Life is Beautiful

Blessing Day

2012-01-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day for Luke's Blessing. We were so happy to have some of our family drive down to join us. Mark gave Luke a beautiful blessing with Don, Dave, and the bishopric standing in the circle.
I couldn't help but think of all of our children today and their journeys to our family. I remembered that there were many times that we wondered if we would be blessed with more than one child. And thought of the years that we tried to be content with just two. After our third child was born, I finally felt at peace and the constant longing for a larger family had ended, though in my heart I still wanted more. What a welcome surprise Luke was!! What a joy Luke is!! We feel so blessed today for our beautiful family, for the abundance of love and happiness our children bring to our lives and the feeling of completeness that came with our Little Luke.

Look at our little man. So cute!

Tough guy.

That's All She Wrote

2012-01-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

My blogging spree has ended for this evening. Currently my blogging pattern seems to be silence for several weeks, followed by brief catch up posts, and then more silence. Tonight I just intended to post a Happy New Year shout out, but kind of got on a roll. Unfortunately my enthusiasm fizzled out before I had a chance to blog about Christmas. I'll just say that it was wonderful and that we'll be playing hooky from school and work on Tuesday to renew our Disneyland passes. Thanks Santa. And speaking of Santa, we caught him in the act of filling our stockings. We tried to pry Emma and Matthew out of bed to sneak a peak, but they were sooo sleepy that they couldn't really wake up and don't remember a thing. At least we have it on video!

But mostly this Christmas season I have enjoyed spending time with this guy. Mark got to take time off this past week and we have spent time just being together--and not being rushed. I've loved sleeping in, doing puzzles, being the self proclaimed "dancing queen" of Just Dance II, shopping and watching the Food Network. Nothing special, we didn't really go anywhere or do anything. But we have been together, and together has been a great place to be.

Christmas Festivites

2012-01-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve. It's got to be the best night of the year, wouldn't you agree? This year Dave and Jess hosted the family for our annual get together. We had terrific food, a fun gift exchange, and of course, the Nativity. Monica was in charge which meant out-of-this-world costumes and sets. SO fun. Three of my kids can be seen in this picture. Matthew as a shepherd, Abbie as a wiseman and Emma as Mary. Danny and Emma as Mary and Joseph.

Abbie and the three amigos as the four "wise guys".

One of the adult tables. Ever since my mission we have celebrated with English Christmas Crackers. You've gotta love the paper crowns and corney jokes.

Mark and some of the cousins enjoying some appetizers.

Mark gave Luke a taste of his candy cane. Guess who is on my naughty list

Tucson

2012-01-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

Mark had to travel to Tucson over the Christmas break, so since we didn't want him to be away during all of the fun we had planned, we decided to cancel our plans at home and go along with him instead. The JW Starr Pass Resort had a lot of fun activities going on during the weekend we were there. Everything from sledding to a "santa's workshop", to horse riding, an elf "tuck in bed" service, and much more. Mix that with a little hot tubbing and the kid's favorite breakfast buffet, it was a great, quick trip.
We did, however, have a frightening car accident while in Tucson. On our way back to the hotel after church we hydroplaned while driving on the freeway. It had been raining quite a bit that morning and the roads were slick. We were in the fast lane when we lost control and started spinning across the lanes of traffic. At least one time we got within inches to hitting another vehicle, but luckily we just continued to spin until we slammed into the guard rail on the other side of the road, stopping on the shoulder. The moment we started to lose control, I felt so shocked. I couldn't believe this was happening to my family and as we spun, I felt like we were on a roulette table and I wondered which of my family was going to get hurt. I felt so grateful when we finally stopped. Though stunned, everyone was OK. The car was even drivable. We were hauling a steel cargo carrier on our hitch which took most of the impact of the crash. It was smashed, but had protected the body of our SUV very well. The baby slept through the accident, Matthew wanted to do it again. The girls were shocked and grateful and both felt protected by our Heavenly Father. Mark and I were shaky, and couldn't stop reliving the situation over and over again. When we finally got back to our hotel room, we knelt in prayer to thank Heavenly Father for watching over our family that afternoon. I felt so much gratitude for His protection and also so much love for my family, knowing that in a matter of seconds life could have dramatically changed for us.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! To celebrate the end of another great year we headed to the beach for a quick bocci ball tournament before getting dinner and going home for an early night. Yessss, we are party animals! Does this little green man even need an explanation?? Luke's first trip to the beach. Burrr.

