Chasing Rainbows

Summer to Fall

2011-11-25T21:38:00.001-08:00

I just went through my pictures to find out what we've been up to since summer. Here it is:

-Taylor turned 7 in July

-I completed P90X 9 (although I didn't follow the diet)

-Bren and Neil got married and moved to Bend, OR

-We went to Sun River with Jenny's family to visit the newlyweds

-I got some of my students to run a race with me...They did awesome!

-Peter kayaked Wooly Creek

-Taylor and I had a "Mommy-Daughter" Date

-A new family with five girls moved to the ranch!

-We took a family trip to the redwoods

-Halloween was a success

-Sakari got run over, but she's okay now

-And, it's a beautiful autumn on the ranch

Annika and Lauryn in Sun River

Together we took 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th at the Golden Bear Run

We went to the Wild Cat park, shopping in Grant's Pass, out to lunch, and to the Oregon Caves

I just got a new camera for my birthday, so I hope that means that I'll be taking and posting more pictures.

2011-09-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've been awful at this thing called blogging. I'll make my excuses later. For now, let's see if these pictures will upload.

Lauryn's fourth birthday was on a rainy weekend and only one friend was able to join us. We ate dirt cake and planted flowers.

Lauryn and Oliver, who graduated from preschool and is now a kindergartner at Junction.

The spread for Bren's wedding shower.

The ceremony venue for Bren's wedding.

I'm Back!

2011-06-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy spring! But summer is finally here and now I just might have some time to get caught up on the blog before school starts again in August. First I need to figure out how to connect my camera to this computer... Here's one picture from our jazz concert night. Tina, our conductor, made the dresses for the girls. I'm wearing my granny's hat and my great grandmother's beaded sweater. Besides band concerts, we've had lots of field trips, River Olympics, bridal showers, graduation, and weddings to get ready for and attend.

Fall and Winter

2011-02-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

We threw together these costumes for Halloween in about ten minutes with Heidi's help. Taylor was Little Red Riding Hood, and Lauryn was a pumpkin.

We had three litters of puppies at the ranch this fall. The dad was a stray dog from somewhere down the road. I'm happy to report that both of our dogs are fixed now and we'll have no more puppies. Peter and I found it difficult to get into the Christmas Spirit this year, so our Christmas Tree hunting was left up to Taylor and me. We hiked up to the shooting range, cut this cute tree down, carried it home, and decorated it one afternoon. We had some beautiful weather in January. One afternoon we took a hike up Clear Creek. This is at the 10-mile bridge.

Confessions of a New Twilight Saga Addict

2011-01-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've spent the last three weeks of my life engrossed in the four books of the Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer, like it was a true addiction; even now I'm feeling withdrawals. I was hesitant to read these books in the past for the following reasons:

1. Vampires? Really? I'll stick with my realistic fiction, thanks.
2. 500 plus pages per book? That will take me forever...
3. What's all the hype about? If I read them will I become obsessed too?

I started Twilight the day after Christmas and ignored my family and all responsibilities during that last week of vacation as I finished it and New Moon. Knowing that I was choosing to read over all other activities, I started to feel a little guilty. I would even sneak in a few minutes here and there, and if Peter came into the room, I'd hide the book, not wanting to see him roll his eyes at me again. Once he realized I was in it for the long haul and that the books seemed to be good for our love life, he didn't bug me about it anymore. In fact, he picked up Twilight and read it in a few days, both of us becoming sub-par parents.

Once school started again, I was eager and motivated to get all of my "chores" done as soon as I got home, so that, at 7:00PM, after putting the girls to bed, I could sit on the couch and read until 11PM, or whenever I started feeling guilty for staying up so late. I continued to neglect other things in my life; our band music arrived and I didn't practice my flute, I missed two weeks of volleyball because I wanted to finish Eclipse and then Breaking Dawn. I didn't allow myself to feel too bad about it, after all, I was enjoying my new routine too much.

Now that I'm done with the books and I've seen all three movies, I'm feeling a bit lost. I find that I'm not motivated to do any chores, and I spend lots of wasteful time on the internet or daydreaming about being a vampire. Last night, not finding anything to satisfy my mind, I picked up Breaking Dawn and reread the last chapter. Is this what it feels like to have an addiction? It does make me feel better to know that I'm not alone. There is quite a fan club out there for these books and for good reason. If you haven't read them yet, you should. Just beware that you will most likely leave your "real world" for a time, and you might have difficulty readjusting once you're through.

I Got a Job...

2010-12-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

...and my blog has suffered the consequences. My teaching job was only three half days at first. Then it became five half days, and on the 24th of January it will be full-time. I'm very glad about it and I'm hoping that I will still be able to keep up with things at home. Here's a smattering of pictures since September:The first day of School for Taylor and me. I'm teaching the upper-grade class at Taylor's school, six miles down the road.A week after school started, Peter and I took the opportunity of a quiet weekend to get away. We left the girls with Heidi and Doug and camped at the mouth of, the appropriately named, Rock Creek. The next day we hiked up the creek for a few miles. We didn't get as far as we had hoped but were happy to make it to this beautiful pool:Lauryn ready for her first day of preschool. She attends the Head Start in Orleans three days a week and loves it.

Late in September, Jenny and James and their two adorable kids, Leo and Annika, came for a visit. This year the weather cooperated and we were able to go rafting.James and I kayaked. Despite the nice weather, it was very cold.

Summer Time...and the living is Easy

2010-08-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that summer is coming to an end! School starts tomorrow for Taylor and me--I got a part-time teaching job at Taylor's school--and next week Lauryn will start preschool. Here are some pictures of our summer, which passed all too quickly. The girls at a birthday party.

My summer crafts: making lavender wreaths, wands, and saches.

The girls and I spent nearly every afternoon swimming. We'd go to the pool, pond, or a nearby creek or river.

The Fair! Why is it so much fun to see your children experience the things you loved as a kid?

A ride I've always wanted to try but never have. Taylor loved it.

Finally, a day on the river! We were so busy with guests this year that Lauryn and I didn't raft much.

Peter, teaching Taylor the art of rock-jumping.

Taylor going solo.

