Trip to the Zoo

Thursday we packed a lunch, and spent the day down in San Jose at the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo (I think that's it's name.) Anyway, it wasn't like any zoo I'd been to before. My kids were in heaven! It had rides and parks, animals, and a pirate ship to row. We came home exhausted. Orange Julius and naps for all three of us. Thanks Cassie for the invite! We had a blast!

P.S. We did get an awful reminder of Evan's motion sickness gene inherited from his dad. One of the parks had a saucer for the kids to lay in and spin around and around. Evan's poor stomach couldn't handle it! But he toughed it out and in the end was able to enjoy the rest of the day.

SpongeBob
The other night I went into the boys room to check on them before going to bed myself and

found Evan still wide awake! I thought he'd been asleep for hours because it was so silent in there. Usually there's a thud here and there or he'll come out to use the bathroom, or whatnot.

Angela: Evan, what have you been doing in here this whole time?
Evan: I was watching Spongebob in my head. But... I can't hear the sound.

He's so awesome! Right now he can't get enough of good ol' Spongebob Squarepants.

Mini Golf
Evan and Andrew have been working so hard cleaning up toys, and obeying Dave and me to earn a trip to Minigolf. So tonight for FHE we took them. Andrew was only interested in the water and running aimlessly around the courses...(since when did he get comfortable enough to wander?) Evan on the other hand had been watching the US Open with Dave (Yeah Tiger Woods!) so he was all business.

Hubby, Hottie, and Father
Although he's been saying he's 30 for months now, Dave finally turned the big 3-0 this month... pretty hot for a 30 year year old huh? We had a great birthday barbeque with family and tried our hardest to spoil him all day.

I hope Dave knows how much I adore him. He is so patient with me and my many demands. Of the two of us, I am definately the worrier, and stresser. Thank goodness I have his care free attitude to balance me out!

So Dave and I met at BYU-I (back when it was Ricks) at a country dance. We danced, danced some more, and from then on were pretty much inseparable partners. Seven months later we were sealed for eternity. Five and a half years later, we have two kids and are still chasing dreams together. I have to say, not many people can make me blush, smile, and laugh like Dave does. He definately keeps us all laughing, or if not.... squealing and running for safety before bursting into laughter. He's so much fun!! No one will agree with me more than Evan and Andrew. You're such a wonderful father and husband Dave! I love you!

A Great SeasonEvan's first wrestling season ended a couple weeks ago. I promised I'd take some photos and post them so here they are. I'm impressed with how much he learned, but I think he was getting burnt out. The last couple times took some convincing to get him there. We're so proud of him!

Someone's Baby Hungry! Well we survived the 30+ hours in the car together, and had a great time visiting with family at Alan's wedding. Andrew adored his cousin Brenton. "Baby!" He kept saying.

Evan made his grand entrance during the cake cutting. He came hobbling right past the cake table in front of the many cameras with his pants around his ankles yelling, "Mom! Mom!" Apparently he had gone to the restroom by himself and couldn't get his pants back up without help. Sorry Heather and Alan! I bet you didn't expect a streaker at your wedding!

Before and After . . .

We loved Evan's long hair, but he really needed a haircut. He would come in from playing outside all flushed and sweaty. It's just too hot for all that hair!

Doesn't he look handsome! Dave cut it this time. He did a great job.

Fruits of our Labor!
The other day we noticed a few peas growing in our little garden! I picked one and between Evan, Andrew and I, we got the first taste of our hard work. It was so exciting! Evan was very proud of the carrots too! We had them with lunch today. I think I'm hooked, I now like gardening!

I have so much to write about! Bear with me. From snow in Utah to the beaches of California, surprise weddings and projects, projects, projects!

I made a quick trip to Utah the end of April, first of May….all by myself. That’s right, it was an almost surreal feeling to not have kids with me, just me and myself. We rented our Lindon house to a cute family from Heber, so I flew out just to get the carpets cleaned, lawn & sprinklers worked on and other misc repairs done before they moved in. It was, well not much fun. I did however enjoy the time I spent with my family and wish I’d had more time to see more family and friends. Dave stayed home with the boys and played the “mother” role. It was so cute! They had a blast, and Dave took such good care of them. I’m grateful for such a wonderful husband.

In August we’ll all be coming back to Utah for Julianne’s wedding! Yeah!! Congratulations Julianne and Nathan!! I can’t find the words to tell you how happy I am for you guys! I also can’t believe you’ll be in D.C. this fall!! Not my sister!!! We’re all moving so far away from each other! I’m sure you’ll have great times out there and can’t wait to hear of the adventures. So hopefully in August I’ll get to see more of everyone I missed and still miss.

