Kade and April

2011-11-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

Alright, Ann, this is for you. I'm envious of you at this time of year, living in New England. And with 90% of your state forested (I learned that little fact when Caleb did his state report last spring,) you get to witness quite a spectacular show.

Even living in the mountains of the west, you just look up and get to see the amazing displays of fall color on the mountainside.

Over the years, I've embraced the massive agricultural valley I live in and its flatness. While I've enjoyed all the fun splashes of fall color around town each autumn, this year I decided to embark on a formal fall foliage tour with my baby boys. We could have wandered around forever soaking up the stunning colors but we had to pick Maryn up for kindergarten:)

A golden moment

2011-11-20T05:30:00.001-08:00

Levi turned 17 months on the 17th of this month:) Okay, so I like my numbers. In fact, while I'm at it, here he is at 17 days and at 17 weeks:

AND, 17 things I'm loving about my little man right now:
when I come home from a meeting or errand, he toddles right to me declaring a cheerful, "Mommmmm."
he loves to rub my arm when we're cuddling and he's getting sleepy
all his car noises, a la Joshua
his hair that always wants to stick up in the back
walking around the house holding someone's finger
his obsession with playing outdoors
can dig in the dirt for hours just like big brother
playing with Joshua as buddies
collapsing onto any pillow or spread-out blanket for a quick "rest"
climbing on the couch, and sitting there pleased with his "maturity"
his chubby little hands
his Frankenstein-esque speed walk
draping himself with big-kid clothes
all his attempts to imitate everyone else doing everyday things
using a domino as a cell-phone, when he can't find mine
stopping to listen and figure out a loud noise (from a car or airplane, etc.)
he loves to cuddle

Once upon a mid-November morning...

2011-11-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

(on a walk with help from my phone camera)

Wrapping up October

2011-11-16T23:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more favorites from October

The stars aligned...

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

yes, they did, and here we are at 11:11 AM on 11.11.11. I'm pretty proud of myself for this feat:) and it didn't even take bribing or too many threats:) Our big "11" party plans didn't go as planned, though, because poor Levi was miserably ill and was pretty much on my lap cuddling the whole day.

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Who knew?

2011-11-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

Who knew October could be filled with so many fun things?

Having camped so much this summer, Kade decided, instead of camping for his birthday, that a trip to Yosemite was in order:) We love Yosemite in the fall, and this trip didn't disappoint.

Our annual trips to Del 'Osso Farms wouldn't be complete without the "races." Maryn was so into racing this year, that I think she was oblivious to everything else, including the pumpkins.

I got brave and battled crazy Bay Area traffic to get over to the coast for some sun and sand with the honeys and one of their friends. I have to go to the beach at least once in October, when the weather is glorious and beach conditions are perfect.

It wouldn't be October without ending the month with some dressing up and loading up on sugar. I think this was the best Halloween weather I've ever experienced. It was such a pleasant, warm evening, and so fun to be out with friends and neighbors watching all our children having a fabulous time.

Lake Antigua

2011-10-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like waking up in the morning after a rainy night and being able to enjoy having lake front property for a day (only a day because we don't want mosquitos:). Parks around here are not only designed to accommodate soccer-obsessed Californians, they also double as giant drainage containers to prevent/minimize the risk of flooding. The J-man wasn't the only one who had a good time. As we pulled into the garage returning from Activity Days, the four middle honeys were out of the car and "swimming" before I could even get Levi unbuckled from his car seat. Kade arrived home from work shortly afterward and got some great footage on his iphone. Yes, I'm sure our whole little development was jealous of our reckless abandon.

And switching gears (okay, that was a good pun,) doesn't my Chunkalicious look like a natural? :) I'm hoping he doesn't ask for a real jeep for Christmas.

"Borrowed" camera

2011-10-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when my camera is "borrowed" by someone, even if she has her own camera--I guess mine was closer:) I'm sure our little friend didn't realize he was participating in a photo shoot yesterday morning.

Food as art Part 2

2011-05-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

This girl has done it again. Today I was making a salad that required wonton wrappers thinly sliced and baked. I usually buy the round wrappers when making pot stickers, so the square ones were a bit of a novelty for the honeys. As I was tossing the salad, Haleigh brought my attention to Elise's "cootie catcher." I'm pretty sure I've never thought to make a cootie catcher out of wonton wrappers:)

food as art

2011-04-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Male bonding

2011-04-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

It hurts my heart how much I love this interaction between my two little men. In one of the rare and random moments Joshua got his hands on my ipod, he discovered one of my camera apps and all the photos I've taken on it. I love how he's so patient and loving with Levi's curiosity and Levi's intent looks are just priceless. It was such a silent, brotherly interaction. I'm just glad I happened to be sitting only a few feet away and with my camera right next to me so I could capture it.

A matter of priorities

2011-04-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

I didn't get much cleaning done this morning because of this yummy little distraction. In reality, housework is the distraction, and I'm getting very good at staying focused on higher priorities:) Good, better, best, right?

No joking matter

2011-04-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

On April Fool's Day, I just happen to be talking to Ann which is no small feat, given we live on opposite coasts and we both have small children. Anyway, she was telling me how she was headed out to shovel a foot of fresh snow out of the driveway before Dan got home from work. As she is saying this, I'm looking out my patio window watching my two sunscreen-bathed children picking leaves off the bushes. And that's no joke:) {Don't be fooled by Joshua's long-sleeve shirt--it was hot out there}

Nine Months In, Nine Months Out

2011-03-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

Chunky Monkey II rang in his ninth month in green style on St. Patrick's Day. This past month his first teeth popped through and all the drooling suddenly disappeared. I'm happy to report his random chuckling is back to operating at 100%, which has us thrilled. Throwing objects over the side of his car seat, off my bed, over the armrest on the couch is the name of the game these days. He prefers napping to the drumbeat of the rest of the household marching about their daily routines. His stick-up hair is alive and well. He's content to play independently and can be seen dragging his little cars up and down the nearest wall. He's usually babbling away about something, and when he sees us noticing it, he has a good laugh about it. Funny, smiling, happy boy.

A few of his favorites these days:

swinging at the park
bath time
noises like the vacuum or hair dryer

pulling hair and attempting to grab my earrings

scratching my arm

scratching or pinching my neck while nursing

playing like one of the honeys with Maryn and Joshua

snuggles with Haleigh

tickles from Elise

Caleb making him laugh

spotting and making eye contact with Daddy after hearing his voice

Better late than never

2011-03-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

So here is a handful of photos from the momentous 5 day, with a few shots of the cake as promised, Ann:)

1-Maryn's reaction was priceless as she opened Caleb's gift of multiple packs of gum and tic-tacs. She's always raiding Haleigh's or my purse for a stray piece of gum. Now she has her own. Great gift, Caleb! (A giant pink bouncy ball from Elise and the "Tangled" barbie from Haleigh were just as well-received--those big honeys know their little sister)

2-Birthday meal requests: breakfast..cocoa pebbles; lunch..cheetos (I did supplement the cheetos with some healthy protein and dairy choices); dinner..pizza. Poor, deprived child--I guess once a year won't kill her OR me.

3-Exactly five years old @ 8:19 am.

4-I don't ever make the same cake twice, but with a three-year-in-a-row princess theme (and an older sister who went through the princess phase too), I was racking my brain for something quick and cute and unique. I stumbled across this idea online, which was perfect. You can't see in the photos but the little sprinkles are edible pearls. Perfect for my little princess.

Luck of the Irish

2011-03-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

It's always a little tough to pull off St. Patrick's Day on the heels of Maryn's birthday, but we did it.

After years of enduring leprechaun mischief, we decided to build a foolproof trap this year, using gold as bait. We woke up to green water in all the toilets and green french crepe batter again and our gold was gone, but it was replaced by some "pots of gold" for us to enjoy.