June and July

2010-08-01T21:47:00.001-07:00

Having uploaded all of these pictures and more on Facebook, I didn't realize how behind I was on my blog. Once again I need to catch up.
Bear LakeIn June the girls and I tagged along with my parents and their friend Andy on a hike to Bear Lake in the Siskiyou Wilderness. It was a 6-mile hike, round-trip. We hit some snow which made our decent to the lake and climb from the lake challenging. It turned out to be an overcast and cool day with patchy sun. My Mom and girls are trying to soak up the warmth while they can.We had fun fishing, catching a fish with every cast. Lauryn got to reel this one in. Her first fish!At this point in the hike, Taylor was saying, "I never ever ever EVER want to do this again." Then she made it to the saddle and sat down on a pointy stick which went through her pants and poked a deep hole in the back of her thigh. We were glad Cathy had a first-aid kit. Taylor now has a scar that will remind her of this day.Bren Visits
Bren came to the ranch for a few days and we had so much fun. I hadn't laughed that much in a while. I took a boat down the class II section with Bren and two MMR staff. Taylor and Lauryn got to go on Peter's boat.Lauryn, enjoying a cold drink at the take out.Trinidad 2010
Our annual trip to Trinidad was a bit different this year. Peter only made it for one day (He was busy with Ranch work), and the girls and I stayed in a tent next to Mom and Dad's cabin. The weather was also unusually sunny, warm, and windy. This meant awful fishing but lots of beach days. We celebrated Taylor's sixth birthday at Bren and Neil's place in McKinleyville with a BBQ, cake, and presents. Bren and Laura made this delicious cake.Taylor had many requests for this birthday cake and Bren did a great job meeting them. She even made pink whipped cream. Yum!This gift was the biggest hit, even with the adults. The morning of our boat ride was foggy, but it was still beautiful and fun. We got to see seals, all kinds of birds, and an otter.We hiked Trinidad Head and this time we made Lauryn walk the whole way. She did a great job. Later in the week I ran these same trails and counted over 20 bunnies!

The top was really windy. My cousin's son, Josh, looked like an inflated wind-man you see at car dealerships.

Taylor, sporting her new sunglasses.

Watching our fireworks on the beach, a new tradition started last year. Happy 4th of July!

More of May

2010-06-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Wildlife Images came down from Cave Junction for the Watershed Ed. Fair at Taylor's school. It was pretty impressive when the presenter took the Bald Eagle out of its box. We see these birds all the time around here, but they're always very impressive close up. We went to the coast and discovered Bounce-A-Palooza in the Eureka Mall. It's similar to Pump it Up except that it's always open to drop-ins. Taylor and Lauryn loved it...and we loved that they slept the whole way home.

After giving Lauryn a cute haircut, she decided to take the scissors to her own hair and did this:

She was pretty embarrassed about it, and we had to wait until she fell asleep to take a picture. Fortunately the way her hair parts naturally covers it up.
Taylor's school came to the ranch for a field trip and they released the trout they had raised into the pond.

Trip to Oregon

2010-05-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

At the end of April and beginning of May, my mom and dad drove the girls and me up to see our friends in Philomath, Oregon. Our big outing was taking the kids to the Gilbert House Museum in Salem, where they got to play, play, play. Most of my pictures didn't turn out. Here's Taylor checking out at the "grocery store."Leo, Taylor, Lauryn, and AnnikaBesides the three houses with many fun rooms, they had a great playground area outside.The next day, we left the kids with the grandpas and had a girls outing. We decided to have lunch somewhere the men wouldn't appreciate...

so we went to tea and had cucumber sandwiches and scones with lemon curd. Yum! Karen, Barbie, Cathy, and Jenny

Jenny and James's house was very clean when we showed up. Within ten minutes Lauryn had all the toys out and on the floor. She especially liked this play kitchen area. In this picture she's making "breakfast" for Annika.

Tater, this awesome family dog, adopted Jenny and James a few years ago when he jumped into the back of their truck and wouldn't leave. He's huge and energetic but very gentle with the kids.
There were pheasants all over around their house. What beautiful birds! We enjoyed seeing our friends again and wished we lived closer to each other so that we could get together more often.

Storms and Blessings

2010-05-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we had a crazy wind storm. It had been a little breezy and threatening to rain all day. I was down at Lena's Cabin visiting when the wind began to get stronger and the rain came. She ran outside to move her car from under the tall fir trees by her house. Before she was even back inside, huge limbs fell from the trees. They landed on the porch roof, fell right where her car had been, and destroyed her patio table. From her window, I could see, and hear, trees falling by our house.

Once the wind calmed, we went up to our place to survey the damage. Two big trees fell alongside our road, and one dead tree fell towards our house. It should have hit our house, but for some reason, right before it did, the top broke off and landed about 10 feet to the side.

Peter can touch our roof and the tip of the tree simultaneously. You can see three big chunks of the tree in our driveway. We moved those pieces today and they're very heavy. I'm so thankful they didn't land on our roof.

Nicer Than it Is

2010-05-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I took this picture of our house, tucked away in the trees above the pond. I love it. We had some work done to the pond, and now we have a "beach" area. I'm enjoying our new view. My dad's comment on this picture was, "It makes it look nicer than it is."
Taking time to smell the flowers.

Oops...Anybody want a Kitten?

2010-04-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

If you remember, when we first moved into this house we had a problem with mice. So, we adopted a litter of cats and the mother, giving us a total of seven cats! The mice disappeared and so did four of our kittens; they probably became a meal for another animal. We finally got down to mama cat and two kittens, both boys. Our plans to get the cats fixed didn't happen because we figured there were no "girl" kitties to worry about. Well, certain rules don't apply in the cat world. We noticed a few weeks ago that Lola was looking mighty pregnant. And today we realized that she wasn't fat anymore. The search for her litter wasn't difficult. She had them in the comfy box we had put on our "cat condo" shelf. I wonder how long they have been there; their eyes are already open.

My New Toy

2010-04-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

I just got one of those small flip video cameras from Costco. So I'm playing with it and trying to figure it out. Here is a quick video of today's walk to the river.

White Easter

2010-04-05T15:07:00.001-07:00

We didn't get a white Christmas...but we got a white Easter. We spent the second half of Easter Sunday up at my parents and finally got to do some sledding.

Aunt Bren and the girls dressed for snow.

Lauryn counting her loot from the indoor egg hunt.

Ready...Set...Go! Grandma, Grandpa, and Bren braved the cold and took the girls out to play. I came out in time to take some more pictures.

Lauryn wore her new pink bunny stuffed in her snowsuit the whole time.

Happy Birthday Lauryn!

2010-03-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

It's Lauryn's birthday today, but we celebrated it on Saturday. It was a beautiful day which allowed us to have the party outside. Lunch was fruit salad and quesadillas. Our activities included painting ladybug rocks, making spring pictures with puffy stickers and markers, and playing pin-the-dot on the ladybug. The kids also spent time playing on the play structure in front of Doug and Heidi's house. Thanks to all who helped make it a successful day.

Birthday Girl

Lauryn Funnies

2010-03-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm glad Lottie is such a gentle dog. Lauryn climbs all over her and calls her "baby".

A few nights ago we were having dinner with Peter's parents and Lauryn ate all her vegetables. When she told Grandma Heidi of her accomplishment, Heidi said, "Woohoo!" To which Lauryn replied, "Me".

Taylor and Lauryn's primary teacher got all the kids CTR bracelets. Lauryn was playing with hers the other day and asked, "Mommy, what does this says?" I said, "Choose the right." Without skipping a beat she said, "Oh, I want it to say choose the wrong."

Last night Lauryn and I were reading a book and she sneezed, then said, "Uh oh, I bless-youed on the book." She keeps us smiling.

Nature Hike

2010-03-08T22:07:00.001-08:00

Last Friday I hiked up Wooley Creek with two friends. It was a beautiful day and the wildflowers were in bloom.

