since I'm the master I carry the hippy list.
MOM: But you don't do that right? You let everyone join your club.
SEAN: NO WAY!!! I only let the cool kids in!
and so on..... You can see that we'll have our hands full with this guy.

Mason enjoys his time home alone with mom. He loves smoothies from Costco and having the Xbox to himself. Mason is still brimming with energy and attitude. I would love to get him into a swimming program or something. Here he is giving Santa some attitude.

Nick is VERY happy that finals are over. He can now rest and try to kick the cold that he's had for 2 weeks now. He feels hammered by school and sickness. However, considering those two things, he did remarkably well in his classes and I'm VERY proud of him. He's worked hard! He's also been called to serve at church in a more demanding role. The early morning meetings are not his favorite thing, but he's doing it cheerfully and working hard to learn the ropes.

I am busy. And yet, not sooo busy. Busy putting up the tree, ginger-breading and baking endlessly for the season. Wrapping gifts and getting ready for Christmas and the New Year. Our house has termites in the foundation. (Can I just say there are some MAJOR benefits to renting?) But we LOVE our little house, we LOVE where we live and are just so very grateful for all that we have been blessed with this past year.

I was asked to make a gingerbread house for a centerpiece for the ward Christmas party. I've only made one "real" gingerbread house and it wasn't a Christmas one and didn't turn out so well. This one turned out much better. I learned a lot about ginger-breading. I wont be making any gingerbread towns or anything soon, but at least now it's more doable to me.

so for now, my ramblings are complete. I'm looking forward to Christmas. I'm looking forward to the New Year. I'm looking forward to living my life a little more fully and with a little more direction pointed toward what matters most.

Merry Christmas!!!

PS. I posted this last year, but I just LOVE it!

Can I do November like this?

2010-11-16T12:52:00.004-07:00

November is wearing a mask of early summer and bringing an unusual warmth. The kitchen floor is sticky with canning residue and I'm glad to say that I'm done with the apples!!!

"I looked out the window and what did I see? No more apples staring at me!"

I did applesauce, pie filling (apple and apple cranberry), apple butter, and fruit leather. Hopefully, by this time next year the stock will need replenishing because I'll have another slew of apples again.

I'm excited for Thanksgiving! Canning the leftover turkey meat and turkey barley soup that I make from the carcass has become a tradition.

I love canning. Originally, my desire to learn food preservation stemmed from a drive to be prepared. I want to know how to cook and preserve from the barest of essentials, in case there is ever a time of emergency. Not only am I trying to gather all the knowledge I can, but I see the accumulation of supplies as an emergency preparedness investment.

Whatever, I'm done justifying this last week! Kids are on half days this week because of Parent/Teacher conferences. Next week, they're out ALL WEEK! heaven help me? How am I supposed to sew the boys' Christmas quilts with them home all day?

I'm definitely ready to welcome in the Christmas season. Although, I believe I will miss the white Christmases of Utah.

Tidepools @ HMB

2010-11-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Nick's mother and brother's family came to visit us this month! We had so much fun! The boys loved playing with their cousins and seeing their grandma. Among lots of other outings, we took the kids one day after school to the tide pools in Half Moon Bay. They're HUGE! Other than stepping on a few too many living things and getting a little too cold, we saw some cool stuff; eels, seals, anemones, crabs, octopus, fish, etc, etc. Oh yeah, and Cooper and I got yelled at for getting too close to the seals. Whoops! We love living here. There is always something to do.

Missiles and more

2010-11-07T10:49:00.001-07:00

We headed up to marin county to the nike missile site.

Then we hit chinatown for some shopping and good food. So proud of myself for not buying anything, unless you count the food.

This is my first blog attempt from my phone, so we'll see how it goes. This app will only let me add one photo! That may not cut it for this photo-happy girl!

this family is eating healthier!

2010-10-26T18:50:00.004-06:00

so this past week, i've resolved myself to cook healthier for the family. i thought i was doing fairly well at cooking with more whole grains, fresh fruit and veggies, less meat, sugar and complex carbs.

all was lost today

when i passed a Krispy Kreme donuts and remembered we'd seen burgers on TV that were made out of Krispy Kremes. i think it was on Man vs. Food.

when Nick, the kids and I saw it on TV, I thought to myself, that doesn't look hard, i could totally do that! so i pulled into the drive-thru and bought a dozen donuts, came home and pulled some hamburger and bacon out of the freezer.

and here is our dinner....

the verdict?

i thought it was yummy!! and i'm not a burger person. the one we saw on TV had a fried egg. i
skipped that part.

guess i need to go back to my healthy cooking tomorrow.

okay, tomorrow afternoon.

after we eat the rest of the Krispy Kremes for breakfast.

snails and puppy dog tails?

2010-10-22T22:18:00.006-06:00

in a sea of boys, i sometimes wonder what my life has become. the pitter patter of little feet has gradually escalated to the rumble and crashing of three rapidly growing boys. ours lives are engulfed with scouts, video games, wrestling matches... as us, as parents, try to trickle in scripture study, family home evening and meaningful family time. sometimes it feels like the quiet messages we try to teach them, don't penetrate. sometimes the messages seem to get lost in fidgety, noisy, dirty boy-isms.

then, they surprise us, with a maturity well beyond their years and we cant help but smile and cherish the moment because you blink and it's gone.

while bored at home, the boys invent games complete with maps of where the enemies lie in wait and homemade paper shotguns. watching their minds work in such a tangible way makes me happy. memories are being made and young men of character are being formed.

and now Cooper cries next to me because some kid hurt his feelings at scouts, i cave in and let him play my scribblenauts game. it breaks my heart to see them hurting. they haven't figured it out yet, but that's when mom is weak, she'll actually give in when they've been hurt. they act so tough, like they're already grown men. then the smallest thing will pierce the fierce exterior and expose the child.

it's not really blog worthy, but i just love it

2010-10-22T16:26:00.004-06:00

so. i really decided that i need to broaden my horizons of motherhood and homemaking. and my sewing skills are quite lacking. so last night i went to sewing club at church. and made this....

it's kinda silly that i want to blog my new little reversible apron, but i just think it's so cute. makes me want to bake and be all domestic.

it motivated me to plunge into the boys' Christmas quilts.

but before that, the boys and i are making caramel apples rolled in toffee bits. yes all because of one little apron.

i love fall!!