Fun Family Visit

This past week we had my brother, Spencer, and sister-in-law, Tiffany, out to visit while the girls were on their Fall break. We had a ton of fun with them and were able to see some things we hadn't before.

On Monday we went up to Santa Cruz and saw "The Mystery Spot" and The Boardwalk. I am kicking myself for forgetting my camera that day, but Tiffany said she'd e-mail me the pictures she took that day (hint, hint :)>), so hopefully I'll post some of those later. The mystery spot was this crazy place where compasses don't work and there's a lot of optical illusions going on that make you able to lean sideways in doorways and off table ledges. Pretty cool. Anyway, the funny thing was that as we were listening to the tour guide, Kate was running around, as usual, saying, "my tummy hurts." So Chris picked her up and put her over his shoulder. As he did, Kate let a huge fart rip. Then we hear this lady standing next to us say to her friend, "oh my!" It was pretty funny.

Next we went to the boardwalk. I had never been to one, and it was fun to go. The rides weren't running because it was a weekday, but we had a fun time mini golfing, shopping for souvenirs, playing in the waves, and eating the totally greasy boardwalk food. They had these garlic french fries that Chris, Tiffany, and Spencer tried - Man! - were those things potent! Chris and Spencer said their mouths were stinging afterwards, and all of the vampires on the boardwalk definitely kept their distance! :)

We of course did the aquarium scene, which is always fun, and had a picnic outside where the waves were crashing. The funny story here is that while Tiffany and Spencer took the girls out to climb on the rocks while I was nursing Kylie, two older ladies (in their 50's) on their bicycles stopped by to take a drink and started totally criticizing Spencer and Tiffany and saying how they were not even paying attention and were going to "lose their kids." Then one of them looked over at me and asked me if they were my kids and I said, "Yes they are." I think they were a little embarrassed. I just don't see why people in California seem to be more tolerant of people's pets than they are of people's children. I mean, I see people bringing their dogs into clothing stores and getting their hair all over the clothing, which totally grosses me out, and yet I'm the one getting the strange looks for having more than two children. It is a very interesting situation.

Anyhoo, sorry to get sidetracked there. We had a lot of fun picnics with Spencer and Tiffany. It almost felt more like camping in the mountains of Utah than being on the beaches of California. Below you can see us at Point Lobos. Every time we go there it looks different, the ocean is at a different level, you'll see different animals and flowers, and it's just a good time.

We also went to the tide pools again. The ocean was the highest I'd ever seen it, even at low tide. But we found some neat stuff. Tiffany found a starfish and we also saw lots of hermit crabs and those sticky-musselly-things-that-I-don't-know-what-they-are-but-they're-still-cool. Spencer and Tiffany took Aly out to an island to look around and watch the waves while I stayed with the younger three girls. We found two awesome crab snappers, and teeny shells of all colors to make a shell rainbow. Even though it was kinda chilly, it was really nice to be out in the fresh air and sunshine! We topped it off with a fire at the beach - Can I just say how much I love nature? Heavenly Father & the Savior have done such a beautiful job in creating this world for us. I always feel the most peaceful when I'm able to just be out in it, soaking it up. I love it.

For their last day, Chris took us all hiking so we could see some Redwoods. It was beautiful up there as well, and it was crazy seeing the ocean open up before us on our way down. After our hike, Spencer and Tiffany ordered pizza for the girls and took them out for ice cream and let Chris and I go out on a date. That was super nice and we totally appreciated it. They were excellent guests to have, bringing cookies to decorate, helping the kids with their homework, and helping out with holding Kylie. We hope they had a great time, as we sure did enjoy having them here!

Now, doesn't this post just make you want to come and hang out with us?!?

Chris is Awesome!

First of all, I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS TO MY HUBBY for getting a COMPANY COMMAND!!! As you may or may not know, the pyramid gets quite steep from here on out as far as who gets the desired jobs in Special Forces. So for Chris to get company command and stay with the troops is quite an honor. He'll take command when he joins us in Florida next summer. He will do such a great job - he is a born leader.

Also, I absolutely LOVE this picture of Chris taking a nap with Kylie. It has been awesome having Chris around when I had a baby this go around. For the past two quarters, he has arranged his class schedule so that he could help me get the girls out the door in the morning. What a stud! That has been such a stress reliever for me, I can't even tell you. His help with the kiddos has saved my sanity. He has been so good to help me out on top of everything else he's got going on: writing another thesis, reading a ton for his normal classes, and preparing his Sunday school lesson every week, to name a few. I think he's earned a nap, don't you?
Well, now let's get on to the rest of my awesome family. The long awaited talent show finally arrived. Aly did a fantastic job, had a lot of fun, and made some new friends in the process. What a talented girl! If you'd like to view a video of the performance, you can go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBo-FatDRhg

Analise has really gotten into accessorizing these days. Where does she get her sense of fashion from? Definitely not from me; but she sure does look cute with her glasses and scarf.

Also, for General Conference a couple of weeks ago she wrote this about President Monson. Very cute. And speaking of conference, it was awesome. At least, the parts I was able to listen to were awesome. Due to the lack of sleep I'm currently getting and the girls general noise level, I didn't absorb as much as I would have liked. But I'm not too stressed about it, because I know I'll be getting the CD's to listen to and I can digest it in more bite size pieces later. I do want to say though, that I am so grateful for living prophets today. The guidance and counsel I get from conference helps me immeasurably as I deal with the challenges of today. I know that The Prophet, his counselors, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are truly the watchmen on the tower who can see things from a far off and know what the Lord would have us do in our times.

Now, here's the story of Kate's haircut, parts 2 & 3. I thought I got away without having to chop her hair off after the Diaper Genie incident, but apparently not. I decided to take a nap between sessions of conference on Sunday, my first fatal mistake. When I woke up and took Kate upstairs to take a bath I noticed that the hair on one side of her head was about 4 inches shorter than the other side. (See in the picture below the short hair, covered with a few longer strands.)

So, Monday we took her in for a haircut. (See Below). The guy at the barber shop told me that she'd cut it so short, we'd have to layer it to make it look okay. It actually is a pretty cute pixie cut. It is just a lot more work than I'd be willing to spend on a 3 year old's hair. When it's not curled it looks a lot like Julia Roberts hair as Tinkerbell in the movie "Hook". Now, the question is, did Kate learn a lesson from this experience? I don't really think so, because when her hair was all chopped off and she looked in the mirror, she smiled wide and said, "I look like Aunt Laura!"

And finally . . . here are some cute pictures of Kylie in her blessing dress. I love how she curls her little fists up under her chin. My awesome bro Spencer and his wife, Tiffany, came out to visit us for a week (more on that later), and we blessed Kylie while they were here. Chris did a great job on her blessing in capturing the essence of her mission here on earth and the blessing she will be to those around her. It was a neat experience.

Oh, and one more finally (maybe more like a P.S.?) Kylie has started talking and cooing to us. We love it!