I loved the Fawn Lillies.

The trail begins with one, long, steep switchback and then levels off. Here's a downstream view of the Salmon River from the top of the climb.

After our hike we drove up the Salmon River Road to check out the latest slide. We couldn't get too close and my camera has a lousy zoom. The slide took out part of the road and made it all the way down to the river. Can you see it?

Is that is Hot?

2010-02-26T17:41:00.000-08:00

Being a typical three-year old (her 3rd birthday is in a few weeks) Lauryn asks a lot of questions, and sometimes she has a very cute way of doing so. The title of this post is what she asked me while I was getting her bath ready. I tried to get her to say, "Is that hot?" but instead got, "Is this is hot?" Other questions we hear all the time: "Is that is yours?" and "Is this is mine?"

February Flash

2010-02-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't do so hot blogging in February. It seems like this month flew by and the memory of it is a blur. I know I had a few weeks of intense physical activity and many days stuck inside because of the rain. I ran a race and wrote about it on my running blog. I attended some yoga classes, got a massage, went on a beautiful bike ride up the Salmon River, and enjoyed the breaks in the rain by working outside a lot.
Last weekend Peter and I saw ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) in Arcata. I'm surprised at how many of my friends have never heard of ALO because they're such a great band. We saw them a couple of years ago while visiting Evan and Amy in Kings Beach and jumped at the opportunity to see them again. If you ever get the chance to see them in concert, I recommend it. This time, their opening act was a guy named Chris Velan. He was a one-man band, using a loop machine to layer tracks. It was the same loop machine Peter bought himself for Christmas. (I also found out that Velan went to law school and passed the bar.) We bought his new CD and are pleased with the purchase. Here's a video of Chris Velan doing his thing.
We got back from our night away, feeling tired yet refreshed. That evening Peter's dad rolled the backhoe down a cliff and was eventually air-lifted out to a hospital in Medford. He's home now and very sore, but he's also feeling lucky to have come out of the accident as well as he did. With Doug disabled, the bazillion things we wanted to do before the fast-approaching season seem to have doubled. We need another break in the rain to motivate us outdoors and back to work.

January Jumble

2010-01-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

Whew! It has been a while since my last blog entry. I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog to something more appropriate. After all, the metropolis in our lives has been gone for a while and it was short-lived. Any ideas?

Our big adventure so far this month was a trip to Monterey with Heidi. We visited her Aunt Beverly and Uncle Jim, whom I'd never met, and spent a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Heidi and her aunt and uncle. It rained for most of our visit but we were lucky to get a half-day of great weather.Lauryn enjoyed playing in the water.I thought the jelly fish were awesome!I ran a 10K race at Patrick's Point on the coast and was very glad for a break in the weather. There are pictures on my running blog.

Lauryn is learning to ride her bike with training wheels and to chew gum without swallowing it. Our problem now is getting her to spit her gum out and leave it in the trash. At least five times she has gotten gum out of the garbage and started chewing it again. Gross!

Taylor has been moved up with the first grade group at school. She's not officially a first-grader, but she's doing all first grade work and staying till the end of the school day. It has been fun to see her rapid improvement in reading and math as well as her increasing ability to stay focused.

Peter and I are enjoying our weekly volleyball nights and have just started playing with the community band. I feel like I just wrote a Christmas letter for January. Now you know what we're up to and where we've been. Hopefully I'll get more than one blog entry in for February.

2009-12-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 8th Anniversary Peter

Christmas Day

2009-12-28T18:09:00.001-08:00

First we opened presents at our house... Then we went to the Cole's for breakfast and more presents...

Grandma Carolyn Cole and new cousin Eli

And finally to the Garrahan's for Christmas dinner and more gifts.

Bren and I matched in our attire; same brands, same colors. We've got good taste...and a connection at Patagonia.

Let the Framing Begin!

2009-12-28T17:57:00.000-08:00

Sticking to Cole tradition, "When company comes...put them to work." Thanks Uncle Greg for all of your hard work.

And then there was a wall! The new large room under our house will be the laundry room, freezer room, work out room, craft room, mud room, music room...ha ha. The possibilities are endless. Now, how long until it's complete? I'm hoping the other Cole tradition of unfinished projects will not apply here.

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-17T22:25:00.000-08:00

Heidi wanted to make gingerbread houses with the girls, thinking it would be a fun activity and allow them to get creative. Once they realized that we weren't going to let them eat all the candy decorations they lost interest, leaving me the task of decorating a gingerbread house that would not disappoint. I had fun and with Heidi's help was able to create this:

Unfortunately it is not so pretty now. Peter has picked at it and eaten almost everything colorful that is not stuck too hard in the white, sugar "glue".

School Holiday Program

2009-12-17T21:53:00.001-08:00

Taylor got to be a butterfly in the school play, a Mexican folklore tale. She did not have any speaking parts but needed to know where to move and when. Flying through the river.
Singing

Dancing with Rose.

I like this picture because it's of all the students, and it's candid. They hadn't practiced this song very much and it was in Spanish. They couldn't get the second line right during practice and so the teacher wrote out the lyrics on posterboard. Here they are trying to sing and read unfamiliar Spanish at the same time. Click on the picture for a closer look at their faces.

Christmas Tree Hunting

2009-12-05T22:31:00.001-08:00

We got our Christmas tree on Friday. We drove up to the snow, found a somewhat sad tree with a nice top,sawed it down,

played in the snow and got cold,

went to our friends' house, gave the girls a warm bath and had dinner.

When we got home we realized that the tree was way too big so we had to cut off more of the bottom. Monday we decorated it in about 10 mins and...viola!
Merry Christmas!

Truckee Thanksgiving Vacation

2009-11-29T20:51:00.001-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year my parents rented a cabin in Truckee, close to my brother's. This is how we spent our vacation:
cooking,
reading,

eating,

playing music,entertaining the wildlife,

clelbrating my birthday,

reading more,

sledding,

and taking family photos.

We also played Cranium and other games, went on a run, and watched football on TV. It finally snowed on our last day there (as you can see from the sledding pictures there wasn't much to play in).

City Mouse/Country Mouse

2009-11-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

I went down to San Leandro a few weeks ago to tie up some loose ends and see friends. I took both girls with me. Taylor missed reading the country mouse and the city mouse story at school but we discussed the theme of the book throughout our trip. It was great to see so many friends, but I was reminded of how much I fear traffic. We mostly visited with our friends, the Potters, who just had a new addition to their family. Taylor loved holding baby Norah.

Mia and Lauryn picked up right where they left off.

This was a great half-way point where we stopped both on the way there and back. The Whiskeytown Lake Visitor's Center has clean bathrooms, trash cans, animal fur and skeletons that kids can touch, and it's a nice place to eat lunch. This picture was taken on our way home and it's honestly the best one I have despite Taylor's tongue. She's wearing her new boots which are already falling apart. Cheap shoes don't last!