More Photos

2011-12-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

Bath time. Like alot of babies, Luke loves the warm water at bath time. He is so content to sit in his tub and feel the water. Really, who doesn't love a good bath? A friend gave Luke this adorable sock monkey hat. He wears it all the time when/if we go out in the cold. Can you read Luke's mind here? I can. He is thinking that he's pretty lucky to have such great siblings. This picture is just too sweet not to include.

These are for you, Grandma and Grandpa. Looking at the photos, I realize how much he has already changed in these first short weeks. His bum, legs and cheeks are so much more squeezy, he his strong and now able to stand with help. He is alert, melting the heart of anyone who catches his gaze and earns a smile. Luke equals pure joy in our home. We are all in love and can't imagine our family without him.

It's a BOY!!

2011-11-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

Introducing Luke Kingsley Rowen

Born 28 October at 2:24 am

21 inches, 7 lbs, 12 oz

Our Favorite Boy Turns Four...

2011-10-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

...and it's time for a party! A PIRATE party, that is. Matthew was joined by Pirate Captain Daddy-O and a few of his matties for a backyard pirate adventure. They played "captain says", found hidden treasure, played on our "pirate ship" and said, "argh!!!" more often than most would think necessary. Very fun day!!

Matthew couldn't wait to get his "hook" into this treasure cake.

Walking the plank in search of treasure.

Matthew and the rest of the pirate crew. Yo Ho!!

Baptism Day

2011-08-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

We shared such a nice day with Emma last weekend. Her baptism was last Saturday. I loved to see how excited she was to be baptized, and how well she understood the whole experience. The service was very nice. She was baptized with three other girls from the stake and all of our families were able to participate in the program. Aunts Monica and Debbie said prayers, cousin Rebecca led the music and uncles Don and Allen, and Mark and Steve (cousin in laws) stood in during the confimation along with our home teacher, Randy Lang, our Bishop Brian Rhodes and a few friends. Emma was eager to get baptized and felt lucky to be first. When I took her to the font to meet Mark she was so happy. After her baptism she beamed and said that she wished she could be baptized over and over again. She felt the Holy Ghost tell her that her choice was correct and that made her very happy. All evening she smiled. After the meeting was over our family who attended the baptism came over for a BBQ. Emma felt so much support--imagine being surrounded by thirty family members on such an important day! It was great to be able to relax and enjoy the family after such a busy day. After everyone left, Emma wanted to get down to business and record her feelings in her journal. It was a sweet experience to hear all that she remembered and felt. What a wonderful day!

It's Now Officially OVER

2011-08-13T18:53:00.001-07:00

Whew... our summer sure went by fast around here. I had to laugh that my last post was on the first day of summer, because sadly (for Emma at least, Abbie has two more weeks) summer has come to an end. We have teacher assignments for the new year and everything. Monday morning marks the beginning of school, soccer, violin, piano, tennis, art, activity days, mutual, etc., etc. . Not to mention a new baby being thrown into the mix. But, I digress. Let's talk summer one last time.

Mostly our summer days were spent here at home. We went to the beach alot, we swam alot, saw some movies, Abbie went to Girl's Camp, we all went to Cousin's Camp, continued with some lessons and had swim team practice, and also went to the fair, etc., -- all without my camera. So, needless to say our summer won't be well documented. I did, however, take pictures of the girls birthday's and a trip to the strawberry fields. So here goes...

Here's the handsome man that I married 13 years ago in July. In this picture he is in the backyard setting up for Abbie's 12th B-day party. Our anniversary was on the 16th. We went to Coronado and had a great dinner, spent the night, window shopped, etc. It was the best 24 hours of my summer.

Abbie had a great birthday party this year. They had a BBQ, played fun games and watched a movie on this giant screen once it got dark.

Nothing says happy birthday like our traditional ice cream cake--I mean nothing.

The party girls.

The girls played "Bigger or Better" after dinner. Each team started off with a plastic fork, and at game's end one team was carrying a dog crate back to our house and another team had a hamster!

Birthday squeeze for the birthday girl. Don't mind the paint swatches all over the walls. Mark is painting this very minute!

The kids are always really excited for breakfast in bed. Abbie choose home made hashbrowns, blueberry muffins, sausage, and strawberries and whipped cream.

Emma turned eight!

At her party we decided to tie dye t-shirts for one of the activities. The girls did a great job and made some really cute shirts.

Pass the parcel...

A little excited about opening her presents this morning.

Fresh squeeze OJ from our trees toppped off Emma's breakfst of sticky buns, hashbrowns, sausage, and fruit.