We decided to go chasing rainbows in attempt to find the leprechaun and recover our gold. No gold or leprechaun, but we did catch a rainbow. Since rainbow chasing was cutting into naptime and meltdowns were starting to occur, our red ended up being the stop sign down the street as we were returning home.

I don't remember how french crepes became our traditional St. Patrick's Day breakfast, but the honeys look forward to them each year, even if (or maybe because) the leprechauns mess with the batter. A few years ago, Kade and I decided we had had enough of corned beef and cabbage, especially since pasties are way better Irish cuisine, and I grew up on them. Is it just me, or does it seem like Mom is always making pasties, planning to make them the next day, or has just made a batch whenever I call to say hi--they're very labor intensive and Mom's a busy lady--I just can't figure it out. We were supposed to have our traditional Irish soda bread too, but with the Cougars playing right in the middle of dinner prep, well, let's just say we had to modify our feast a little. (I even had the DVR set to record the game, but watching live was too enticing.)

Anyway, Maryn and Joshua brought in a handful of flowers from the garden they thought would be perfect as a centerpiece for our Irish feast.

Happy St. Patrick's Day--well, last week.

five

2011-03-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

baby girl..little sister..big sister..little momma..queen of the castle..princesses..barbies..coloring..baking..cooking..singing..independent..snuggly..sunshine..rain cloud..persistent..pizza..treats..oatmeal..peanut butter..milk..yogurt..granola..CTR 4..wild laughter..park days..bedtime stories..scooter..backyard adventures..sweet little jokes..dramatic..helpful..animated..barefoot..big with the bigs..little with the littles..pink..dirt-loving..girly-girl

See no evil, smell no evil, taste no evil

2011-03-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

So the title really has nothing to do with this post, but it was what came to mind when I saw this photo. Yep, I know this isn't how the original Three Wise Monkeys proverb goes, but whatever:)

This happens to be one of my favorite photos of all time. Weird, I know, considering it's a low quality photo with my ipod touch camera. Last week Kade had jury duty. While feeding Levi, I got a text from him, telling me how exciting sitting in the basement of the courthouse was, waiting to be called into action (which never did happen). Anyway we were texting back and forth and I was sending him funny photos of what Maryn and Joshua were doing as I was feeding Levi. We sent a few silly family homebodies self portraits, and then I happened to capture this photo. Maryn was determined to get in the photo and she sure managed to with flair.

Moments like these

2011-02-28T22:47:00.000-08:00

There are moments every day when I wish I could just push pause on time and stay in that moment forever. This is one of them:

There's nothing like chalk and a blank canvas.

Chomp

2011-02-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

The Chunkalicious hit the 8-month mark Thursday, and with that comes teething in the Petersen household. Lots of drooling, motorcycle noises, soaked shirts, soggy little fists, and no sleep. We are all in love with his wispy stick-up hair and random chuckling.

Rain.Rain.Go Away

2011-02-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

As we are stuck indoors today, watching a crazy WINDY.RAINY.STORM. blow through, I'm choosing to remember Saturday, when all this was going on:

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-14T23:25:00.000-08:00

I think one of my favorite memories from this year's celebration is the decor; not so much the actual decorations/trinkets but what was going on with them and the honeys throughout these past two weeks.

1. Valentine countdown--to start February, we had a family home evening on love, and as the activity we made our valentine countdown with paper hearts and posted them on one of the pantry doors. It was Maryn's job each morning to take down the previous day's heart. It was such a highlight of her day to take the heart down, and count how many hearts were left, then read the numbers of the dates left. Her excitement about such a simple assignment made me giggle every single morning for two weeks.

2. Valentine mailbox--I switched things up this year by sending the honeys' daily valentine from me in their lunch bags so they would have them at lunch time, instead of having them randomly discovered each day in our valentine mailbox. Maryn and Joshua had their little valentines at lunch too, here at home. One day I actually put Maryn and Joshua's valentines in the mailbox. When they found the treats, they came screaming into my bedroom, so thrilled to tell me about their completely unexpected discovery.

On a different note, I actually enjoyed my own little discoveries with the mailbox. Joshua hauled that thing all over the place for two weeks, and as I would find it and put it back on the piano, it was always stuffed with a different "package": full of Hot Wheels one day; miniature dinosaurs the next; a bunch of "notes" he had made; Levi's toys; and his cowboys. Today he had it full of valentine cards he had meticulously worked on. The mailbox overflowing with his cards even kept him company during his nap time today.

3. Window decals--I think I have window decals for every single holiday. The honeys love to decorate with them, especially our large patio doors which take up most of one wall in our kitchen. It seems these last two weeks the Valentine decals would be organized differently every time I looked that direction. Both Elise and Maryn were the biggest, most frequent "designers," but Joshua got in on the act too.

4. chopsticks--I know chopsticks don't really have anything to do with Valentine's Day (other than maybe we're trying to squeeze in celebrating Chinese New Year--last year it was on Valentine's Day, this year Feb. 3). Anyway, we played a game last night after scriptures where the honeys had to see how many conversation hearts they could pick up and put in their bowls using chopsticks. I expected Haleigh would have an unfair advantage given her best friend is Chinese and Filipino, and she's had more opportunities to use chopsticks. However, I was impressed how well all the honeys adapted and were able to maneuver the chopsticks. Joshua's technique was particularly effective, as he shoved the chopsticks into the pile of hearts with one hand, then used the other hand to grab a fist full of hearts and throw them in his mouth.
Joshua also enjoyed using his chopsticks as trains riding on the tracks which were the edges of my kitchen cabinet doors.

And finally, also relating to chopsticks, I had packed the honeys' final valentines into cute heart-covered decorative Chinese take-out boxes I had picked up at the craft store a week or so ago. As I handed out the valentines to each of the honeys, one of them, (I think Caleb,) went and got his chopsticks to fish out the contents of his little box. Everyone else thought that was a good idea and followed. The funny thing is, I never put two and two together, not connecting the take-out boxes with the chopsticks. I blame it on my brain's knack for compartmentalizing.

This year's Valentine "season" was really enjoyable for me. I think so, because despite a busy schedule at the moment, I managed to be able to pick up on the simple little things around me, the inner workings of the honeys and their perspective on the holiday.

Park Day ( or more like evening)

2011-02-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

With Friday off from school, Thursday felt like a Friday. We didn't get to the park until after 5pm, but the weather was still glorious, and we just had to be outdoors. Levi was fascinated with the grass, and really enjoyed the baby swing this time. Caleb had a friend over and they had fun trying to synchronize their jumps out of the swings.

Levi in January 2011

2011-02-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

We interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast....

2011-02-02T23:37:00.000-08:00

As you can see, this is not our youngest offspring, who I had planned to highlight next in my "Best of 2010" series. However, my oldest informed me I had not yet blogged about her being thirteen. Since my chunkalicious is too young to be reading the blog yet and won't take offense, I'll take this moment to admire my newly acquired teenager at the end of 2010. I'm not sure what I ever did to deserve such a witty, clever, beautiful child (six of them, in fact--although half of them are considered "handsome"). This petite honey of mine keeps me laughing at her clever middle school antics; in awe of her divine potential as she comes home sparkling from a young women's activity; amazed at her maturity and wisdom for one so young; and always thankful to the Lord for such a blessing in my life.

Best of TwentyTen (part two)

2011-01-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

I decided I better finish this up before January ends. Is is socially unacceptable to be recapping the previous year in February? Stay tuned for the Best of Levi and for 2010 in Numbers.