Trick-or-Treat

2009-11-01T21:09:00.001-08:00

For round two of Halloween Taylor was a princess, dressed in a hodge- podge of "fancy" clothes from around the house, including my homecoming tiara which loses a piece every time the girls play with it. Peter's favorite part of her outfit were her princess crocs. Lauryn got to wear the witch hat and didn't have to deal with any face paint. We went trick-or-treating with some friends who showed us where to go. The girls had a lot of fun. Lauryn, Rose, and Taylor

This was before we left. Taylor made a goofy face but it's the only picture that didn't have lighting issues so I'm posting it. I think Lauryn is the cutest witch. It was fun to watch her experience her first real Halloween.

Halloween Carnival

2009-10-30T22:41:00.001-07:00

Junction Elementary's biggest fund raiser is the Halloween carnival and raffle. Here are some pictures of the big event. Taylor just won a cake at the cake walk and she's choosing a cake. The "cake" I made (brownies with orange-colored mint frosting) looked so bad that it was the very last one on the table.

This one makes me laugh because even though it's a bad picture of Peter, his half-opened eyes fit the costume.

We were late for the carnival and Peter and I were supposed to be at two separate booths. I threw on some clothes I don't usually wear and didn't look in the mirror. I left the face-painting up to the face-painting booth and was pleased with Lauryn's face. I didn't get around to making cat ears for her headband but they took care of that for me by putting the ears on her forehead.

Oh boy! Taylor just won a gold fish...and now it's floating in a big mason jar on top of the fridge. If it survives that we'll put it in the pond someday.

Row Row Row Your Boat

2009-10-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Our friend Jeanne sent her dad and his bride up here for a fishing trip. Peter took them out on the river one day and they went with Doug the next. I can't figure out how to upload video on facebook so I'm posting it here. It's cute. It's amazing to me how busy the fishing season has been. Both Doug and Peter have been on the river for the last week straight.

Company

2009-10-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm glad my mom takes pictures or I'd have nothing for my blogs. I just posted more pictures on my running blog.

Bren and Neil came up to Mom and Dad's for a weekend and the four of them came down to check out our new place and go for a hike. Cypress, the girl next to Bren, lives just across the highway from us with her fiance. She and Bren have been friends for about four years, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with her.Neil carried Lauryn in the backpack on the hike. Instead of falling asleep like I'd hoped, she kept talking and talking. Neil answered all of her questions and kept her entertained.

Our kittens are getting bigger.

This cat looked so relaxed until I took it's picture. The camera flash seemed to shoot it into the air.

Tay: My Nickname Delima

2009-10-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Everybody at Taylor's school, including her teachers, call her Tay. I'm not sure why it bothers me. Maybe it's because a second grade student started it; it would be different if it were a nickname that we started at home. I can't figure out if it bothers Taylor or not. I'll ask her about it and one day she says she likes it and another day she says she doesn't. I realize that if I don't say something to stop it, she will be Tay for at least the rest of her education in this area, which may last through high school. Neither Peter nor I had nicknames so this is unfamiliar territory. Any suggestions or insights?

Odds and Ends

2009-10-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

We went out to the coast again last weekend for Peter to take the CBEST test so that he can be a substitute teacher. From attorney to sub...that's funny. It was another beautiful day. Our friend Zan watched the girls while I did my run on a trail along the coastline. Then we took the kids to the park to play. This is the only good picture I got but I thought it was cute. This picture makes our deck look dirty, but I wanted to show the "cat condo" that we constructed for our kittens. It's basically a big shelf with a carpeted two-by-four that they climb up and down.

Harvesting pumpkins is fun...

or miserable?

Taylor and I were out on the deck today reading when we witnessed a new friendship forming between Sakari, our dog, and Trinity, my favorite of our five kittens. They played together for quite a while:

Got (Goat's) Milk?

2009-10-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

Taylor's school has been doing a unit on farms and has taken a fieldtrip every week to a new farm. Peter and I have chaperoned the last two and it has been neat to see other farms in the area. Today we got to feed, and pet goats. Then we got to taste fresh goat's milk and make goat cheese. A lot of the kids liked the milk. I watched Taylor's face to see if she'd like it too. After a sip her face got really concerned as if to say, "Do I have to drink all of this?" She then offered me the cup and I knew she didn't care for it. (I was glad she didn't gag or spit it out or say something rude.) Lauryn and I had a taste. I agreed with Taylor but Lauryn loved it. "Dis is willwe yummy!" she exclaimed and then she downed it, barely coming up for air. I asked Peter if she'd eaten lunch because she seemed so ravenous about the milk. She had. She wasn't so crazy about the cheese however. It came right back out of her mouth and I had to take her outside before she spit it on the floor.

Our New Home

2009-09-30T21:44:00.001-07:00

We're finally mostly moved into our new home, the largest "cabin" on the ranch.
We plan to make the gazebo a play room for the girls and to transform the downstairs storage area into a laundry room/utility room.

The main living space is the living room and eat-in kitchen.

Two views of the girls' bedroom.

Our bedroom and computer desk.

This picture is taken from the opposite corner. You can see into our bathroom and out to the kitchen.

We've successfully adopted the two ranch "puppies". They are sisters and couldn't be more different in personality.
Lottie (above) is LAZY and has floppy ears. Sakari /sa kar' ee/ (below) is our guard dog; her ears are always sticking straight up. They are both very sweet dogs and good with the kids and cats.

Mouse Patrol

2009-09-18T21:45:00.001-07:00

After catching two mice on our second night in our new home, we asked Peter's mom about cats we could adopt and relocate to our place. That same day, Peter found a whole litter of kittens in the lavender shop. We've adopted all five and their mother (for the time being). They're cute but they all look the same. Blackish brown and fuzzy with blue-grey eyes. They're very friendly now and have taken over the gazebo outside which will eventually be fixed up as the girls' play house.

Anyone want a free kitten?

Family Vacation on a Budget

2009-09-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

My long-time childhood friend, Jenny, and her family came to visit us for a few days. They live near Corvallis, OR; it was a long drive and I'm glad they made the trip. There were no guests here, and Doug, Heidi, and Cierra took a road trip; therefore, we had the ranch to ourselves. They had a mini vacation, staying in the cabin next to ours and doing many of the activities we do with our guests. The weather was cold on the day we planned to raft so instead we rode the pony, played on the zip line, fished in the pond, and made apple cider. The next day we watched the Bigfoot Days Parade and had lunch at my parent's house. I'm hoping Jenny will send me some of her pictures since I only caught the horse ride. Leo and Taylor brushing Domino.

James and Leo.

It was fun to see Annika wearing lots of hand-me-downs from Taylor and Lauryn.

A highlight for me was taking a hike with Jenny on one of the trails that leaves the ranch. We took Lauryn and Annika in packs on our backs. At one point we had to make our way precariously across a creek. It reminded me of a photo we have of Jenny's mom, taken by my mom: Barbie is hiking near a creek with Jenny in a pack on her back. I'm sure my mom was giving me a ride too. Would anyone else like to come for a budget vacation? Although James offered to help us finish the Laundry room, we didn't make him work that hard (besides moving some big pieces of furniture and pressing eight jugs of apple cider).