The kids like to pick their own strawberries every year. This time we were a little late in the season and the berries weren't at their peak. But you can't deny that anything off of the vine is better than the store. We still loved them.

They paid the price for these fresh berries with some very muddy feet.

It's Officially Summer

2011-06-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's Monday morning and I haven't seen or heard from my kids for over an hour. My guess is that they are running up and down our street, playing with other kids who are as excited as they are that summer has officially started. I can say with certainty that two of my kids are dressed for the day **thank goodness**. I can say with just as much certainty that my youngest is running amuck in his green Santa Claus PJ's. But I guess I am OK with that too. After all, I am still in my PJ's as well. I get it. And though I am not running amuck in the neighborhood (yet) I am wandering around our home from mess to mess, eating a piece of toast, and wondering if I should even bother getting dressed for the day. After all, swimming lessons are in just a couple of hours and then we will be at the pool for the rest of the afternoon. Really, why bother, right??

I think I am going to enjoy this summer.

Grandma's Send-off Party

2011-05-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Grandma Sedgwick is a missionary!!! These pictures are now a couple weeks over due, and my mom has been to the MTC and is now enroute to Texas. We are so excited for her and have already enjoyed hearing about her adventures.
We had a fun send off party for her before she left for the MTC. Texas BBQ for dinner, western wear, big hair, photo opts., cherry spitting seed contests and a little send off program to remind mom how much we love and admire her. It was a perfect night. Look at all of these grandkids who will be praying for Grandma!

Women's cherry pit spitting contest.

Matthew and Stella preparing for the burping contest. What does that have to do with Texas, you ask?

The guys putting their cherry pit spitting skills to the test.

Cowboy boots were a MUST last night.

My two handsome boys.

Don looking good in his hat.

Mom with her kids, just missing Sarah.

I was going for big hair, though I don't think you can tell.

Our host. "Hi, y'alls!

Easter Traditions and Surprises

2011-04-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Easter is one of the best times of year in our house. Over the past few years we have done several things during the week before Easter to honor the life of Jesus Christ and to make His atonement and resurrection more meaningful for our kids. Some of our traditions include reading the New Testiment and having an "Old Jerusalem" style feast where we eat from a low table using no utensils. This year the menu included Challah bread, rotisserie chicken, lentil soup (not a big hit), nuts, dried fruit, melon and cucumbers. Of course, it's all done by candle light. This year I tried using oil lamps from Jerusalem to light our meal. It looked pretty cool until one of the lamps caught on fire. On Easter morning among the usual surprises waiting for the kids was this nest and little sign sitting on our kitchen table...

"Time to make a little more room in the nest. We'll soon have a new chick hatching in our family. We're having a baby!"

I have never seen two girls become so excited, and we have had nothing but baby talk since Sunday morning. The girls have rearranged everyone's sleeping arrangements and have just about chosen a name for their future sibling. Now, if they could only convince Mark that we need to find out the sex of the baby--these girls have plans to make. Matthew has finally gotten into it as well and has now offered to teach the baby his ninja moves. He has also insisted on feeding the baby oreos (via mom, of course). Thoughtful lad.

This was definitely an Easter to remember. Only time will tell whether the tradition or the surprise was the most memorable. Probably the surprise.

Spring Break

2011-04-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging long enough to know that I have to post my photos before my text, but I forgot this time. Therefore, you can see the pictures and THEN read about what we did... Oh, dear. Abbie cooling off a the falls.

Soaking our feet at Palm Canyon. We loved it here.

Poolside with the kids.

Daddy and kiddos enjoying the fountain and waiting for the candy shop to open.

The rotating arial tram was NEAT!

Snow in April...in Palm Springs??

Someone is excited!!

It's Thursday afternoon (does 5:54 still count as afternoon?) and the forth official day of spring break. I am sitting at the computer sifting through pictures from our recent Palm Springs get-away as my three kids are in the backyard filling up water bombs and exploding them all over the yard and each other, while the winds blow and temperature continues to drop. It's been cold here. Since we've been home, we've had rain both days and it's really too cold to do anything other than go to the movies (Diary of a Whimpy Kid II).

Ahh, but that's alright. It's just nice to have a break from the normal school routine, and if we have to leave town to enjoy a little bit of sun, so be it. We are heading to Tucson in a couple of days to stay at our favorite place, and we'll get more than enough sunshine there to last us until the sun finally decides to shine in sunny San Diego...

