getting in the spirit

We have been super lame this Christmas season. I made an advent calendar and had all these grand ideas to fill each day with a Christmas activity . . . and yet, each  number sits empty. I just can't seem to get it together and feel like nobody in my family cares if I do these traditions or not. I tell myself that my boys are probably too young to remember but really, that's not true with William. I decided it was time to get our family in the Christmas spirit, so on Sunday night I made some hot chocolate and Will loved drinking it out of his cow mug that my in-laws brought back from Switzerland (it has a little cow inside that shows up as you drink it). He thought it was great fun to have marshmallows in his "chock-oh-let".

getting it to the right temperature.

tasting it to make sure it's just right.

ahhhh - perfect!

Then we snuggled up on the sofa and watched Mr. Krueger's Christmas to the soft glow of our Christmas tree lights. That movie kills me every time. I can't help it! Jimmy Stewart = Christmas. William sat and watched the whole thing and we felt the true spirit of this season - it was lovely. Tomorrow, we will go see the Christmas lights and hear some live music at the San Diego Temple. I'm excited to start doing some fun Christmas things before this season is over - it always ends too soon!

thanksgiving 2012

I guess I should blog about Thanksgiving before I start posting about Christmas stuff. We spent this Thanksgiving with David's family. My father-in-law actually came to San Diego on Monday and took William back with him for the week until we went over on Wednesday. He had a fabulous time getting all that attention from my in-laws! I'm thankful they love our boys so much.

My mother-in-law did most of the cooking but I made a couple of "healthy" pies (I'll share the recipes soon), a cranberry cilantro cream cheese dip for noshing on while waiting for the turkey to cook and I set the table. My mother-in-law had the most beautiful tablecloth that I was swooning over and I even had fun practicing my napkin folding that I haven't done since culinary school, so that was fun.

We got to go to a couple of movies (we loved Lincoln, by the way) and just enjoyed being together. My sister-in-law had a great idea right before we sat down to our feast for each of us to list one big thing we're thankful for, one silly/frivolous thing we're thankful for and one thing we're thankful for right now. I said my faith in Jesus Christ, my blog and all the blessings (and friends) it's brought me and my body and the amazing things it can do (a newer revelation). Then as we sat down at the table we each named one talent or gift we've been given that we're thankful for, which turned into an opportunity to compliment each other on some of the talents and gifts we've noticed about each other. It was a nice Thanksgiving.

And I love Mr. Frederick. You guys, he is the sweetest thing ever! Mmmm, I think I'm going to go snuggle him again right now.

brotherly love

I love my boys so much. They really love each other and it makes me melt. Frederick's eyes sparkle with delight when his big brother is near and William loves to kiss his baby and tell him he loves him. The other day both of the boys were on my bed. William was laying by Frederick and I was folding clothes. He was talking to Frederick and said, "Ohhhhh, baby. You're so cute. (kiss) Good job baby! You're so smart! (kiss)". Frederick cooed. I melted. This is happiness.

hardly fall in the desert

I'm home (jiggity jig) and I'm super motivated to clean up this place and set up for Halloween. I'm feeling crafty people! This is big news cause I have not been motivated to do anything like that since the baby was born. It was fun to be in Arizona even if it was still pretty hot. My brother is in Germany for work so my sister-in-law brought her kids to my mom's house from Seattle while he was gone. The boys really wanted to spend all day on the trampoline and William had an allergic reaction to something outside so that made it rough but they still had a great time.

We visited my grandmother's grave on her birthday and also visited my sister's. I've never taken my boys to the cemetery and it was nice to think about her and talk about her.

Our last morning there William had a really wet diaper in the morning but I was busy packing up and hadn't changed him yet. Apparently, it was a REALLY wet diaper because it fell through his pants and was hanging there while he was playing outside. I took these pictures through the window from inside the house and was literally crying with laughter. His reaction was so funny when he noticed it.

My mom is so awesome and she watched the kids for us on more than one occasion so we could go to lunch, run errands and we even went on a double date with our big boys to Aunt Sarah's house to go swimming.

We took a picture of the boys (all born within a few months of each other). Remember how little they all used to be? They grow up so fast...

hello seattle

Our trip to Seattle to visit my brother and his family was so fun! We got back last night and it's good to be home. We missed David something fierce. Some things I will miss about Seattle: the crispness in the air as the seasons begin to change, the giant trees that created a heavenly canopy over every road, the awesome toy cupboard under the stairs at my brother's house that William played in for hours, watching funny videos on Apple TV with my brother and sister-in-law after the kids were in bed, the Thai and Indian food, a trip to Target sans kids (haha! Isn't that mommy heaven?) having great conversations late into the evening with my sister-in-law and generally just spending time with family is always a win.

Also (because there are a few pictures to document this trip),

aren't these boys adorable? I was disappointed in the ginger cookie that I'd been dreaming of - it was stale(ish).