First Day of School

2009-09-18T16:27:00.001-07:00

Taylor's first three days of school were outside at a nearby camp ground where they did outdoor and watershed ed.

Some new friends. The girl on the left is the only 2nd grade girl. She is the one who painted Taylor's nails on the bus while traveling to outdoor school. The girl on the right, Rose, is the only other kindergarten girl. She has a sister Lauryn's age and a mom who has a lot in common with me. Yay for new friends!

They could be related. Lauryn and Ruby, Rose's little sister, got to eat snacks, play in the dirt, and ride around in matching backpacks at outdoor school.

Junction Elementary school currently has 22 students K-8 and one teacher. Fortunately for Taylor, most of the kids are in kindergarten and first grade.

Running Blog

2009-09-18T16:14:00.001-07:00

So I've just created another blog. I have a lot of time to think while I'm running and often times I'll think about blogging and then I end up blogging about running which I'm pretty sure doesn't interest lots of people. My solution is to have a separate blog about running and my experiences related to the sport. You can check it out at www.wildrunnergirl.blogspot.com

Rafting

2009-08-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got to join our guests on the class II float trip on the river. My kids looked so cute in their river attire that I took way too many pictures. Our hats are all buried in a box so Lauryn got to wear this hat of Cierra's. It was the smallest I could find.

Taylor with her current friend, Rebekkah from Germany and Spain.

Lauryn loved the water and was not afraid of swimming in the river as long as Mom or Dad was holding onto her.

The girl on the lap is Caroline, Taylor and Lauryn's cousin.

Lauryn is trying to ignore me in this picture because she wants to put the rock in her mouth and I won't let her.

Grandma Heidi and Lauryn in Rock Creek at our lunch stop.

Yay for rapids!

Ranch Photos

2009-08-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Taylor is enjoying ranch life. She gets a new friend every week that we get new guests, and she has gotten to join in on the horse riding.Without Taylor around to entertain Lauryn, I have become Lauryn's best friend. Here are some pictures from a walk around the ranch and the zip line.

It was rainy and cold the first week we were here. It's hot again now.

Flat Butt, Big Belly

2009-08-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel after our 9+ hour drive on Friday and our 5 hour drive yesterday; we have another 5+ hours to go today. I've been eating granola bars, preztle sticks, and donuts. Ugh!

Now I know that all of our belongings can fit into a 17 ft uhaul, a 24 ft uhaul, and a pick up truck. Goodbye San Leandro! We're offically out of the Bay Area now.

My Highway

2009-08-04T13:57:00.001-07:00

This is my new running ground. I leave the ranch driveway and turn left or right for a jog on Highway 96. On Saturday I ran for 12 miles and saw three cars, three deer, one piece of litter and one osprey. I can think of worse places to run.

More Goodbyes

2009-07-30T21:30:00.001-07:00

Our next door neighbor, Ms. Dorothy, runs a day care, and she hosted a goodbye party for the girls today. The kids ate pizza, cake, and ice cream and then played for an hour while I got some cleaning done. We're going to miss the kids next door. Taylor asked me, "Can I go over to the day care?" so often that it was probably one of Lauryn's first long sentences. At least once a week the girls would hop the fence to play--with Ms. Dorothy's and Mom's approval of course.

Bed Head

2009-07-30T21:24:00.001-07:00

I'm grateful for detangling spray.

Goodbyes

2009-07-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

We had a park picnic play day Wednesday to say goodbye to Easton, Sabina and their mom Lisa. Good friends! We all enjoyed some of Peter's homemade fig roll ups.

Easton and Taylor were preschool buds.

Running Lake Chabot

2009-07-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

One thing that I may miss above all else about this place is Lake Chabot. One friend told me there are over 700 miles of trails around the lake and on into other regional parks. One of my favorite runs was simply around the lake but I never got to share the whole 10-mile loop with anyone. Here are some of my favorite parts of the loop as well as a video of my favorite single-track section. I always thought it would be cool to make a video of this but now I include it as comic relief. It's sort of like that movie Blair Witch Project; shaky and confusing.

On clear days you can see San Francisco glistening in the distance from this vista.

This lake has lots of fingers so before you can get to that side of the lake...

...you must run around this section.

It's ironic that here, in the city, there are awesome trails to run but in the mountains where I'm going I will be running mostly on the highway.

Half Moon Bay

2009-07-24T21:28:00.001-07:00

Off to Half Moon Bay! But first...

Gotta change the flat.It was foggy but not too cold. The kids had fun playing in the sand, and I ejoyed the peaceful sound of the waves. That's Bren in the picture with Lauryn, not me. She came down for two days which was awesome.

Jill and her daughters.

Afterwards we walked down town and had ice cream cones. I nabbed these pictures from Bren's facebook:

Interesting Data

2009-07-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with an institution that does not recognize my new address in Somes Bar. I think that happens a lot so I will probably need to get a P.O. Box at the store. While I was looking for the post office I came across this site with info about Somes Bar. I keep saying the population is 600 but according to this site it's 197!

Bye Bye Bunk Beds

2009-07-18T14:29:00.001-07:00

We gave our bunk beds and dresser away yesterday to a family in need. This is how the girls slept last night.Our house was on the market 8 days before we got an offer for our asking price. We're in escrow now and hoping that all goes as planned. Peter took our first big load up today and will work at the ranch for a few weeks before coming back down for the final move.

What Happens...

2009-07-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

...when you leave Lauryn alone to eat a hard-boiled egg. Peter and I were downstairs when I heard a pounding noise in the dining room. I came up to find Lauryn smashing her yoke with her palms. Are you familiar with the game Mole? It was like that. Later Peter told me that Lauryn never eats the yoke, just the whites. I wish I would have known that sooner.

Farewell Potluck

2009-07-18T13:51:00.001-07:00

Three families, including ours, are moving out of our ward at the same time. We had a farewell potluck at our place last week. Peter spent his time chasing kids out of the garden while I visited. I will miss this ward. I put more pictures on facebook.

Telesia and Jill hanging in the hammocks Mia, one of Taylor and Lauryn's favorite playmates, and her mom Lisa, one of my best pals.

Beating the Heat

2009-07-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

It has been so hot here lately. A few days ago we went over to the Potter's house to jump on their trampoline in the sprinkler. Taylor and Mia thought it was awesome; Lauryn stuck to the wading pool.

Jelly Belly Birthday Beauty

2009-07-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after a morning run and Peter's morning basketball, we got the house ready for an open house and headed to Woodland to celebrate Grandma Carolyn's birthday at Vince's Mexican Restaurant. On the way we stopped at the Jelly Belly Factory. We waited in line and everything seemed fine. Then...we had to wear hats to go on the tour. Lauryn completely refused and couldn't be bribed. So she and Peter waited outside while Taylor and I went through the tour. Afterwards...

Then we visited with the Ochoa family and checked out their new, awesome house before going to Vince's.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

On the way home we saw an amazing double rainbow.

Don't worry about Lauryn, she has fully recovered.

