Heaven

For our kids, heaven is a day with their Uncle Mikie!!
We meet up with him at the Claremont Farmers Market.

A beautiful day with a beautiful guy.

hugs all around xxxxx

Handsome brothers, cute kids too :)

So everyone got a little piece of heaven. I found mine in a the delightfully sweet, tart, pucker-uppers, a basket full of kumquats!!!

Matt found his in avocado honey, taste like molasses, mmmmmmmmm

Mikie got bella the sweetest gift to date, a poem by this fella with the shaggy flowing mane.

It reads:
It's time to start learning
you're that age now
and every version of you
in the future is
jealous of you right now
you will always want to go back to
this
right now
so enjoy it
smile big
eat lots of cake
and have fun
-the unheard poet

Bella has been asking me if she could be an actor, and when can she be in a play? Think this fall instead of dance we might just have to find a play she can do.

One of Mikie's jobs. It is called the W Hotel. I had never heard of it before him, but I guess it is the place to be or be seen. When we got there, there was the hugest line of young hot girls and guys waiting to be able to go to the club on the roof to swim. I wish so bad I would have taken a picture. It blows my mind how these people were dressed. I can't even begin to describe it, it was like they were all Paris Hilton. Anyway, it was really great when they lifted the rope for us to get in and not them. I felt famous. Silly me.

Mikie then took us to his favorite place to eat, just around the corner from where he works in Hollywood.

Mikie was a great tour guide and took the kids to a place he KNEW they would love.

Right on the money.

Mikie!!! We had a blast with you in your city, thanks for taking the day to be with us. Hope this blog finds you well at your other job which just so happens to be a cruise. Some guys get all the luck :) Love you xo

Our true blues in Claremont

Everyone ran to the waves. Jarom and Bella got in in their clothes. Matt and Orion took a moment to take off their shirts and I plopped right down on that nice hot burning sand - pure bliss.

Take a good look my friends, this was the one and only sunny day at the beach. And to top the sun, we got to hang out with our good friends the Rossells. We hit up another beautiful beach and then Bennett took us to his very favorite place to eat. Dang good if you like REAL Mexican food.

Matt and Bennett

Michelle and I. We hung out till the sun went down and we could barely keep our eyes open.

Bennett took over bedtime stories

And Flo took us all under her cute spell.

We had so much fun with you guys, but 24 hours is NOT enough time. Next time we will have to stay 2 nights :)

Disney Day

Ever since we moved to Utah we have made it tradition to go to southern California for Bella's birthday. We all look forward to the beach and sunshine!! The kids really look forward to Disneyland.


Me and my birthday girl

Not the best family photo, but it will have to do since it is the ONLY one.

Boys loving the ride

Us girls too!

I love this picture of Jarom, such a fun kid!

Bella got the royal treatment wherever went. Disneyland is said to be the happiest place on earth, well it's double the happiness if you go for your birthday.

No better way

To start my day than to see these pink bums. So many reasons to love the Race For the Cure!


You can't take your eyes off them can you!

Trying to make our way to the starting line, I think we totally bypassed it along with hundreds of others. Sure is a beautiful start of my day.

Finally on the right street in the sea of people who have all come together. It really is such a magical day. The energy in the air is full of hope and love. It just fills your soul to the brim. You have to click on this picture so you can see all the people filling the whole street as FAR as the eyes can see. It's amazing.

And you see signs like this, that bring tears to my eyes. This one says "twice we walked WITH her, now we walk FOR her". Can't even write it without getting teary eyed. And then you see the guy who shirt says "we stare because we care" and then I get to smile my tears away.

We cheated this year. We took a couple of turns and got ahead of the sea and ended up with all the runners. This of course made Bella run, and boy did she go.

Here comes the boys. It was fun to beat thousands even if it was by cheating. We got to be first in line for our bread and treats. We were having such a great time, even talked about how we should cheat every time, well until Oey can run 3 miles. Bella and Jarom were winning prizes left and right. Bella just had to get her face painted for the second day in a row. I waited with her while Matt took the boys to the last booth to get us all ice cream. Ten minutes later Bella's face is almost finished but Jarom is back saying O is lost. I get a little worried but because I don't see Matt and figure he is on top of it. So as soon as Bella is done we make our way to the ice cream booth. Now remember the sea of people has been filtering in NON-STOP. It is hard to get around. Matt finds me and asks if I have seen Oey. He tells me the last time he saw him is when he put him down right in front of a cooler full of ice cream so he can pick his own out. I mean, picture this place. It is packed. Matt, Jarom and Oey make it to the front of the cooler, whichs means they are probably pushed against it, since everyone wants free ice cream. Matt picked one fat boy up for him and one for me and Oey was GONE!! How in the world did he get out of that crowd and where did he go. This place is huge. It is at an outdoor mall, the Gateway. Now I am a little panicked. Still I was very hopeful and just set off on a mission to find my baby. Matt and I split up. The kids stay with me. I even tried to get them to leave me and look for O too, but they wouldn't. As time ticked on, I could feel I was about to lose it. Ran into Matt again, ten minutes later. Still no O. I asked every booth I could get to. The radio station, hoping maybe they would broadcast it. The information booth, nothing. I, myself was just stuck in this growing crowd and I was inching through slower and slower, while my mind was just racing. And then when that last blink broke the tears I was holding back and all was lost, stuck in that crowd. I looked up and saw it. I don't know how I did. I'm blind and it was WAY up there ahead of me. I saw a mop of blond hair on a shoulder. I let go of my stroller and left Jarom and Bella. And went pushing through that crowd like no other saying, "That's MINE, that's mine!" I couldn't have been happier to see that face and hold my boy tight. Then some nice women brought me my stroller and the other two kids I had left behind. And then all we had to do was find Matt.