Also congratulations to Alan and Heather! Next weekend we’ll be driving to Rexburg for their wedding! It’s fun to already know Heather as opposed to some girl we’ve never met. So well done Alan! I couldn’t be happier for you! I also can’t wait to see everyone else from Dave’s family! The great thing about weddings is they bring everyone together. And it seems like forever since we’ve all been together. I’m so lucky to have great in-laws that I love and adore and can’t wait to see! Cities and Knights anyone???

So on top of the quick trip to Utah, I’ve found myself completely consumed with “projects.” While I was in Utah, I just had to stop at my favorite store in the whole world…. Roberts Craft. (Which, sadly there’s nothing quite like it here in California.) I found myself buying a few (very light) items to bring home and work on, as well as a brain full of ideas. I’ve also been working on organizing our home, trying to find more efficient ways to fit into our little spaces. The toys have been a particular challenge. Any ideas?? So with all I have swimming around in my brain, I’ve decided I want to hone in on my carpentry skills. So with a little of our tax return $$ and a little convincing of my husband, I hope to get a table saw in the near future. That’s right! I know, that may be a surprise for most of you, but I have always enjoyed wood working. I remember even when I was gosh, 10 or 11 making doll furniture from scrap wood in my dad’s work room. I’m amazed to think that he trusted me enough to use his saws and tools like I did, but I also think it was really cool!

We had a great time at the beach this weekend. Be sure to read Dave’s post below. He describes this adventure along with some pretty cute photos. Can you believe I hadn’t seen the ocean until I was 19?! Now I’m lucky enough to live so close to it. Evan and Andrew absolutely adore the sand and the waves. I expected the water to be cold, so I didn’t pack swimsuits. Should have packed swimsuits. I did however, pack a change of clothes.

One last thing, and then I’ll end this saga. At 26 years old, I finally decided to “just do it” and get my ears pierced. Finally!! I’ve wanted to, then not cared to, then wanted to again for so long that it was about time. I realize this might not seem like any big news to most of you. But for me this is huge! I almost feel like a rebel….I can’t believe I did it. And yes, those of you who know me well won’t be surprised to hear I got a little light headed over the whole ordeal. It wasn’t the blood, but just the thought of having a foreign object lodged in my body and an open wound that I needed to care for over the next 6 weeks that still makes me woozy. Okay, it’s not that bad. And I’m really happy that I did it.
So that’s that. I had a wonderful Mothers’ Day where I was completely spoiled. And I have wonderful mothers surrounding me for examples of what I can strive for. I’m the luckiest girl in the world!

This is my first Post to this Blog. It is called “Our Family” blog, but it is really Angela’s baby. C’mon, you don’t think I put the template together? My template would be more iconic in nature… you know, The B for my RedSox, an A for my Braves, a Jazz emblem for my… well, Jazz (beat the Lakers!). Never the less, I thought amidst the frills, ribbons, and cute anecdotes I might cast my two cents to be scrutinized by whomever may, through a series of randomly linked Blogs, have the unfortunate task of making sense of my word smatterings. Isn’t that the fun part of a Blog? Trying to figure out what is going on in the lives of those we electronically stalk. This way we can skip phone calls, emails, and other more traditional forms of communication all while avoiding the customary exchange of canned pleasantries. Ok, all that stuff aside… Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the beach. We were there with My father, his new wife (and her son Daniel), My Brother his wife and three kids, and Angela, Evan, and Andrew. The ocean here in northern Cali is never more than 60 Degrees and I never go down to the beach intending to get in, but find myself really wanting to take a dip by day’s end. This trip the waves were particularly mild and the boys, Andrew and Even kept venturing out further and further into the surf. Evan went all the way in, and Andrew (holding my hands) was up to his neck, at times, in sub 60 degree water. Uncle Will and Clare are next to us. Clare and Andrew matched bravery as the small swells rushed in. The boys found themselves neck high in more than just water, however. You can’t see his feet, obviously, but Andrew is standing straight up in the hole we dug. Evan was even braver. He is also standing straight up on the hole we dug for him. It was a very tiring/relaxing (interpret that) day. By the end of the day Angela even admitted that on a fourth Thursday of the third even month of a leap year, wearing a wet suit, she might consider having an open-minded discussion, among friends, the possibility of getting in the “frigid” water. She expressed this over-whelming desire of her own volition. This only serves to high-light the obvious glee expressed by the boys while frolicking in the white water of the surf). In the words of Angela’s ultimate hero, Ms. Jane Austin, the day was most agreeable!