The Good Life

2009-07-12T16:45:00.001-07:00

When Peter quit his job, we decided that we wouldn't spend any more money on food and just live off our garden, food storage, and chicken eggs. I was not looking forward to eating. However, we've been eating better than normal around here. This was Friday's dinner: Cucumber and tomato salad,
salmon burgers and grilled zucchini

enjoyed outside on the patio.

I Think I Can

2009-07-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

Taylor learned how to ride her bike yesterday. Peter is a good teacher. We went back to the school playground again today to practice and this time I brought the camera. The best part of this video is at the end when you can hear Taylor chanting "I think I can. I think I can."

Replacing Pebbles

2009-07-07T21:29:00.001-07:00

This is our newest chicken. Peter says he wasn't planning on getting another chicken to replace Pebbles until he saw this beauty. She has grown up free-roaming and so when Peter was feeding her yesterday she escaped the coop and our yard. She flew right over the fence. Once I got into the neighbor's yard, she flew over another fence. After meeting more of our neighbors and explaining our predicament (which they found amusing) we finally caught her and clipped her wings right away. This was after the chase and wing-clipping. I think she was exhausted because she stood on Peter's skateboard for a long time.
I love the color of her feathers. She just started to lay eggs, they are off-white.

On the Market

2009-07-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

Facing Reality: We can afford to be here only a couple more months...without buying food (yay for food storage, chicken eggs, and our garden). Law firms in the area have laid off many employees. The chances of Peter finding a job that will allow us to keep the house is slim. So, our house has a big FOR SALE sign and is officially on the market. You can check out pictures on our realtor's' website. We're 670 Sybil.

Cock-a-Doodle-Do

2009-07-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

While the girls and I were in Trinidad, Peter stayed home to do some projects that we had materials for but hadn't gotten to because we didn't have time. One morning he called me around 8AM; I was still in bed. "I've been up since 6:30," he said, which isn't normal Peter behavior. Turns out, around 6AM he was having a dream in which someone kept making this awful noise. When he finally woke up he realized that Pebbles, our youngest chicken, was welcoming the morning as only a rooster can do. He took Pebbles back that day and got another hen--which I think is completely crazy considering our situation at the moment. We were very suspicious of Pebbles' rooster tail and strut. She--er He never got along with the other chickens so it's kind of a relief.

Trinidad Vacation

2009-07-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

We have spent the last ten days on a much-needed family vacation in Trinidad, CA. Karen's family gets together there every year to go fishing and relax. Here is an overload of pictures. I'm missing pictures of our boat ride, but I'll get those from Mom later. Taylor making a necklace at the bead store.
The first five days were beautiful and warm. Lauryn loved the beach.

Taylor and cousin Josh

Peter came up on Taylor's birthday to spend the last part of the week with us. Here he is adorned with "Pretty Pretty Princess" accessories.

Happy 5th birthday Taylor! Bren made the carrot cake.

The Birthday Girl

4th of July on the Arcata plaza

Daddy shows how it's done.

Poor parenting moment.

Listening to the live music.

Fireworks on Trinidad Sate Beach

Taylor and Lauryn sporting their matching Patagonia jackets from Amy.

Auntie Bren and Lauryn

Lauren, Laura, Bren Laurel, and Lauryn

Peter put on a nice fireworks display for our group. We also enjoyed watching the fireworks of other families on the beach, especially the illegal ones.

Taylor was Daddy's helper.

The Honeymoon is Over

2009-06-23T06:17:00.001-07:00

Peter decided to call it quits last night. Apparently the people he was working for didn't want him there anymore which made him not want to be there so it's a win/win situation...All joking aside, does anyone know anyone looking to hire an intelligent, talented, eloquent, charismatic, hard-working, first-year attorney with family values? The honeymoon may be over for Peter but I'm not ready to leave this place.

This Can't be Comfortable

2009-06-22T14:19:00.001-07:00

Lately, Lauryn stays awake until she gets into trouble in the early evening and is sent to her room where she falls asleep on the floor or, as in this case, under her bed.

Hooray for Swim Lessons

2009-06-22T14:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Peter

2009-06-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

Peter can no longer make fun of my age since he has now entered his 30s. To celebrate his b-day on Wednesday, we went to see some live music in the city. Trevor Garrod and Big Light played at The Make-Out Room. It was nice to be out together and listening to good music.

Say What?

2009-06-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

I've always said that Peter and I are not "pet" people but now we have four hens and a bunny. We're still getting to know her. She's a 1-year-old, spayed female, cute, soft, and hard to catch. We found her on Craigslist for free. Her name is still somewhat undecided. Taylor says, "Sandy"; Peter says, "Cassidy"; Karen says, "Flopsy"; and Lauryn called her "Bunny Hop" today. What do you say?

The Preschool Graduate

2009-06-15T13:21:00.001-07:00

A Trip to Rockridge

2009-06-15T13:13:00.001-07:00

Mom and Bren were here last Monday on their way to New York. We took the BART to Rockridge and checked out the various shops on College Ave. Mom found her old apartment from when she was in Berkeley. I only have a few pictures from the day.

Lauryn slept from when we got off the BART until we returned to the station to come home. Bren got stuck carrying her the whole time.

Cute Things my Kids have Said Recently

2009-06-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

"The goodest thing you can put on when you're getting ready is a smile." --Taylor, while getting herself dressed for preschool.

Lauryn Language: "My butt sticking up," translation: My underwear is crawling up my bum. Usually caused by it being on backwards. (see previous post)

"My hair sticking up," translation: My hair is in my eyes. Yes, she needs a haircut because she won't keep clips in. I refuse to let my sister to cut it. (see previous post)

"I wanna moon," translation: I want more. Usually said while eating or drinking.

Fairyland

2009-06-09T15:55:00.001-07:00

We went to Fairyland in Oakland on Friday with Taylor's preschool. I found out that Fairyland, which opened in 1950, was the inspiration behind Disneyland. Taylor and Kaia climbing trees before entering the park.
Laruyn showing off her skater stance; or is she catching a wave?

I did it!

Climbing down the pirate ship.

A Dazed Dorothy

The Good Witch

A Merry-Go-Round for little kids. Just not as little as Lauryn. She was bummed to miss out.

Taylor's favorite: The Dragon Slide.

I'm Tired of Being a Grownup

2009-06-09T15:41:00.001-07:00

Taylor has been really helpful around the house lately. It started about a week ago when she took on the role of a second mom to Lauryn, cleaned up the dining room after breakfast and lunch, and put the chickens away, all without being asked. She was of course rewarded with lots of praise and encouragement from her parents. A few days ago I asked her to try to put the chickens away like she did so well before. She was up in her room playing with Laruyn at the time and she responded with a big sigh and said, "Mom...I'm tired of being a grownup." When I told this story to Peter he said, "I'm tired of being a grownup too."