Best resounding victory (although unexpected)

Best reason we live in California (other than a great job): February weather

Best guitar birthday party

Best Baptism

Best Baby Blessing

Best new activity

Best trip to Lake Tahoe

Best awards ceremony at school

Best kind of lessons this year

Best packing for Young Women's camp

Best dental intervention

Best three amigos

Best Julius sighting

Best Momma (Kade and I are still scheming to get you out to California permanently)

Best calm lorikeets--FOR ONCE!

Best back to school launch

Best 15 years

Best crazy dive in the pool

Best historical moment

Best night swim

Best camping trip

Best strike-a-pose

Best 37th cheese cake birthday party

Best chubby baby

Best General Conference seat creation

Best toddler looking so mature stance

Best hat

Best six on ten.ten.ten

Best "checking the mail"

Best stake activity days camp

a favorite activity at the BEST real life pumpkin patch

Best museum

Best ocean visit

Best optical intervention

Best source of all -day mommy amusement (these two are incredible together)

Best cute spooks

Best set of wheels

Best blessings (and messy refrigerator top--not cool!)

Best Thanksgiving Feast (and first solids)

Best sleeping companions

Best band concert shared by three best friends

Best throw-your-own party because hubby was super-sick

Best soaked-to-the-bone daughter in city Christmas parade

Best decking the halls

best fake pose following a piano recital

Best I'm-a-teenager-now-and-I'd-like-one-of-those-yummy-homemade-ice-cream-cakes-please birthday moment

Best so-ill-but-trying-to-enjoy-Christmas-morning

Best first Christmas

Best three princesses

Best quote to ring in the new year

Seven months old this week

2011-01-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Best of TwentyTen (Part one)

2011-01-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

How to summarize such a wild, momentous year?! Over our morning snack, Maryn, Joshua and I had fun browsing through thousands of family photos, reminiscing and hoping to repeat some of the great things we did last year. Without further ado, here are some of the best of 2010.

Best Celebration of the new year

Best time in the snow

Best shared priesthood moment

Best Princess Birthday Party

Best dancing in the rain

Best use of natural resources

Best affliction due to having older sisters

Best farm birthday party

Best large-scale service opportunity

Best off-road birthday party

Best craziest youth activity (pool party in freezing weather)

Best flag retiring/burning ceremony

Best big baby bump

Best (painful) joyful experience (and best swollen hand)

Best first outing with a newborn

And now for a little Christmas cheer

2010-12-13T23:48:00.000-08:00

Since that recap of our November vacation I promised you hasn't happened yet, I thought I'd better post something else in the meantime. My poor honeys are such good sports when it comes to these crazy photos (thanks, Haleigh and Caleb!) I was competing with the actual "event photographer" for a photo of my crew, hence the eyeballs bouncing everywhere. Levi was a little young to be testing Santa's authenticity, but Santa's beard managed to stay intact.

When life gives you snow, make some snow cones

2010-11-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

So our 10-day vacation to Utah last week came to a screeching halt before we could even pack our suitcases. With a storm dumping snow by the feet in the Sierra Nevadas, the traveling conditions were just too treacherous and we decided we wanted to live to eat another Thanksgiving feast. Instead, we scrambled to book hotel rooms somewhere else and headed northwest. With the whole state covered by a giant rain cloud, we planned to spend most of our time indoors, but were pleasantly surprised to see the sun a few times. More highlights to come:)

Some business

2010-11-09T19:25:00.001-08:00

Do you remember when Dad would ask if there was any business each family home evening? Well, we have our own version of "business" during our FHE. It marches to the tune of a variety show most Mondays, with the honeys ~~being compelled~~ choosing to recite an Article of Faith all the way to showing off their running skills (thanks, Maryn), with everything else somewhere in between. Last night's episode was particularly funny to me. Note Maryn's enthusiastic "far across the sea" Book of Mormon Stories actions, once she was able to get Haleigh to cooperate and play the right song on the piano. Note also the "flowers of gratitude and appreciation" (aka freshly laundered and folded clothing) being showered on the performers by an "ardent" fan.

Argghh, mateys!

2010-11-07T23:31:00.000-08:00

Argghh, mateys! We are being invaded by the combined forces of an enchantress, her sock hopping and garden dwelling sidekicks, and their pet bat. RETREAT!!!

Four eyes are better than two

2010-11-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

So we all know that four eyes are better than two (yes, I'm an authority on this one because I have four eyes.) But what is really fun is when a couple of those eyes are able to go in cognito, which the oldest princess discovered a few weeks ago.

Happy Fall, y'all

2010-10-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

So I promised a few of you that I would get posting again after such brilliant blogging efforts in September. I thought I'd make things easier on myself with a photo essay. Here you go:

Fire fighting, tap dancing Spiderman

Biggest and littlest Petersens

Mini mothering moment

Young Women in Excellence

so cool

Pack activity time

My 6 on 10.10.10

partying around the world at the Stake Activity Days Camp

not impressed with Mom's camera-in-the-face moment

4 months old!

Coloring with pencil is the latest trend---didn't you know!

Say cheese, Miss Photogenic

Annual Del 'Osso Farm visit 1 part 1

Annual Del 'Osso Farm visit 1 part 2 (hopefully visit 2 will be during daylight hours)

attack of the slobbering baby--good luck little monkey!

smirking for another Mom with camera-in-the-face moment

"check the mail" routine each school morning

can't smirk because of the saxophone--got him this time!

Random favorites with the baby honey

2010-09-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Born yesterday

2010-09-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

Our chunky monkey II was just born yesterday and yet somehow he's three months old already. Odd phenomenon.

Celebrating the Camping way

2010-09-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

A few years back it seemed we had stumbled on the perfect tradition--camping to celebrate Kade's birthday. We had such a great time then. Lately, we've had things come up that have kept us local, but we were successful this year.

A little R & R

2010-09-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

There's actually not much rest and relaxation when 8 big and little people hit the road, but we desperately needed a change of scenery, which we capitalized on over Labor Day weekend. We didn't want to spend much time in the car, so we didn't go too far--just a few hours away. We satisfied our history craving by taking in Sutter's Mill. The honeys enjoyed discovering all the "Mormon" connections to the story. We played at one of the beaches at beautiful Lake Tahoe with 5 million other people. Good thing it's the largest alpine lake in North America. It did serve as a good reminder why we've visited the lake in the off season before. And, after hearing about Apple Hill over the last ten years we've lived here, we finally got a chance to check it out. Because of time, we only stopped at one of the ranches, but I could have spent all day there. We did go home, though, with a yummy carmel apple pie. The funny thing about this trip was the honeys wanting to spend all day every day swimming in the hotel pool. I guess we're rearing a school of fish:)

Back to School..for a few weeks now

2010-09-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

So the honeys started back to school a few weeks ago. And even though they got out of school at least a week earlier and started a week later than last year, it still felt like the fastest summer on record. I say that every year. I'm truly not old enough to have a junior high student (thank heavens for K-8 schools [and our school being particularly small] out here--it makes me feel like she's not really in junior high.)

The last hurrah

2010-08-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

It seems like with the last weeks before school starts I'm always trying to cram in a few more fun things before the honeys are institutionalized again. I guess this summer was a little different because of Levi being the star of the show and a couple of our last hurrahs were more milestones or momentous events, more so than being considered "fun." Regardless we said goodbye to summer the best we could.

first little man finally getting his braces--fortunately the duration is supposed to be in the months, not years

a surprise visit from some of our favorite cousins

Christmas in August--a visit from my mommy

a visit to Daddy's office--Kade and I decided it needs a makeover

attending Davin's baptism--these two were blessed the same day and baptized the same weekend

loving the fabulous summer evenings we've had this year

visiting some of our favorite local places--the lorikeets were so lazy this morning!

hanging out at the Japanese Gardens and relishing our favorite spot--the stepping stones,

and, of course, loving on this little man.