Going to Pike Place (one of my favorite places ever) and FINALLY getting delicious nectarines and peaches, drooling over the vibrant dahlias all over the place, eating Beecher's mac and cheese (even if I did "accidentally" flash every one in line while trying to nurse a fussy baby in the Ergo all while William dropped the blanket in the gutter which I picked up and shook off while splattering the woman behind me in gutter sewage mud - I am awesome)

Being able to take a short walk from my brother and sister-in-law's dreamy house and neighborhood over to this beautiful lake with a dock, a beach and a really fun playground with a beautiful park where they do Music in the Park in the summer. Jealous!

Seeing these two little buddies snuggle into Beck's bed every night for story time with Aunt Leone. And also seeing them pray together just about melted me into a pool of mother butter.

Going to Kelsey Creek Farm - the most charming little barns with chickens, sheep, horses, goats, bunnies and a fun playground hidden next to downtown Bellevue. Have you been there? It's amazing! And free since it's owned by the city! So cool.

I don't know when we'll be able to go back to visit, which makes me sad, but I'm so glad we got to go. Their neighborhood is kind of my dream neighborhood. I may or may not have imagined trick or treating down their street with William dressed as a ghost with a sheet draped over him and passing out candy apples to all the nice little girls and boys. Ha! I know it rains a lot in Seattle but those few months in the summer are almost like living in a dream. It was funny because I was nursing the baby in the mother's lounge at church along with a couple of other moms with babies. They mentioned that there was a family who had just moved into the area from Florida and how it must be hard to move from there to Seattle. I said that I lived in San Diego and I would love to live in Seattle. They thought I was crazy! I guess the grass is always greener. There's something good about any place, as long as you can find happy things in life but I wouldn't say no to some autumn leaves and apple cider mills!

eagle powers . . . come to me, please!

I'm leaving on a jet plane today with Will and Fritz. We're headed up to Seattle to visit my brother and his cute family - I'm muy excited! I just remembered this picture of their son, Beck, from a couple of years ago. Could you just die? I'm pretty sure Nacho Libre will always be one of the funniest movies of all time.

P.S. Say a little prayer for me that I will make it through a 4 hour plane ride with two kids under three at bedtime by myself. I'm so nervous.
P.P.S. I just referenced two songs from the 60's in this blog post. Pretty awesome.

family resemblance

I found this picture of me with my little brother, Marcus, and gasped when I saw it. Doesn't Frederick look so much like him? I've always thought he had similar features as his Uncle Marcus but this picture confirms it for me.

falling for a charlie

I cannot stop thinking about getting a puppy. I know this is absolutely nutcase talk here because I just had a baby but seriously I want one. I have always wanted a family dog - another member of our clan. Someone that my children will grow up with, love, befriend. I always thought I wanted a golden retriever (perfect family dog, right?). Then I wanted a beagle (adorable, friendly and energetic). The other day I was researching great family dogs and came across the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. You guys, I am in love. We aren't in a position to get a dog quite yet but it doesn't hurt to dream and prepare myself for one! I mean, I spent my whole life preparing to be a mother to human babies so I better prepare to be a mother to a canine baby, right? Anyway, how about some advice from my dog-family readers. Do you have a dog (and if you have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel please tell me about your experience with them!) and when we get a dog how does one train them?

smiling's my favorite

I haven't done an update on William in a while. He is turning three in a couple of months and David and I were talking about how next year he'll be in Primary. That seems so crazy to me! I look at my little boy (who is not so very little anymore) and think, "Oh heavens, you are cute." He does and says the funniest things and it gives me mommy butterflies.

- he loves to sing. I was worried he wasn't very musical but it turns out he loves to sing. All day long he will build his blocks and sing "Old Mac Donald" or "I Am A Child of God" or "Little Bunny Foo-Foo" to himself and he has pretty good pitch. Maybe there's some hope after all! :)
- his favorite book right now is I Stink! about the garbage truck. He likes to take it with him everywhere (we only checked it out from the library - I guess I should buy it!) and calls it "my stinky book". He also enjoys to quote lines from it - "Beep! Beep! Heeeyyy! Beep! Beep! Outta my wayyy!"
- he loves racing with David after work. It usually involves running laps around the orange trees in our backyard and onto the patio several times while laughing hysterically. He pretty much enjoys doing anything in the backyard with David when he's home (playing in the sandbox, chasing lizards, feeding bread to the birds, watering the plants, blowing bubbles, drawing on the sidewalk, playing with his dump trucks).
- his favorite foods are scrambled eggs, cottage cheese (yes, still), hot dogs, blueberries, cheese, chicken (pretty much any meats), bread, applesauce, chocolate milk, pizza . . . he'll eat most things. In fact, he gobbled up all the green beans at dinner tonight. I'm so glad he's not very picky and boy, does he eat! My boys are going to eat us broke when they're teenagers!
- he thinks everything Fritz does is hilarious. The times when he laughs the hardest (and I mean veins popping out of his neck laughing) is when Fritz sneezes or his newborn head bobs around uncontrollably. I don't get what's so funny but it makes me laugh. He also loves to kiss and hug him and does often throughout the day whenever the urge strikes. It makes me melt.
- he is absolutely in LOVE with dogs. The joy that comes to his face when he's around a dog almost makes me want one. The other day I asked him what he wanted to name his dog if we got one. He said, "Arnie." So that's that.