Murphy's Law

2009-06-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

When Taylor was about two, I remember a friend of ours thought it was incredible that she put her shoes on correctly most of the time. He said even though they have a 50% chance of getting it right, most kids get it wrong 90% of the time. Well, Lauryn falls into the "most kids" category. Not only does she get her shoes mixed up, but her underwear, pants, and shirt are usually on backwards...and sometimes inside out. Today was no exception.

Another Napping Moment

2009-05-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

Lauryn showed no interest in napping today and I didn't fight it. In fact I was looking forward to an early bed time. Around 4:30 I realized Lauryn was being really quiet. I was sure she had fallen asleep somewhere but it took me a while to find her. She made herself a "bed" in her closet. She looks cozy but how comfortable can a wood floor really be?

I love the doll blanket pulled over her.

Side note: Apparently she was not very comfortable because she slept for only a half hour. When she got up I noticed that she was sleeping on all kinds of hard objects: books, plastic toys, and a jewelery box and its scattered contents. She was grumpy until bedtime.

What's the Use of a Water Proof Camera...

2009-05-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

...if you forget to bring it rafting? We got to go rafting on the South Fork of the American River on Monday. Evan and Amy and Bren and Neil joined us and the Schmidts and Schulds. It was a great day and I'm bummed I left my camera in the Schuld's driveway before the trip. We took one picture at the end of the day before going our separate ways. Taylor and Lauryn stayed with Carolyn and Dallas in Knights Landing. We dropped them off just after 7AM and picked them up after 8PM. It was a long day for the Great Grands. The girls had a blast and were sad to leave.

Friday

2009-05-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

We had a picture-friendly Friday. It started with a preschool field trip to MOCHA (Museum of Children's Art) in Oakland. We took Bart, did crafts, ate lunch and came home.

At the BART station.

Lauryn joined in the fun at MOCHA.

The kids kept playing in this fountain until someone turned it off.

After some rest at home--Lauryn napped!--we picked up Peter, who got off early, and drove to Joaquin Miller Park above the temple. This time we climbed the many stairs to the Woodminster Amphitheater. It was very scenic and the kids loved being some place new. They also loved the heart-shaped lollipops that Peter brought from work. Later we walked around the temple grounds and checked out the art display at the visitor's center. One of the missionaries there was Brother Mitchell's niece. He was our institute director at HSU and later was our Branch President. He died in a freakish accident at the Jetty in Eureka while we were living there. It was nice to get an update on his wife and youngest daughter.

Lauryn did surprisingly well on the stairs.

Taylor kept squinting so we let her wear Peter's glasses for the picture.

A great way to start the three-day weekend.

The Trouble with "No Naps"

2009-05-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Lauryn is outgrowing her naps. It's a bummer. I've tried lying down with her but I'm the one who falls asleep, and then she gets into trouble. I've tried "locking" her in her room but then she pees or poops in her underwear without fail. I've tried putting her in bed and leaving the door open (just in case she needs to use the potty) but then she does stuff like this:

"I painted my toenails!" she says, trying to convince me that she shouldn't be in trouble. Of course she also painted her legs, feet, the bathroom floor, toilet, wall, and sink.

Here was one of our last successful naps. It was on a super hot day last week. I fell asleep in her bed and this is how I found her when I woke up. Perhaps I should give up and accept the fact that naps are no more. Of course, I can replace naps with an early bed time right?

I do get frustrated with my kids at times but it doesn't last too long because they're so darn cute.

Here's one of Taylor's "school" pictures.

We all Scream for Ice Cream

2009-05-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Doug, Heidi, and Cierra were recently here for a quick visit. Although we had a fun-filled day, the only pictures I have are of us eating ice cream at Tucker's in Alameda. It was delicious.

I Can't Feel My Toes!

2009-05-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

I went to my first spinning class this morning at 6AM. There was a woman sitting in front of me blocking my view of the instructor and my fist thought was, "Oh no, I can't see the instructor." Five minutes into the session my thoughts had changed to, "Oh good, the instructor can't see me." She'd say to "Kick it up," meaning tighten the tension and it took me just a few times to figure out that I didn't have to. Once I faked it, once I loosened it, and most of the time I just pretended like I didn't hear her. Regardless of my slacking, it was a tough workout. The hardest part for me was not knowing if I had 10 minutes left or 45; I wanted to be able to finish the workout. I was very glad to have my friend Jill, an experienced spinner, sitting next to me. She gave me pointers, kept me on track, and even brought me a towel from home to mop up my sweat. By the end of the workout I could no longer feel my toes and Jill said she couldn't feel hers either so I guess that's normal.

Nice Shot

2009-05-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised today to see that my picture from the American River Parkway Half marathon was pretty good. I usually look awful in these pictures; red blotchy face, pained expression, eyes closed, etc. In fact, I've never seen a race picture of me that I liked. This picture was taken near the 10-mile mark and I'm actually smiling.

Click on this link and type my name or my bib number, 350, to see it.

Catching Up

2009-05-09T22:32:00.001-07:00

Once again I've got some catching up to do with the blog. Here are some recent pictures. The first two are from my parents' last visit. We took the ferry over to the city and went to Golden Gate Park and Japan Town. I didn't have my camera but just got these pictures from my mom in the mail.

Lauryn traveled well in the back pack and even got in a nap.

Here is the dresser I scored for the girls at the garage sale. It's funky but it was the right price and delivered right to the room.

Today Taylor's preschool had their annual Arts and Science Fair. I got to spend three hours helping kids play with baking soda and vinegar. Fun. Lauryn enjoyed her short time there. Taylor played for hours with her friends, did every activity, and didn't want to leave when it was time to go home. Here she is getting her face painted.

I got a short hair cut yesterday. Here are some pictures I took myself for all my family who won't see it until it's longer. This is what it looked like today after almost no styling.

This is what it looked like after leaving the salon.

Race Day

2009-05-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got up at 5:30AM and were out the door by 5:45. Our destination: Carmichael, for the American River Parkway Half-Marathon. I ran it last year with Bren and had a great race. I got second place in my age group with a time of 1:47:53.

I knew I wanted to beat my time, and placing in the race would be a bonus. I told Peter, "I don't want to start out too fast and run out of energy at the end." Well...I did start out too fast; my first mile was 7:21 and my second mile was 7:30, by mile 4 I had slowed to an 8 min. mile and I just tried to hang on. By mile 8 I realized that I would most likely beat my time and this motivated me to keep my pace. I ended up with a time of 1:40:27, seven mins and twenty-six seconds faster than last year which put me in 3rd place for my age group. Yay! So, even though I was cold, wet, tired, and sore, I was happy. Did I mention it was raining for more than half the race?

The best part of the day however, was going to Knights Landing and having a Cole Taco Dinner as only Carolyn and Ron can make. Evan happened to be on his way home from Happy Camp and was able to stop by, and Bren and Neil came up for dinner and to visit. These aren't the best pictures but they're the only ones I have. Peter has been so good about supporting me in my running. When I told him how early we'd have to get up he said, "Just wake me up and I'll drive you there."

Next year these two need to run the race with me.

Lauryn did pretty well considering she only had a 20-min nap. I couldn't get her to smile for the camera though.

