Wedding Bells

We've had a lot of weddings this spring. This time, it was Daddy-o's brother. We drove down to the Central Coast Sunday morning with spring showers the whole way down, but luckily, the weather cleared up and the ranch in Santa Margarita was dry for the ceremony.

The groom's parents

All the siblings

Dancing the night away. The reception was in a barn--perfect for a couple who grew up in the mountains. It was a pretty fun setting.

Bean's getting a little tipsy with the toasting --good thing it was just sparkling cider.

What can I say? We love weddings!

And by the end, we were wiped out. This poor little guy had been a trouper. Only one nap in a bed for almost a week.

City by the Bay

San Francisco is one of my all time favorite cities. Not to live in--San Diego would have to take that honor--but to visit, its definately at the top of the list. It just has so much personality and there is a pretty fun mix of touristy and everyday residents' activities to do. Seems like we always do a mix. Saturday, we started off the day at the Farmer's Market right on the bay. There were samples galore of cheeses, dipping sauces, fruits, herb salt rubs. . .It all smelled and tasted so good. It is on the pricey side for a farmer's market, but its kind of neat that most of their produce is not only organic, but also grown in a sustainable way.

Then we headed over to Americano for a late breakfast. I love going to the city now that my brother the chef can take us to good restaurants (and we usually get good treatment since he knows people working in most of them)--kind of fun to have some inside tips.

Next was a trip to the Sea Lions at Pier 39. There was a good gathering and Bean informed us that we needed to stay and watch them "all day long!" It is pretty fun to see them interact.
We also stopped to watch a few street perfomers. The Bushman is my favorite. He's been around for a LONG time.

And then it was off to Golden Gate Park. We went up the new observation tower in the De Young Museum which has a good view of the city and then wandered around the music concourse and had a snack. Not a bad way to end a trip to the City.

I've Got Friends in Low Places

Altitude-wise.

Actually, our first stop was Reno, where we stayed with one of my college roomates. We got in around 9:30 p.m. with two tired kids who didn't want to go to bed in a new place, so Bean fell asleep watching The Aristocats and Bugaboo took a lot of snuggling and crying to finally settle down for about 2 hours before he ended up in bed with us. And of course I stayed up way too late catching up, but it was worth it.


Then Bean had a nightmare 2 hours later so all four of us spent the next couple hours fighting for bed space before Bugsy decided he'd had enough and was ready to play. Sleeping on trips is always interesting, seldom actually restful.


And in my tired state, I didn't get any pictures of our friends and the fun the kids had the next morning. Have to remember next time. . .


Then, we started the 3.5 hour drive down to the Bay Area. It only took 5 minutes before we had complaints of headaches and feeling sick and being hungry. At that moment, we knew we'd made the right decision to fly to NC--one day of travel isn't too bad, but 2 days in a row is just too much for our kids, let alone 5.


We did get to make a short stop in Sacramento to visit my cousin, Erin and her cute girl, Brianna. We would have loved to stay longer--I'm sure the kids would have been happy to play forever if it meant they didn't have to get back in the car, but we had to move on before the afternoon traffic got too bad.
By dinner time, we were at my brother and SIL's place. We're so grateful that they let us take over their apartment for a couple days. It's amazing how fast our kids can mark and claim a place as their own--they had the whole space trashed within minutes.


Then the next couple days were full of visits to friends:


Friends with new babies,



Friends from our single days in SD,
A family get together in SF,

And high school friends. The only one I didn't get pics of was our fly-by visit to my best friend and her family (where once again, we completely trashed the house in about 5 minutes).
All this visiting has made me a little homesick--and the Bay Area is so pretty in the spring. And smells so good. Even the stinky fish smell from the bay makes me feel like I'm at home.

Goodbye, Utah!

First half of our move is complete. We got the containers loaded up, house cleaned, final giveaways claimed, and left for Reno at 1 p.m. on Tuesday--only 3 hours later than planned, but that doesn't seem to bad since it was a vacation/move. We would have been much later if it weren't for a couple GREAT neighbors that we have (thanks Laura and Tisha!) for keeping Bean occupied for a couple days, and then the kiddie pool which helped out inbetween playing with friends.
And Bugaboo stopped being sick by Sunday night and seemed to feel 100% by Tuesday morning. Thank goodness--I can't imagine trying to drive with a sick kid.

We made a short stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats on our way out of the state, which were really pretty neat--it looks like sand, but is much crunchier.

And then the vacation begins.

Floating

Our containers were delivered today. And the driver offered to do a little magic for Bean if she just called out the magic word. So a little "abracadabra" and he had the forklift float behind the trailer--pretty cool.

Bean loved it. And then loved jumping up and down in the container. Pretty crazy that all our stuff has to fit in 3 of these things.