Baptism and Blessing

2010-08-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Elise was baptized and confirmed and Levi was blessed the same weekend. I guess we have a thing for this combination:) Two years ago Caleb was baptized and Joshua was blessed the same weekend. It was so nice to share these special events with family and friends.

Another month lived to the fullest

2010-08-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

With nearly 1200 July photos to choose from (I know---ridiculous), these are just a few highlights of what
kept us busy last month.

Celebrating Independence Day with friends,

Elise turning eight,

lots of fun crafts and activities with Mom,

flying airplanes,

temple trips,

staying cool in the pool,

Levi turning a month old,

going to young women's camp (both Dad and daughter)--(I'm still developing photos from camp--the girls aren't supposed to have digital cameras there, although we discovered that little rule isn't followed by anyone:),

thinking outside of the box by thinking inside laundry baskets, aka a space ship,

overnight backpacking trips into the Sierras (I can't blame camp rules on this one--I couldn't find the charger for our pocket digital and didn't want to send my dslr with them, so I insisted they take a couple disposable cameras along--still developing) ,

and last, but not least, watching this little honey grow like a weed.

June was a blur!

2010-08-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

June passed in a complete blur.

Other than some great cub scout activities,

the month was so thoroughly dominated by a capital L. We welcomed Levi William on June 17, with our customary high action and drama:) Here he is in blissful slumber only hours from heading home to the wild party we call the Petersen household.

With more than 10,000 photos to choose from, I've opted to share just a few favorites from the month.

a formidable twosome in a few short years

I love this face

Completely spoiled by big sister!

taking over Daddy's chair already

May moments

2010-08-11T23:22:00.000-07:00

May was so action packed, there just seemed to be no time to post.

We celebrated the 2nd and 10th birthdays of two of my favorite men;

sent the men off camping,

while the ladies had a fabulous girls' night in;

participated in a host of fun youth and cub activities;

enjoyed the company of friends;

made minor rearrangements to bedroom occupancies;

were part of some really cool service opportunities;

indulged our need to create;

cheered wildly on the last day of school;

and remembered those who have so bravely fought for our freedom.

I'm exhausted just reliving some of the highlights!

Your requested post, Jill:)

2010-04-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Alright, here it is, Jill. I can't imagine what life would be like without our hummingbird. Four years seems like such a short time, but her life is so intricately weaved around ours, it's impossible to remember what once was. She's been growing up WAY TOO FAST by mommy standards. She really struggled with what she wanted for a cake, so we finally ended up with her classic favorite, a princess castle. All her princesses were a last minute addition, but all the honeys thought they made the cake perfect. I just love that my honeys are still at the age when they think their mom is the most creative person on the planet and can do anything (other than heft them around the house in the most complex fashion like the gentle giant does.) I know it won't last for too much longer for some of them:)

Anyway, I could wax poetic here, but those thoughts I've already committed to her scrapbook pages away from prying eyes:) How's that, Jill? Did I live up to expectations? By the way, you need to be posting more photos of your cute sewing projects.

Five favorites

2010-03-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

As a consolation prize for not blogging for nearly two months, I decided to add five of my favorite photos from the last two months. We've done everything from enjoying a mini-vacation to Utah, with the highlight for the honeys getting to play in all the snow, to someone trying to haul the neighbor's gardening tools all over creation in the spirit of welcoming spring.

Glorious sunshine

2010-02-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

While we (my baby honeys and I) were making a rare mid-week grocery shopping trip, the sun came out, and created the perfect day to be outside. After several weeks of cold and rain, it was just what the doctor ordered. I even delayed Joshua's naptime so he could ride his tricycle, climb on the jungle gym, and get dirty. The moment he started climbing in the water fountain (all three tiers were filled to the brim because of the rain) sealed his fate, though, and off he went to bed.

Winter wonderland

2010-01-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not loquacious when it comes to sharing in cyber-space, but isn't a picture worth a thousand words? If so, here's about 19,000 words to sum up our fabulous vacation to Southern California after Christmas. I think the most memorable moments (for very different reasons, of course)were visiting the San Diego temple and getting to see the Rose Parade in person again. We could have stayed at the temple forever. The honeys were thrilled at all the "temple squishy" they found--you'll have to ask them what that means. We've been to the Rose Parade before, but for some reason, partying into 2010 and then getting up a couple of hours later to head to the parade, seemed particularly brutal this year. It was worth it, though. Even the trip back home to the foggy north was memorable. You would have thought Oregon beat Ohio State in the Rose bowl, given all the THOUSANDS of Ducks displaying their team spirit on their vehicles as they snaked along the 5. Happy New Year!

A young woman

2009-12-16T12:26:00.001-08:00

With her birthday Sunday, Haleigh officially joined the young women's program. And as I knew for a long time this day would come, I wasn't prepared for the emotional day it was for me. It reminded me of her baptism day--shocked that my child was old enough to be baptized, but so grateful for the blessing of rearing my children in the gospel. I haven't spent much time serving in primary, maybe for a few months at a time in my early married days. I happened to be doing one of those "few-month" stints when Haleigh became a sunbeam. After such a long absence, I've had the privilege to be serving again in the Primary, coinciding with the last few months of Haleigh's Primary career. What a gift from the Lord. Of course, I've had 12 years of living with this girlie of mine, and I have savored each of those days. But my Primary experiences then and now have offered such a cherished glimpse of contrast and growth. From her days on the front row, with her smiling, chubby little cheeks peeking around to see what all the big children were up to, to the view of her anchoring a back row, now a sweet, poised, mature young woman--what a priceless opportunity for me. Tonight launches the beginning of the next 17 years of Wednesday night treks to the church to attend YM/YW. I wouldn't have it any other way.

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-07T13:08:00.001-08:00

Alright, even though I'm crazy busy right now and I've only posted 2-3 times in the last three months, I thought this merited a post, just 3 days since my previous one. We had SNOW this morning. We're only 18 feet above sea level so it just doesn't snow here. We're only 1-2 hours away from some of the most rugged tall peaks in the lower 48 where snow is measured in yards, but we don't get snow, at least for the last 9+ years. Haleigh came home from church yesterday saying it was supposed to snow. Given all the time I spent growing up in Montana weather, I knew the conditions were right and it seemed possible, but not likely. Kade verified the forecast. The first thing I did this morning was look out the window. It was a little rainy. I went to wake up the girls and looked out their window, and every once in a while I'd see a flake or two drifting down. By the time I made it to the kitchen and opened the blinds on my patio door, there were tons of huge snowflakes falling. Of course the honeys scrambled outside and played for the 45-minutes the storm lasted. Although this is the "date which will live in infamy" for much more tragic reasons, this particular date 68 years later will be memorable for the honeys for some time, especially if it takes another 9+ years to snow again here. I also included a few shots from our family day at the Oakland temple with other Primary families and a couple of shots from the freezing cold city Christmas parade later that night.

Ocean breezes blowing us along

2009-12-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were trick-or-treating and today I'm sitting in a house that's been decorated for Christmas for a week now. I'm not sure how this happens, but every year October, November, and December come and go in the blink of an eye. On Tuesday, the honeys were complaining because I wouldn't let them wear shorts to school since it was so hot outside, and the last two days winter coats were donned without any encouragement on my part. I love this time of year.

'Lafayette, we are here'

2009-10-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

So, one of my favorite quotes from World War I doesn't quite apply, but I love it, and this seemed like as good a time as any to use it:) After one of the wildest Septembers/Octobers on record, we're still alive and up to some of our usual antics, as you can see in the photos. I love this time of year, and the weather has been perfect for fall.

Scootering along...