Window Upgrade

2009-04-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Yay! The plywood has been replaced with a double-pane, LoE3 window with a super spacer and argon gas. It looks great and it's now a lot quieter in our front room.

Going Going...Gone?

2009-04-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Young Women's fundraiser for girl's camp in the form of a garage sale at our house. I've stressed about it for the past week. Now it's over and it was a big success and I learned a lot. We made enough money that we might not need to have a fundraiser next year! And it's all gone! We only had two small car loads that we immediately took to Thrift Town. You can't tell that this mess was in the front of our house just hours ago. Thanks everyone who donated their belongings and to those that helped clean up. I'm ready for a nap.

The Headboard

2009-04-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Not only did my parents bring Taylor to us on Saturday, but they brought the finished headboard for our bed. Isn't it great? Thanks Dad, we love it. Now we just need to paint over the orange walls and our room will be looking pretty nice :)

Little Star

2009-04-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

This week with only one child has been a nice change. I thought I would miss Taylor terribly, especially because she is a full-time babysitter and playmate for Lauryn, but I've enjoyed this alone time with Lauryn. She is learning to talk and to be more independent, and so she has been my little helper and companion. Some of her phrases are, "me do", "myself", "I want a...(cookie, snack, date)," "help me", and my favorite: "I went". We are potty training this week and because she was ready, it has been easy. I'm grateful for this week but I know we will both be happy to see Taylor tomorrow.

One Fell off and Bumped her Head

2009-04-07T14:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had a scary experience. As we were getting ready to drive Taylor to Dixon to meet Peter's uncle who would take her to the Ranch for a week, Lauryn did a face plant off of my bed and smacked the side of her head on the floor. After crying for a minute or two she started to zone out and close her eyes to sleep, then she threw up. After talking to the advice nurse, my mom, and a friend who had just recently had a similar experience, I took Lauryn to the ER. She sat quietly on my lap during the whole registration process (which is not normal at all), but by the time we were checked in she snapped out of it. I was actually happy to see her have a minor tantrum and pout. Anyway, she's okay now and Taylor is at the Ranch for the week. She called me this morning to see if she could bring home a puppy. Nice try Doug and Heidi.

What was She Thinking?

2009-04-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

You are probably expecting me to write about how Lauryn cut her own hair or perhaps how Taylor gave Lauryn a haircut. Sadly that is not the case. My sister did this. We dropped the girls off with Bren and Neil while we went rafting on Saturday (see photo below). When we returned to our children we found Lauryn with uneven Euro bangs. I know her bangs were getting long but I've been pulling them out of her eyes with a hair tie in hopes of growing them out; that's easier for me than giving her a haircut because I know I can't cut hair very well. If nothing else, Bren has made my haircuts look pretty good.

The New Office

2009-04-03T14:07:00.001-07:00

We finally "finished" painting the office. It's not perfect and there are still some things left to do but it was good enough to move the furniture back in. Lauryn and Sabina, a preschool friend, are my models.

You can see the place on the floor where the old wall used to be.

This picture is meant to give you an idea of what the pocket door looks like.

Wicked Good Tea

2009-04-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Heidi, Doug, and Cierra came down for a visit and to watch the girls while Peter, Cierra and I went to see the musical Wicked, our Christmas gift from them. It was so fun to have a night out at the theater. It has been a while since I've seen a play or musical and I was reminded of how much I enjoy it. If you haven't seen this show yet, I recommend it. Heidi and Cierra also took Taylor to tea with one of Heidi's friends who lives in the area. If I ever go out to tea again, I'm going to this place. Just look at all that yummy food! My only tea experience was at the Ritz and I left hungry and broke.

Lauryn is 2!

2009-04-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

I have some catching up to do with this blog. Lauryn turned two on March 23rd. We opened presents in the morning and I made a yummy-but-not-so-pretty cake. I'm glad there are no pictures.

The New Coop

2009-03-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

We got a new chicken coop a couple of weeks ago. It looks a lot nicer than what Peter created out of an old dogloo and pvc pipe; it's more functional too. The chickens must like it because it only took a day or two in the new coop before we got our first egg.

We now have four chickens. I've delayed writing about our newest addition because we didn't know if we would keep her or not. She is younger than the others and is in her own make-shift house until she gets big enough to defend herself. Now we understand the meaning behind the phrase "pecking order." We've also named all four birds and I've added them to our sidebar.

Big Girl

2009-03-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Taylor just had her pre-kindergarten dentist and doctor visits. To celebrate her bravery and cooperation we took a hike to a place I discovered while getting lost on one of my runs. It's an easy mile-or-so hike to a nice view of the city, the bay, and the temple. It took us over an hour to get there because we had to stop for each lady bug and slug along the way.

Here is Laruyn pouting. When she realized I was going to take her picture she turned her back on me.

I haven't quite figured out how to take a self portrait with our camera.

The view of the LDS temple.

More "No Nap" Footage

2009-03-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

"No Nap"

2009-03-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

Lauryn has been refusing to take a nap in the afternoon and the result is that she crashes around dinner time. Taylor and I thought this was so funny.

I did move Lauryn to the couch. I'm not that mean.

Breaking News...Literally

2009-03-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

It's almost 5 AM and I've been up since 3:45 when I heard a crashing sound. "Did you hear that?" I asked Peter, "No, what?" My mind searched for what it could have been; a toy falling off Taylor's bed? Poorly stacked dishes in the drying rack? Well, unfortunately it was neither of those things. This is what I found. A rock thrown through our huge front window.

That's the rock under the curtain. The police have come and gone but didn't do much. We've cleaned up the mess and put down some old vinyl table cloths to catch the shards of glass when they finally fall. The window sounds like the crackle of a dying fire and could fall at any moment. We hope we have a good insurance policy. This is not the way we wanted to start our Sunday morning, and this lack of sleep will not help us recover from the nasty colds that we're fighting. I'm going to try and go back to bed. I miss living in the mountains where vandalism like this is not so common.

Surprise!

2009-03-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

When I got home last night from Youth Conference, Peter said, "There's a surprise for you in the fridge." What could it be? A yummy chocolate treat from his work? Flowers? (I'm not sure why these things would be in the fridge). Instead it was a small brown egg. The first egg from one of our chickens! Taylor was so excited to eat it this morning.

Taylor likes "eggs that yoke" or fried eggs.

The Secret to Grocery Shopping with Kids

2009-03-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Does anybody know what it is? Because I haven't figured it out yet. A trip to the store with Taylor and Lauryn is usually an embarrassing experience and yesterday was no exception, and unfortunately we had to stop by Costco and Safeway. Apparently I wasn't the only one exhausted after our trip. Here's Lauryn falling asleep while finishing her lunch.

Seven

2009-03-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

That's the number of tantrums Lauryn had yesterday and three of them were before 8AM. But who's counting?

Now You See It...Now You Don't

2009-03-11T08:03:00.001-07:00

We got rid of our metal tool shed last weekend. We found a guy on craigslist who wanted it and he came and hauled it away.