So the moving is in full force. Only slowed down by a sick little Bugaboo, who, after a few days of sniffles and diarrhea, finally started throwing up tonight. Of course. How could we move if everyone felt well and and strong and not pregnant? But seriously, this poor little Bug has had more than his share of illness lately. And it makes me so sad to watch him because he really handles it all so calmly--so different than another child of ours, who also makes me sorry when she's sick, but often just as sorry for us as for her.

Let's just hope the throwing up stops before our washer and dryer are picked up by their new owners tomorrow. Not sure how to handle sickness without a washer on the premises.

One Last Time

We've been gone a lot the last 2 days. I'm starting to feel the pressure to get this house packed up, but we've had things we just HAD to do before we move away.

First, we took the kids to the Gateway Discovery Museum in SLC. I wish it was closer because they would have loved going there on a regular basis, but at least they had one fun morning of science and make-believe. They have an amazing set up of tubes and pulleys and vacuums and ramps and pegs to send balls through, a little pretend town with a farm, grocery store, house, mail delivery, little police cars. . .the kids loved that spot. I got a kick out of watching Bean grocery shop--she's a natural. Oh, and of course, the water area--that was a huge hit. Although Bugaboo wasn't quite so happy when the water ended up on him.

We had to drag the kids away, but Daddy-o and I wanted to squeeze in a trip to the SLC temple--neither of us had been and it was a fun experience to attend the temple that so many of the church leaders have attended over the last century.

Lucky for us, one of my best friends from growing up lives just a few minutes from the temple and offered to watch the kids while we were there. They also happen to live by my favorite pizza place in the state--The Pie--so we brought some pizzas back with us and we all got to visit for a little while. Even though we haven't seen as much of each other as we'd like, its been fun living a little closer to her again--she's my "oldest" friend. We've known each other since we were born (well, I'm a few months older, so I guess since she was born)

And then today, we made a trip up to Kamas, UT--up near Park City--to visit a couple we knew from San Diego--they've had us over for lunch twice while we've lived here and its been really fun catching up with them and eating more of Grace Ann's delicious food (she fed Daddy-o fairly often during his starving student days). We're hoping they'll make it out our way for a golf trip and we can all meet up in Myrtle Beach.
And now its back to work. Tomorrow's an actual packing day--I've gotten behind on my 5-boxes-a-day goal.

Mother's Day

It has been a fabulous day. In my new spirit of actually appreciating my children, its that much easier to love the celebration of my role as a mother. And my family made sure I was well cared-for today.

Daddy-o made me breakfast-in-bed--a ham, cheese, spinach and mushroom omelet topped with avocado (and he makes the BEST omelets--I still haven't managed one as nice as his after 5 years). And the kids actually slept in, which meant I got to sleep in and then eat my breakfast in peace (we have 9 a.m. church, so we were still on a tight schedule for this morning and Daddy-o actually had to wake me up for my breakfast).

Bean had picked out a beautiful bunch of flowers. I've heard rumor that there was a lot more enthusiasm than actual thought or time that went into the selection of the bouquet, but I wouldn't expect anything less from her. And then she gave me one of her Carebears, "Because you used to have Carebears when you were a kid!" So Tugs is now officially mine (but I've told her I'll still share).

Daddy-o gave me a gift certificate for a spa package when we get to Charlotte. I'm feeling very spoiled with thoughts of MORE pampering. Maybe I should save it for when I'm feeling rundown again. Which will probably be the day we make it to Charlotte, LOL!)

And then I had the fun of watching my daughter get up in church with all the other primary kids and sing to me--this was the first time she got to go up and she was so excited. It really is pretty sweet to hear them.

Our ward also does something really fun in the primary. They call it "Mom in a Bag" and basically they put this huge canvas bag over our entire body, walk us in and let the kids ask us yes/no questions until they can guess who's mom is in the bag. I wasn't too sure about the whole thing until I saw Bean's face when they "revealed" me. She was so excited that it was her mom in there--she squealed, ran up to hug me, and then I got to tell the kids what I love about being her mom.

Bean~I love your creative mind. The stories, explanations for things, and games that you come up with. I love that we can "craft" together. I love your hugs--they are some of the best I've ever received. I love exploring and going on adventures with you. I love how much you have taught me about being a parent and loving someone unconditionally. And I love your spirit--its so BIG and powerful. I'm in awe that I get to watch that spirit as you grow and live this life.

Bugaboo~I love your laugh. It is the most contagious thing I've ever heard. I love snuggling with you when you first wake up. I love that you call for your mama when you lose sight of me in the house. I love how determined you are and your love for the outdoors (and how determined you always are to get out the doors). I love it when you grab my hand and pull me to whatever it is you are trying to explain to me. And I love how forgiving and trusting you are. You make me feel a huge responsibility to be deserving of you.

Happy Mother's Day!

Play Time

Even though we're packing and working hard, we have to take a little time out for fun.

So guess where Daddy-o got to go last night? Here's a clue:

This was his first NBA game and he actually got to see his favorite team play (although he also had to watch them lose amidst a sea of Jazz fans). But he and his friend had a great time. (And as a side note--I LOVE the quality of video our new camera does!)