2009-09-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Kade's birthday last week. We spent part of the evening outside, and Joshua insisted on sitting in the agapanthus for some strange reason. He'd situate himself right under the leaves. Of course, the older honeys had a good laugh about it which only served as encouragement to replicate the event over and over. Crazy boy. Our little hummingbird has taken up scootering. She's claimed Caleb's scooter as her own, has pushed the handle down as far as it will go, and does hundreds of laps around the patio each and every day. It's a little unnerving to see my little princess zooming around on two skinny tires, balancing on a sliver of metal in between, but girls will be girls:)

Random quirkiness

2009-09-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from the last week or so, including some from our Labor Day weekend. The photo where the J Man looks like he's foaming at the mouth is actually depicting him having a great time spewing his "monkey milk." (Thanks, Marlaina, for the term.) Haleigh ended up confiscating his cup immediately after the photo, which launched a massive fit. We're always ruining his fun:)

Another week, another hike

2009-08-31T13:26:00.000-07:00

Some random photos from our latest week at the Petersen household. We hiked again on Saturday, this time at a lower elevation, closer to home, and a shorter hike--but it totally kicked our backsides. We hiked down to a "natural bridge," wanting to see some interesting geological formations. It also featured a fun swimming hole. Despite being a shorter hike, the rapid elevation gain on the return trip in the intense heat was a killer. Also, Joshua was not feeling well, which made packing him more of a challenge than usual, poor guy. There wasn't much "joy in the journey" this time, but playing in the cold spring-fed creek at the mouth of the cave was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Climb every mountain

2009-08-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

The honeys finished their second week of school Friday and Kade and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary on Tuesday. On Saturday we headed to the mountains for some hiking. Having already learned the hard way hiking in Yosemite when Haleigh and Caleb were little, this time we opted for a family-friendly hike to a small lake in the Sierras. I'm surprised at how well we did, considering we drove up from sea level and did all our hiking above 8000 feet--not too bad with five little ones in tow. Of course, Caleb needed a bit more excitement and so he scaled the cliff above the lake. I'm completely convinced he's part monkey.

Where have the last three weeks gone???

2009-08-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Wow!! What a wild ride the last few weeks have been. From the time we headed north to vacation at Hat Creek to now has been so crazy. We've had two cousin swaps, a whirlwind vacation to Utah, with trips to swimming pools, water parks, zoos, and the San Jose Children's Museum somewhere in between. My honeys started back to school on Monday and Kade launched his August vacation from work with our trip to Utah. I'm so glad we made that trip despite the turbo speed schedule we had to keep. Getting to see Kade's grandparents again before winter sets in was truly a blessing, and, of course, spending time with Kade's parents in "boy kingdom" is always just what the doctor ordered. Did any of you get a picture of Caleb with his "pet" rooster? I can't believe I didn't:( I won't bore you with all the photos, but here's a few to enjoy.

Random Catch up

2009-07-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

I had three more slideshows set up from our trip to Montana, but now that it's been a month since we've been there, and we're just back from the next vacation, I need to move on. I did post a picture of our Cheaper-by-the-dozen moment in Montana. All twelve of us together in one spot--unbelievable, especially since we're scattered from coast to coast.

Thanks to Jan'l and Haleigh for filling in the gaps in my photos from Hat Creek. I was trying to be better about taking some video footage this time around:)

Happy 3rd of July and Happy 7th birthday

2009-07-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

Just some photos of our Independence Day celebration, which Manteca celebrated on the 3rd to save money, and some photos from Elise's extended birthday bash.

Middle Princess turns seven

2009-07-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was on a roll, posting installments of all the photos from our fab vacation, and then came all the festivities, and now I'm off track.

My middle princess turned seven on Sunday. What a sweet little sunshine she's been in our lives. She's left-handed which makes her more ambidextrous than not, and she lives her life that way too, playing Barbies one minute, then off playing basketball the next. I find her wrestling and roughhousing with Caleb, then over helping Maryn cuddle and care for her babies. She's the most beautiful fairy princess one moment, and the next, a complete skater dude with moves to match the part. One constant in her life, that transcends her dual nature, is her love of paper. She's my paper princess, always needing paper for her next art project or a note or a gift. Elise is a social butterfly and my free spirit, who marches to the beat of her own drum, and I readily admit, I like that beat.

HOME SWEET HOME!

2009-07-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

The two posts today are the latest installments from our Montana trip, and we hadn't even made it to our actual destination yet, although the moment we cross over the Idaho state border into Montana, it's HOME! If you were born and reared in Montana, you know exactly what I mean. We entered from the west this time, which was so awesome. It was fun introducing my honeys to snowstorms in June--they were pretty impressed.

Idaho and the Snake River

2009-07-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

Just some of the photos from our several days of exploring Idaho on our way to Montana.

Father's Day on the Road

2009-06-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

Off to Montana!

2009-06-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Haleigh's been bugging me nonstop to post all these photos (well, not all the photos because I averaged 100 photos a day on the trip). I promise to get your DVDs off to each of you as soon as possible, but in the meantime, here's a sampling of the family legacy preservation attempt:)
Less than a day after Caleb had his stitches removed and Cub Scout Twilight Camp concluded, we were off to the land of the Big Sky.

a privacy issue

2009-06-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

I guess I've been neglectful of the blog again--you're surprised, I know:) I've decided I just can't help it. I'm a pretty private person; and with this blog being neither my journals, my scrapbooks, or any scrapbook or any journal of sorts (reread the "pretty private person" phrase again:), I struggle to share. And, YET, as a "preserver of the family legacy" (watch out, sisters, I'm headed your way!) I still feel it my duty to keep in touch visually with distant loved ones and a blog seems to suffice. Having said that mouthful (due, in large part, to the lateness of the hour), with all the honeys home, the last two weeks have flown by in a whirlwind of activity, some fun and some administrative. Kade's last day is TOMORROW!!! YEAH!

Free at last, 13 months, name and a blessing, playdate

2009-06-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

My school honeys are done! Joshua turned 13 months. Sharing my beautiful niece's blessing day with her family. What a way to start SUMMER VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now if only Kade's school year will hurry up. I included a photo of a baby praying mantis. Isn't it the cutest thing. I guess I could have magnified the image. Anyway, Haleigh and I discovered it while outside doing a little gardening.

Welcome, June

2009-06-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos from the last week. In looking over the photos, it appears we must have been in a creative mood lately. Joshua spends his days climbing on everything. Right now, he's climbing for the thrill of climbing, much like Caleb did when he was little. He climbs up, then down, then up, then down, then finds something else to climb. Maryn was a climber, too, but always to get into things. We'll just have to see what Joshua ends up doing with his new skill--will it be a pastime like Caleb's (even today)or a means to an end like Maryn:)

winding down or winding up?

2009-05-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

Just a collection of varied activities this week. From the honeys' art appreciation open house at school to our Memorial Day commemoration activities, and a four-day weekend and our ward's father/son camping trip with our corresponding girls' night (Joshua's been an honorary member of our girls' club the last two years)in between, it's been a fast-paced week. Phew...my fingers are out of breath from that run-on sentence. The weather cooled off which made being outdoors pleasant. Only two more weeks of school--yeah! As a side note, the photos of Haleigh and Caleb each jumping off some park equipment--that wasn't the object of the "toy" necessarily, but I guess it sure seemed like a fun thing to do. I was afraid Kade was going to bounce me off the thing.