up in the pines

After we went to the ranch we spent a few days in Pinetop at the cabin (this time, David's family cabin). It was exceptionally green and lovely this year. I've been craving a good monsoon and this trip did not disappoint. We had a thunderstorm almost every day! Ahhhh, heavenly. We took a beautiful drive up to Paradise Creek for a picnic and when we walked down to our spot, I felt like I had stepped into a picture. I've been to this spot many, many times but this year was especially lush. Literally seconds after we laid out the blankets and the food, it started to rain. The rest of David's family braved the rain under a nearby tree for about an hour but I didn't want Frederick to get too wet or cold so we hung out in the truck with my good old iPhone and Seven Little Words while I nursed. There's something so peaceful about hearing rain pitter-patter on the roof of a car in the woods. I love it.

William played in the rain in his (finally) appropriate rain boots. He also insisted on wearing his "cowboy" (the red bandanna my mom gave him at the ranch) at every opportunity. 

He hammocked with Grandma Cindy and they talked about what animals climb trees and other philosophies of life.

We relaxed on the deck and watched the squirrels and golfers play on the course. 

Fritz did big exercising on this adorable vintage quilt. Isn't it awesome? I wanted to take it home with me.

And of course, we watched the Olympics. I died laughing when I looked over at David holding Fritz and saw their identical faces watching the screen. Ha!

lottie and fritz

We met sweet Charlotte at the ranch and she's crazy cute. Holding her is like holding the most delicious bread dough. She's soft, squishy, smells delicious and just melts into your body. Frederick is quite a bit longer but she's got him majorly in the fatness! Stephanie did always produce cream! They're just two days apart and it's fun to think about them growing up and seeing their personalities develop. I took some pictures of them (on the iPhone so they're sadly not great) and died when they were smiling and holding hands. Babies are the best.

bluewater days: part one

Bluewater Days 2012 was epic as usual. I seriously love my family. I sometimes wish we could all live there together and live off the garden bounty but then I would miss Target too much and have to move back to civilization. Best moments of the reunion this year include:

my little Jim Craig.

- Singing along to John Denver on the front porch swing with my family while watching a thunder storm.
- Smelling the delightful scent of desert rain - there's nothing like it.
- Quading to Dairy Queen on a "triple date" with my brothers and their wives for treats and fireworks.
- William playing cowboy (several times) in a bandanna, cowboy hat and . . . fireman boots. He wouldn't wear the adorable leather cowboy boots unfortunately.

- Big family meals.

- Watching my nieces and nephews do hilarious talent show entertainment.

- Country dancing in "the old house".
- Snuggling with my sweet William.

- Horseback riding (it's been years since I've played cowgirl!)

- Spending time (and eating cold cereal) with cousins rarely seen.

- Our campfire was rained out so we sat around in the living room and sang out of the Nielson Heritage Ranch Songbook and my dad talked about our family heritage. 

Until next year, dear Bluewater.

beaching it

We spent last week going to and fro for David's family reunion at the beach. It's nice to live in San Diego but not so nice to have to drive to the beach every day where they were staying. Maybe someday we'll live in a beach house. Wouldn't that be so grand? No matter. We still had a good time even with the "commute". Ha!

Fritz took a summer nap under a shady canopy on a sun-warmed towel as the sound of ocean waves swept over his swaddled body. It's a rough life, boy.

I ate the world's most amazing warm, gooey, oatmeal peanut butter dark chocolate chip cookie and never wanted to diet again because just thinking about not eating these every day for the rest of my life made me weep. Just kidding. But seriously, they were crazy good. I will try out the recipe and post about it when the results are in.

David and I took a bike ride to Taco Surf for breakfast burritos on Saturday morning. I fell in love with him all over again as he strapped Fritz into the baby carrier and hopped on his sister's pink Schwinn. He looked so incredibly attractive and manly to me (even in all that pink). Isn't it true that men with babies is like the most appealing thing ever?

And me? I stayed covered up with Fritz under an umbrella, hat and nursing cover and watched the waves. I love my babies but I have to say that I am looking forward to the day that they can play by themselves at the beach (or at least with other kids) so I can read a book or lay in the sun for more than two minutes. Still, can one really complain about a day spent at the beach?