Then it was my turn for some fun this morning. I got together with a couple friends from college for a peaceful walk through the Thanksgiving Point gardens which are finally in full bloom and the we had lunch at the cafe there--delicious, although I think the service was a little lacking. I just wish the rest of our roommates could have made it.

Bean has been able to play with just about every friend she has here in the last week, as well as a couple new ones. We've had lunch with some second cousins, playdates with our neighbor friends(including a new friend who's mom just had the two sweetest baby girls I've seen), and hung out with the Lehi cousins. (Note to self--I need to make sure I have pictures of her with all of her friends before we move).

(see the boxes in the background--I really am packing. Actually, some of those have been packed since January when I got tired of putting the bookcases back in order ever single day and just boxed up the bottom two shelves).

And then there's Bugaboo. This boy knows how to party! Is it just me, or is anyone else picturing him as a lampshade wearing frat boy? I hope not. . .
All that partying wears him out and he turns back into my sweet little baby. I'm usually too scared to take sleeping pictures but this was at the end of a nap and he was so conked out that I got a several pictures and still had to wake him up.

Reflections

We've been back home almost a week and I think that this vacation was the best thing I could have done for my parenting. Everyone always says that moms need to take time for themselves so they can rejuvenate and refresh themselves. And so I have somewhat regularly insisted on my hour to exercise, the occasional girl's night out, a Saturday afternoon running errands or reading in the bookstore sans-kids--but those couple hours here or there were just never enough.

I'd enjoy the peace and quiet (or fun and gab depending on the activity), and then return home and instantly get sucked into whining contests with my daughter or hit diaper changing fatigue after the next poop. And then I feel guilty because shouldn't I be grateful for the "me time" I just had and shouldn't I be showing that gratitude to my family rather than snapping at them the same as I was before I left?

But having FIVE days--that was finally long enough. It probably had something to do with getting some good sleep after 4+ years. All I know is that I really feel like I got a bit of a fresh start when I came home. I had made a goal (yes, that shows just how Type A I am, and thus explains why I need a vacation so badly) for this vacation that along with relaxing, I was going to try to get myself into a more positive mind frame about being a stay-at-home mom before I came home.

Lately (read: the last 2 years while DH has been in school, which is honestly one of my favorite places to be), I haven't always had the best attitude. Sure, being a mom is hard work and it definitely is not all tea parties and giggle fests. The hours are brutal, the labor is very physical, and even though you always read about how you are paid in hugs and kisses, sometimes that doesn't feel like enough. And I've been plenty vocal about my job fatigue.

But my complaining isn't helping the conditions and my kids are growing up way too fast. So I decided that I wanted to start over--come in with renewed energy and to really focus on the positive aspects of this role I have right now. And I want to work at being more patient and reasonable in my expectations--for my kids, my husband, and myself. I've had these thoughts plenty of times, but like I said, an hour later, I feel just as run-down and put-upon as before, so they never last.

But this last week has been so much better. I finally got a chance to recuperate completely. I just feel like I really love my kids and have so much to enjoy with them. So many reasons to laugh with them. And they are hilarious. They both have really well-developed senses of humor which we get a kick out of every day. And when they aren't being funny, I still feel like I can give them the love and support they need while they work through their emotions. And boy are their emotions big. Especially that little Bean of ours--she is going to "feel" this life--the good and the bad--in a big way.

So this is pretty much a plug for a nice vacation for all those worn-down moms who are reading this. You owe it to yourself and your family. And it really does work!

Final Dance Recital

Going back a couple weeks (I got a little behind with all the relaxing ;)):

It was so much fun watching our little Bean and her class as they showed us what they have learned this year.

And Bean LOVED having all her grandparents there, along with her Uncle Joey and cousin, Brooklyn.
I couldn't get the video of her actual performance to upload--maybe its too big. So this will have to suffice.

Our Week of Relaxation

Just a few pictures from our fantastic week. This was the perfect graduation celebration.

We met up with old friends and had a delicious dinner at Cafe Sevilla in Long Beach the night before we boarded the ship. Lounged by the pool for hours drinking virgin pina coladas and reading
Ate WAY too much food all week long (which didn't really go too well with all the lounging by the pool, but its just too hard to resist eating 7 meals a day when its all right there and you don't have to cook or do the dishes).
Had a beautiful day in San Diego (sorry for not letting anyone know--we figured we were supposed to be relaxing on a cruise, so even though one of the ports was home sweet home, we decided to play tourists for the afternoon.)
Got dressed up for dinners and shows
And were pampered and well cared-for all week.
It really did make it easier to come home and want to take care of those two little people who we serve 24/7. We missed them. Although we were very appreciative of how simple it is to travel kidless as we watched other families playing the games we usually play in the airport and at dinner. And when we woke up at 9, we weren't complaining.

Thank you, Grandmas, for making this week possible!