Naturally Nine

2009-05-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

Caleb turned nine today. I can honestly say my life has been more adventurous and exciting these last nine years than I ever thought possible. I grew up with five brothers, so the concept of a boy wasn't new to me, but nothing like the opportunity to rear one of my own. Caleb keeps me guessing every single day and I love him for it. He's our swashbuckling adventurer with a penchant for organization, creativity, and thought outside the box. He, like his mom, prefers to fly under the radar, staying out of the limelight/spotlight/off center stage. Caleb's my little MacGyver dude, dragon slaying, sister teasing, exotic food eating, reading and climbing, picture taking, music loving, envelop pushing, risk taking, problem solving, cooking, tool borrowing, blonde-hair and blue-eyed son of mine. Boy, do I love this boy!

Ode to Joy!

2009-05-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

I guess it's been a while since I posted; no surprise there. Actually I just got my camera and camcorder back. Last weekend Kade's parents came out to the Bay area to help his sister Jan'l with Kembrie. Of course, we wanted to see everyone including Kade's sister Tinille (and our new niece) too, but not wanting to add to Jan'l's chaos, we all set up for the day at a gorgeous park nearby. All the cousins played, Jason and Jan'l got a little rest, and everyone had a great day. Before heading back to the Central Valley, we stopped in to see our beautiful little niece, document her beauty:) and off we went. At home, Kade wondered where my camera bag was after unloading the van, and that's when the depression set in:) After a failed attempt to coordinate schedules to retrieve my "right arm" during Kade's work week in the Bay, my sweet hubby drove all the way out there and back yesterday just to save me. Yes, I have a backup camera and camcorder, but it just wasn't the same! All just in time for Caleb's birthday tomorrow. Life can go on!!!!!

Joshua is one!

2009-05-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little man is one today. He was oblivious to the milestone, but we as his family celebrated in style for him:) His fan club (aka my Activity Day girls) showed up in force today and gave him lots of love and attention. We have so much fun with this little guy. Despite being the youngest of five, he's got attitude and can hold his own. Mr. J is very busy and keeps us laughing all day. We love our J-man!

Growing the family two at a time!

2009-05-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

No, we are NOT expecting twins! We just gained two little nieces, who were born yesterday. Jan'l, Kade's sister, and Mary, my sister, each gave birth to little girls on the same day (different states, though:) It looks like we'll get to see baby Kembrie this week, maybe, because her family lives just an hour and a half away. But, the good news is next month we'll be headed northeast to Montana with the rest of the Stevens clan for a reunion and hopefully baby Linay will be there, as well as Andrew and Katie, another nephew and niece born this year, who I haven't met. Life is good! Too bad we don't all live closer.

Speaking of eyes (see previous post)...

2009-04-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

A funny thing happens to me more often than not when I'm out in public with Maryn and Elise. People come up to me or ask while we're standing in line, if the girls are sisters or not, because their eye color is, well, different. Surely, it must be a common thing to have parents with different eye colors. My dad has blue eyes and my mom has brown, and Kade has blue and I have brown, thereby creating children with some of each. We used to be a household evenly split between the two, but with Joshua's turning a definitive brown, we've "turned to the dark side." I guess it draws attention because Maryn's eyes are very light blue like her daddy's, which tend to elicit comments all the time anyway. Perhaps such a dramatic juxtaposition when Elise is around excites the general populace. Who knows...just a late-night random musing--a sign I need to go to bed!

Deja vu

2009-04-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Kade has time off from work that's different than the honeys' school schedule, which means sometimes I find myself reliving my life of eight years ago. Our older honeys will be in school and Kade and I will be home with Maryn and Joshua, and it reminds me so much of life with Haleigh and Caleb the same ages. We'll go somewhere in the Nissan, which we bought a couple of months before Haleigh was born, and it's just like the "old days" when we had two little ones--a big sister and a baby brother. This time, though, the big sister has the blue eyes and the baby brother has the brown eyes.

Easter Break part 2

2009-04-15T23:16:00.001-07:00

Well...I've been enjoying two Easter breaks this year. My honeys had the week off prior to Easter and my hubby has this week off. They overlapped Friday through Monday which was nice. It would have been nicer if the two had coincided so we could all be home together the whole time, but this has been a happy compromise. Maryn, Joshua and I will be sad when Kade has to go back too.

April sunshine and showers

2009-04-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we've already finished a week of April. With general conference and the beginning of my honeys' Easter break from school, time flies. Yesterday we spent a big chunk of a cloudless day at the park, and today it rained on and off all day. Maybe tomorrow will be a happy medium. Joshua turned 11 months yesterday and today he hit 48 weeks. He spends all day unloading cupboards or walking around pushing what Haleigh refers to as his lawnmower. It converts into a little car he can sit on, but he prefers the pushing. It's funny how the baby of the family so quickly joins the ranks of the siblings. I was getting ready to hand out our FHE refreshments and all the honeys were gathered around me; and there was Joshua standing in the pack with his hands up high clamoring for his share. Being surprised by his insistence on an FHE treat and having not given him any sweets yet, I ran to the pantry and grabbed one of his apple wagon wheel crackers, hoping to appease him. I guess he's not old enough to realize he missed out on the real refreshments because he was satisfied. I'll be better prepared next week! (He hates his new sun hat, by the way--he can't get it off [as easily]as his beanie)

Technological triumph

2009-03-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed slideshows from three different sources the last few posts. Last Friday, I was trying to be better about posting and then ran into some technical difficulties with blogger which were driving me crazy, hence the previous post with visual aids and no writing:) Things only got worse. By Friday evening Kade (and I) thought my computer had a virus, and I thought all my scrapbook layouts had gone up in smoke (I'm really good about backing up my photos, though). Kade worked his magic and saved me! After spending all weekend burning dvd's and copying stuff to the external hard drive (something I should have been doing all along), I have everything in triplicate, and a nice, clean hard drive. Now if blogger will cooperate...
We've been in bubble-blowing mode these days. I think Maryn's gone through 8 bottles of bubble mix in the last few days (yes, spillage accounts for a good portion of the volume.) The photos of Joshua are from his 46-week mark. I guess that means just roughly six more weeks until he's a year:( And to answer your question, Toni, I did pipe the chocolate headboard/footboards on Maryn's bed. I used a template for design continuity, placed wax paper over it, and piped away--hope that helps.

Looking a little green

2009-03-20T13:07:00.001-07:00

Our baby girl princess is three!

2009-03-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

Maryn turned three on Saturday. She loves all things 'princess' these days, and so we opted for a casual, yet eclectic princess theme to celebrate the happy occasion. Her cake was 'princess and the pea,' and my caution in taking photos the moment I complete a cake paid off here. You guessed it--Maryn managed to get into the cake first thing Saturday morning, and started eating the chocolate headboard/footboards. I had anticipated that and had sculpted extras the night before:) She turned the bed's stacked mattresses into the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but the cake survived into the afternoon. She loved her gifts, but was especially pleased to finally have that ice cream she's been craving. We love this little girlie and can't imagine our lives without her.

Unrepentant?

2009-03-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I promised the grandmas I'd be better about blogging, and then life kicked into full gear, and it's only now I have a chance to breathe for a minute. In my cyber absence Joshua turned ten months. He's one determined little man...determined that one day he will get to play in the toilet and eat all the paper he wants and dumpster dive without his mother interfering. In the mean time, he plots then suffers through numerous thwarted attempts, but undaunted (although frustrated) he remains.
My baby princess turns three tomorrow and so I need to get going on those party plans. She doesn't seem interested in getting any gifts when people ask her what she wants--she just wants to make sure she has cake (and ice cream in particular) to celebrate the happy occasion.
Elise has become a jump rope fanatic. It's like this magic thing happens when little girls go to first grade--they become addicted to jump roping. She also has become inseparable with her green ball, and if that's not available (because it's been confiscated), she's dribbling Maryn's little princess ball. I was planning to sign her up later this year for tae kwan do, to join Haleigh and Caleb, but we may just have to go straight to basketball.
Enough for now. Like I said, I've got a crazy cake to make and the final touches to finish up for my honey's big day tomorrow.