The kiddos are still outside, and I haven't heard any tears yet, so I've got time to post a few pictures of Palm Springs. First off, I've never been there before. Weird. It's only a two hour drive from where we live, and the same distance from where I grew up, but I guess it took wanting to get away with a husband and three kids to get me there. I liked it. The temperature was really nice, we liked our hotel and pool, and found a lot of great outdoor activities. One of the highlights for all of us was hiking thru Indian Canyon. Who would have expected a gushing waterfall, a small river (or rushing stream) and a forest of palm trees all with in a short walk. The next day we took a 2.5 mile revolving tram ride up to the top of the San Jacinto Mts. and discovered SNOW at the top and beauitful views of the dessert.

All in all, we loved the time together and enjoyed being in a new town and environment.

OK, I just heard someone yell, "shakin' bacon!!!" and turned to see the kids IN THE HOUSE with the water balloons exploding on the wood floors. Busted. No more blogging for today...

Sister Sedgwick

2011-03-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

Big News in the Sedgwick family this week! Virginia (aka mom or grandma) got her mission call to serve in the Dallas, TX mission. Her primary calling will be to work in the Education Resource Center as a welfare missionary. Mom's call came on Thursday and she was nice enough to wait until the evening when we could be together to open it up. The family who could, gathered at Debbie and Greg's house to witness the exciting opening. Seeing my mom so anxious to open her call made me reflect on when I opened my own mission call, and how I flagged down the mailman and begged it off of him. So exciting!! Anyway, once we all arrived and got everyone in the family who was available on the phone, mom read the assignment letter to all of our sqeels of of excitement. We are all so proud of mom. She is amazing to me, and I am so happy for her. She leaves on May 30th.

He's Not Tired

2011-03-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

This is a typical "conversation" with Matthew on a day that he doesn't get a nap.

Typical setting: In the car.

Matthew:

**yawn** "I'm not tired, mom. Why do you keep saying that???"

Mom: "I didn't say anything, buddy."

Matthew:

I'm NOT tired, OK? **yawn**

Mom: "OK..."

Brian Head Family Reunion

2011-02-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my mom hosted all of us Sedgwick's for a family reunion at Brian Head, UT. Talk about a wonderful time! We all trickled into Brian Head on Thursday night to a cabin that was large enough to hold all 40 of us. Friday and Saturday mornings, after a great patriotic devotional (it was President's Weekend after all) we all headed up to the slopes to spend the day skiing or snow boarding. The funnest (not really a word, right?) part of the day was all being together. The perfect snow wasn't too bad either. I won't mention the near blizzard-like conditions.
In the evenings we ate dinner together, sat in the hot tub, watched movies, played games and chatted until we finally forced ourselves (or should I say, until we forced the 11yr olds) to go to bed.
Thanks for such a great time, mom. It's something we will all remember!

A crazy bunch of cousins trying to make the biggest human pyramid in Brian Head history.

Four wheel drive came in hand on more than one occassion...

The basement of our reunion headquarters was a perfect place for hanging out.

Grandma with some of her loving admirers (aka grandkids).

My family climbed a 20 ft snow bank to pose for this picture. There was so much snow this weekend.

The cabin was in such a pretty setting. I loved the huge amount of snow, the tall trees and views of the ski slopes.

Valentine's Tradition

2011-02-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

Everyone in the family looks forward to our Valentine's Day Fondue Fest. The kids especially love the fact that there are "no limits" on how much chocolate they eat. Traditionally I make a delicious milk chocolate ganache and have plates full of strawberries, bananas, cream puffs, donut holes, pretzels and marshmallows. This year we did things a little differently. Emma is on a Dairy Free diet right now as an experiment to see if her headaches improve without milk in her diet. So instead of milk chocolate ganache made with heavy cream, I used a darker chocolate (no milk) and cashew cream instead of dairy cream to make the ganache. The sauce was a success, though we all missed the sweetness of milk chocolate. On a side note, her headaches have gotten a lot better over the past several weeks without dairy in her diet.

Oh, to be Three!

2011-01-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

When the girls were little they loved to wear princess dresses. Emma wore them 24 hours a day (her pj's had princess themes). But, most of all, Abbie and Emma loved to dress up, wait for Mark to get home from work and dance around the family room with him. I think Mark really liked it too. He would turn on all types of music and twirl them around the room until they were dizzy--which took a very, very long time.