First I had to put this guy in the stroller with another fat boy and take a picture, just for my own peace of mind.

All together again. One happy blessed family.

PTA Carnival

Our school PTA has a carnival every year to earn money for the upcoming school year. My best friend Michelle has been in charge of it for the last few years. Crazy how much work is involved. But she pulled it off again!

Let the fun begin

Our principal was the first one in the dunk tank, a real leader. We also had games, booths, bounce houses and prizes galore.

Matt's sweet loving wife (me) was kind of enough to let him help. His job was actually kind of hard. Right up there with the cotton candy makers. The kids loved dressing up and getting a photo on the spot to take home with them. Thanks honey!! xo

Little walking doll/princesses. They thought they looked pretty pretty:)

O wanted to be Doc Ock. So he got the glasses and I guess the extra arms came out of his nose.

And then he continued to kill me with his messiness.

He had to wear the coat because he whipped off his shirt when he got snow cone juice on it.

Got sweet and juicy with the watermelon. This was ok.

But then he had to go and get cotton candy. Never a stickier mess. He did try and clean it up with another piece of watermelon though. All in all in was a fun blast. But I think I can speak for the whole PTA (all five of us). We are so glad it's done, and let summer begin.

Toot toot

Yes, this is me tooting my own horn!
I did my first half marathon. It was at Thanksgiving Point during their Tulip Festival. It was so beautiful. A lot of it was on the Jordan Parkway trail that follows the river. I even got to run past cows! And that was about the only thing I passed. I swear, it didn't matter how old, young, fat or fit. EVERYONE passed me. I keep thinking. Oh, they will see me towards the end where they run out of steam, and I will pass them. It was my evil plan. It didn't work, except on those two you see in the picture ahead of me.

Bella with the pumpkin princess

Right after I finished the kids had their race. They were way excited!

My winning Photo. After 13.1 miles!!!I had two goals and only met one of them. In the end I averaged 9.19 minute miles. So that was the one goal I wanted under 10 minute miles I missed my other goal by two minutes! But no problem. I'm just so happy I did it and felt so great afterwards. Matt and I have already signed up for another one. He wants to try one and then I can pin down that last goal of mine and make it suffer.

Me and my running kiddos.

Jarom was so pleased. On the way home. He said, "I think it is time to get a picture of me and my medals. I have five now and I think that's when you get a picture."

Rock-a-bye.

Still to this day I hear my mom say to my child or to one of her million grand-kids "do you want to rock-a-bye?" They always do. Works wonder on sleepy cranky kids, and even the mad temper tantrum ones will calm down and enjoy the soft lap of a loving grandma, always gentle and ever so kind. She sings, hums, ask questions and will read books till the stars twinkle and even just stay quiet. These babies, toddlers, big kids will forget their sour moods and laugh, relax and even fall asleep and grandma will just continue to rock-a-bye.

I always rocked my babies to sleep and loved to nurse in the rocking chair. Today my baby (a big toddler) had a meltdown because he woke up, I know, weird. He just woke up crying and I asked him if he wanted a rock-a-bye. He didn't say no, so I picked him up and walked over to my wooden rocker made comfy with throws. We sat in the afternoon sun and rocked away. I noticed my baby's feet were down to my knees and his head curled on my shoulder made for one long baby. Woe is me. Makes me feel like that book. I'll love you forever, my baby you'll be. (Is that the name of it?)



I love you Mom.
And let me just add that you are right about everything:
1-water is the best medicine
2-hiking in skirts can't be beat
3-cracked wheat for breakfast is the breakfast of champions
4-the best new clothes are from thrift stores
5-never miss a sunset
6-count your blessings
7- serving is fun
8-just as fun as giving birth at home
9-to pray always
and the big fat 10- I'm sooooooo sorry I ever called you a big fat stinky elephant (I was like ten, but it haunts me still to this day) . You were right. A hummingbird is you xo
I'm so glad I have a mom whose treasures are rocks, pinecones, journals, scriptures and family.