Fire on the brain OR is my brain on fire?

2009-02-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

It's funny how sometimes in life, there's a theme to your activities, even unrelated ones. This week for us, it's been the fire department.
Elise picked out books from the library about fire fighting. Last night, Caleb's cub scout pack meeting was held at the Ripon Fire Department, and today Maryn's playschool group had a fieldtrip to the Manteca Fire Dept. At the pack meeting, we were impressed at how fast the dozens of firemen (and two women, Haleigh told me) dressed up in their full gear in some kind of drill. I'd still be getting dressed in all that gear long after the fire had been put out. I know Caleb (and Elise) were wishing they could have slid down the fire pole. The fireman was nice enough to demonstrate it several times though, since it's so fast.
Today Maryn was quite cautious about her experience. She wouldn't take a turn helping the fireman turn on the hose and spraying the asphalt; nor would she even climb through the fire engine with her friends. The firemen were so nice, though, and seemed very sensitive to making sure they didn't do anything startling or "scary" for our group of youngsters. I thought it quite the coincidence that as our tour was concluding, the firemen were dispatched to a fire. They waved goodbye and they were gone--that quick!

Just a few minutes the girls, Joshua and I had at the park yesterday. It wasn't really a kite-flying day (ours are all still on the top shelf of the games closet), but some lady who was at the park too was trying to do so, got a little frustrated it wasn't working, handed her little kite to the girls and off she went.

So AWOL is my middle name...

2009-02-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

Never fear, we are still here:) --just busy which actually means "higher priorities" because we're all busy. On this happy note, here's a few snapshots of life around here these days, and an attempt to do better to keep grandparents up to date.

nine months OLD

2009-02-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

Blogger wasn't cooperating last night, so I didn't get this posted. I guess I was up far too late anyway. Regardless, the big J man has turned nine months (yesterday.) These last nine months went way faster than the nine months carrying him. I guess that's usually how it is because of all the anticipation. Our bouncing baby boy really does like to bounce. He does not like to sit still long enough to get dressed or have his diaper changed or even eat. He is always on the go. Running water and the vacuum are among his favorite interests these days. We love our little fella!

Choo choo

2009-02-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

I guess it's time to post again. The honeys had a day off from school Friday so Kade took the day off work and we went to one of our favorite museums. We hadn't been there in a couple of years, which is a shame because it's such an amazing place. We'll have to pledge to go more often. Earlier in the month, Kade, Caleb, his best friend and Elise went to watch the Stockton Thunder (hockey). The last game Caleb and Dylan went to (December), the team lost, so I didn't realize they were actually having a good season. 3-hour hockey games and babies don't mix, so I may have to be the one to "chaperone" next time so I can get in on some of the action. Despite cutting a bunch of teeth, Joshua has managed to stay relatively happy (just doesn't like nap time) and has been trying to climb things. He loves to play in the vertical blinds on the patio door in my bedroom and beating on the glass in the kitchen. He uses his walker to access the computer and the piano, but prefers to play it while sitting on the piano bench (not a surprise). He hits the 9-month mark tomorrow, so I guess I'll have to do a rare extra post soon to mark the occasion.

Latest adventures

2009-01-29T12:59:00.000-08:00

This last week (almost two weeks) has passed in a blur. The end of last week was dominated by Pinewood Derby prep and race. Kade and Caleb had a great time on this little project. At the race Maryn kept wondering where her car was. I guess she'll have to make one for next year:) Elise lost yet another tooth (at school this time.) Joshua is cutting a mouth full of teeth. My babies don't teeth until 8-9 months, and Joshua must be related, and isn't wasting any time.
As an update or a "ps" to the last post; shortly after our amazing weather, it rained for several days, so I don't have to feel guilty. It looks like we're back to some great weather today, though. Can you spell O-U-T-D-O-O-R-S fast three times?

Love this weather!

2009-01-20T11:12:00.001-08:00

I discovered I've taken nearly two hundred photos in the past three weeks--how am I supposed to keep up with all our happenings on this blog? I can't and I've decided I don't intend to (too many other fun things going on.) However, I guess I need to keep the grandparents up to speed visually on their posterity, so here's a few photos of this last week. I know I should be praying for rain with the rest of California, but I can't help basking in this amazing weather. It's so fun to be in the middle of January and be outdoors riding bikes and playing on green grass. All the photos in the slideshow depict a hint of the fun we've been having outside lately, with the exception of one. Elise finally lost her first tooth (half way through first grade--she was beginning to wonder if she'd ever lose one.) Caleb mercifully pulled it out for her; the new tooth is already well on its way to maturity, so I guess it's a good thing Caleb helped out. I don't know about you, but the whole tooth-losing process really grosses me out--I don't like seeing wiggly teeth.

Miscellaneous

2009-01-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

Here's just a snapshot of our last week since I'm getting too lazy to post...or, in actuality, have other projects going on which are more exciting to me:) Joshua turned eight months old---crazy how the time flies. Kade started back to work on Monday (shed a tear!) and the honeys started back to school on Tuesday (shed another tear!) Before they did, they had time for a sock (and underwear) folding party, a special treat usually just Maryn and I celebrate, but the more the merrier.
Just a funny story about Haleigh to conclude. To cap off a night of new year's eve reveling, we toast in the new year with Martinelli's sparkling cider. As that time was approaching, Haleigh asked if it was "Martini time." (She was trying to say Martinelli's but couldn't remember the exact name, for those of you questioning our parenting.) As an encore, a few days later it was her week to unload the dishwasher and she was trying to tell me something about my "whiskey" (translation: whisk.) Needless to say, Kade and I have had a great time lately teasing her about her alcoholic references.

Maryn sighting

2008-12-30T21:50:00.001-08:00

Two posts from me in one day, in light of the recent drought????? Impossible. Actually, I couldn't pass this one up. For once, I didn't catch Maryn in some household experiment. This time she was just playing on the living room floor with some miscellaneous toys while I was feeding Joshua nearby. She actually left the glasses on long enough for me to snap a shot--a rarity.

December come and almost gone

2008-12-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast this month has passed. With so many wonderful events calling December their home, it's hard to find time to sit at the computer to describe them all to family and friends, and also hard to find time to enjoy others' happenings for the same reason.
With that said, we spent Christmas here at home, which was actually quite nice, given all the horrible snowy weather where our families live, weather that makes traveling a nightmare.
This was Joshua's first Christmas and in true baby spirit, he loved the wrapping paper much more than his gifts.

11

2008-12-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

Haleigh turned eleven Saturday. It was such a wild and busy day with the ward Christmas breakfast, nutcracker ballet, her friend party and wrapping up the day with a quiet family celebration. For the first decade of her life, I avoided all things Christmas for her birthday to make sure the two events were separate. This year, she actually had a Christmas themed birthday party with her friends and it turned out to be so fun. We played such games as "pin the nose on Rudolph (hence the photo)," snowflake races, "pass the candy cane," "melt the ice cube," and did the white elephant gift game (officially known as a Yankee Swap). We love this girlie of ours. It makes me sad I only have her at home for seven more years. I keep praying these next seven do not fly by as fast as the first eleven. Next birthday launches her into the young women's program, but I'm not going to think about that today. As Scarlett O'Hara says, "Tomorrow is another day." Haleigh wasn't too impressed with me taking her picture with each costume change so this is all I have. The first photo is Haleigh exactly 11 at 9:39 pm.

Annual Christmas Baking Day

2008-12-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's that time of year again. Yesterday my SIL Jan'l and I got together at her home for our annual bake-Christmas-goodies-all-day affair. I think we've done this nearly every year we've lived in California, with the exception of the year the fog was so bad, it was too unsafe for me to make the trip out. We have such a blast baking, catching up, and solving the world's problems. All ten cousins play together with Kade and Jason making sure the mayhem is tolerable. Yesterday, they left to get pizza and were swallowed up in the Saturday shopping crowds, and we didn't see them for quite some time. Jan'l and I managed to get most of our baking done. The picture doesn't do justice to all our busy-ness, but not even a panoramic shot would capture how far spread out our efforts were (we were even using the top of her dryer as a "cooling" center). Now the trial is to get all our plates of goodies out of our homes and delivered before we eat all the treats ourselves. PS...Jan'l inspired me beyond my complaceny to change my blog background for the season...we say, "Merry Christmas"...hehehe.

Seven Months Old

2008-12-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Joshua turned seven months old yesterday, and spent the day being cared for and loved to death by his doting cousins. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the day.

Pie for Brunch

2008-12-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed another wonderful thanksgiving this year. With a nursing baby and a newly potty-trained toddler, we opted for comfort and ease and stayed home for the big day this year. Aside from the usual festivities, we had an interesting brunch this time. I normally make orange and cranberry scones for brunch. Unfortunately Joshua has been battling a really bad cold, and by the time I got around to making the scones, Kade had the turkey ready to go in the oven on schedule. SO, Kade reminded me about the time our friends had invited us over for a Thanksgiving pie-for-breakfast moment, and suggested that would be a quick way to save our brunch.
I think we have a new tradition:) It just worked out so well. The pies are already baked the day before and there's usually way too many anyway, and we can eat them and enjoy them because we're not stuffed from the main feast, and there's still plenty of pie left over for dessert. Of course, all the children were thrilled with the idea, and even the parents are on board for this one. Thank you, Biggs Family!

Perspective

2008-11-18T09:20:00.000-08:00

I'm not one of those moms who gets caught up in how early my children have done/accomplished something or reached a milestone as an indication of their brilliance. In fact, I think it's plain silly.
And as I sit here this morning watching Joshua and Maryn play, I am reminded of how my perspective has changed as a mother, especially in regard to those same milestones. With Haleigh, it was exciting to see what new milestone she had reached, and wondering when she'd begin the next. It was so fun to see her growing and developing.
And then there's the realization of how quickly time passes and the recognition of how fast each of the "milestones" appear and become old hat.
With each successive child, I have looked to these milestones as indications that my children are developing normally for which I fervently thank my Heavenly Father, and while I am still every bit as thrilled to see their progress as I was with Haleigh, I find it a little sad how short a time I have with each of them.
They really do grow too fast, but I've dug in my heels with an attempt to slow down time; to capture each precious moment with them; moments that are easily lost amidst today's agenda of housework, dentist appointments all around, homework, karate lessons, band concert, and Activity Day preparation.
Thankfully, today's schedule is UNUSUALLY ridiculous, but I'm still determined to capture meaningful moments in spite of the schedule.

Thank you...

2008-11-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

A week ago Sunday, Kade brought this box home from church and said he thought it would make a good idea for FHE. So for FHE the next day, we had a lesson about the freedoms we enjoy in this country and how it has come at a high price (we even tied in the next day's election.) We filled the box full of items (his favorite treats, personal/hygiene items, etc.) for Private Nicholas Christine, someone we don't know, who is serving overseas. Our package, by the program's guidelines, was scheduled to reach members of the military in time for Veteran's Day today. What a great program. We as a family have discussed all week how truly blessed we are to live in this great nation of freedom and opportunity, and we are so grateful to the many brave men and women in uniform, both today and those who have gone before, who have fought valiantly for this country. We usually go to a park, at some point during the day, for both Veteran's Day and Memorial Day, and today it seemed fitting; as we play with careless abandon in a beautiful setting, we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy and say thank you to those who sacrifice so much in our behalf.

A new niece

2008-11-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

It's always fun adding to the family. I absolutely love welcoming new nieces and nephews. With Kade having seven siblings and my eleven siblings, there's bound to be a new baby somewhere--which we love! Today my little sister Jill and her husband Justin delivered their first child, a beautiful baby girl who doesn't have a name yet. She is such a precious little one. Even though we live way out here, we still enjoy "watching" our nieces and nephews grow and develop. Each of them is a miracle from God, each unique and so full of personality from the very beginning. I am blessed to be an aunt to so many wonderful little ones (although I can't call Jacob little these days.) I borrowed the photo from Jill's blog (good job, Justin, keeping us informed so quickly!)

6 months old today

2008-11-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

Joshua turned six months old today. I'm in denial. We celebrated in grand style with a visit to the doctor for a checkup, immunizations, and a flu shot. What do I say about this little soul who has brought so much joy and innocence into our lives these last six months?! Even when he's not feeling well (those nasty shots), he still manages a smile or two. He's turned into a little bowling ball, both in girth and mobility. We are blessed to have our little Joshua and thank Heavenly Father daily for his health and presence in our lives.

Boo!

2008-10-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

Halloween came way too fast this year. Fortunately we managed to come up with costumes everyone was satisfied with--no small feat when you're rearing five very independent little spirits. (It was completely unintentional that both our boys ended up as bats--I didn't make the connection until later this evening:) Usually we all troop out as a family, leaving our candy in a bowl on the porch for others to help themselves(we're gone during most of the prime trick-or-treating hours). This year brought some changes, though. We have children at the age now (and for some time) who hatch plans with friends at school unbeknownst to their parents. SO, we ended up bringing Caleb's best friend Dylan trick or treating with us, who is now staying the night; and Haleigh trick-or-treated with us until we reached her best friend Candice's house, and then joined her to trick-or-treat and spend the night at Candice's house. Normally our social butterfly Elise would have been up in arms about the whole scenario, but a residual cold has left her exhausted and too tired to argue.

Maryn was so funny trick-or-treating, it caught us off guard. At every single house we visited she had to ask every single adult who answered the door, (if a lady)"Where's your daddy (husband)?" (or a man)"Where's your mommy(wife)?" We couldn't get her off the doorstep until the poor victim had answered Maryn to her satisfaction. One house we went to had a HUGE white, furry dog, and Maryn asked why they had a bear for a pet. At another house, when she saw a cat, she asked the homeowner if the cat liked to drink the homeowner's water or did the cat have its own water. She was so pleased to have a pumpkin full of candy, but I think the evening was truly successful because it was the social highlight of the year.

Yosemite National Park

2008-10-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

After a wild two weeks it was fun to capitalize on our day off from school yesterday with a trip to Yosemite NP, one of our favorite places to visit in California. We've been there numerous times in the spring and summer, but never in the fall. You can't beat the weather and the lack of people at this time of year. It was amazing! In terms of scenery, I think spring is my favorite time because the waterfalls are roaring at maximum capacity, but Yosemite in autumn was definitely a treat!

Potty training

2008-10-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Maryn has been over-ready to potty train for months now and I haven't been ready for as many months. Finally, during General Conference weekend I called in the potty-training expert aka Kade and said it was time. He worked his usual magic and Maryn has joined the ranks of the toilet-using folks in our household. I was quite nervous how things would work out during last week because our potty-training method doesn't have us reminding her to use the bathroom, but we survived an assembly and two GEP meetings at school, karate and ballet lessons, trips to the library, church, the park, the post office, and miscellaneous shopping moments without any mishaps. I'll keep my fingers crossed, however. I'm not so naive to think the future doesn't hold a few surprises. As for Maryn, her favorite part is the large selection of underwear to choose from--so we spend our day changing underwear, not because of accidents, but because of the design calling to her at the moment. Dora happens to be a big favorite, although at the moment she's enamored with some plain white ones with rainbow lace:)