Now things are different. There is still someone dressed up waiting to play with Mark when he gets home from work. But, there are no more princess costumes or dancing. Today it is Matthew waiting on Mark's arrival. Many days this picture represents what (or who is waiting at the door). Let me interpret: Army pants, Superman cape, light saber in the background, sword in hand, ninja hood coving his head and a Batman mask at his feet. That pretty much sums it up. Ten minutes into play he trades all of this in for his fireman costume. No matter what he is wearing, he and Mark run around the house chasing each other with swords or practicing their ninja moves-which are quite frightening. It's a fun time. And with all of this make-believe play, my heart is warmed to know that though Matthew loves to pretend he's a good guy or a bad guy, he still has his priorities in line. The other day he ran up to tell me that he doesn't want to follow bad guys, he wants to follow the prophet because he knows the way. That little guy makes me laugh! There is something so delightlful about a three year old child. They absorb everything, want to know how to get to China, are concerned about getting bigger but still love to snuggle, and have no end of imagination. I love the terrific three's!!

Here's to all three year olds out there, you make life alot of fun!!

Hooray for Hollywood

2011-01-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

The Santa Monica Pier was a big highlight for the kids. Who wouldn't like riding a roller coaster over the Pacific Ocean??

A couple days after Christmas our family, along with our friends the Glauser's headed up north to check out some of the touristy spots of LA. In all of my years of living in Orange County, I had never spent much time north of the Orange Curtain and was looking forward to spending some time with my family up there. We packed two days full of fun and even saw a movie star at lunch (Don Johnson, and yes, he was wearing sunglasses).

Lunch and Shopping at the Grove (place of our important Star sighting).

La Brea Tar Pits

This mammoth found here at the La Brea Tar Pits looked pretty big compared to Emma. Excavation at the tar pits still continues today. In fact, almost all of the ice age fossils on display in the world are from here.

I was pleasantly surprised by the La Brea Tar Pits. It was much more interesting than I had expected and not gimicky at all.

Mann Chinese Theater. Gimicky (is that a word), yes. Crazy people? Yes. Crowded? Yes. Do I need to get out of the car next time I am in the area? No.

I was surprised by the beauitful view that awaited us after we drove the windy roads up to the Hollywood sign. Who knew??

Looking the opposite direction from the same spot, this was the view (it looked closer in real life).

Stay out of this amigas way!

Matthew is making sure that Abbie is having a good time watching the indian dancers near Olvera Street.

Angels Landing train (pictured behind me) served the wealthy locals in the early 1900's who would take their butlers shopping at the Grand Central Farmer's Market. Today people use it to get to their high rise. The ride is just $.25 .

Mark and I were married at the Los Angeles LDS Temple (moment of silence, please) and this was the first time we were able to go back. It was beautiful all ablaze in Christmas lights.

Christmas Highlights

2011-01-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

A picture speaks a thousand words, or so they say. I wanted to share a little bit about the great Christmas we enjoyed around here and decided to do it in pictures. I hope you enjoy the over abundance of pictures G&G Rowen. To the rest of you, I hope you don't mind too much. Santa's little elf enjoying an outstanding Christmas party!

The family with Santa--where does this fellow find the time??

Christmas morning was a blur of excitement.

Emma was thrilled to add more Webkinz to her collection.

Matthew's new bike is just his size and NOT purple.

Oats and celery for the reindeer, of course.

Cute in their new PJ's.

Abbie and Emma were enjoying watching the action of the cousin's gift exchange hosted by Debbie and Greg.

We always have such a great time being together. Christmas Eve was, of course, no exception. We had a full mexican spread to feast upon including tamales, enchiladas, beans, rice, El Torito's cilantro salad, flan and fried ice cream. Egg nog smoothies (a must) and appetizers started us off.

Seriously. What a handsome guy.

Hum, what shall I eat next?? Actually that really wasn't what I was thinking.

The cousins are in this picture just waiting to get started with the gift exchange. I don't know why Matthew is pulling at his face.

Of course no family Christmas Eve celebration would be complete without a reading of the account of Christ' birth. We took turns telling the story with scripture, carols and pictures. It was lovey. Merry Christmas to all!

Are You a Real Girl or a Fake One

2010-12-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

Up until last month my answer to this question came without even a nano second of hesitation. I was a real girl. No fake Christmas trees for me. As a kid growing up we always headed to the same Christmas Tree lot where Rick Giddings would help us find the perfect tree. Real trees carry memories for me. The smell, the pesky pine needles, the sap, forgetting to water them...it's what Christmas is all about.

After Mark and I got married and had a family of our own we would drive up the Sierras to a Christmas tree lot in Forrest Hill and chop down our own trees each year. It was the best. They had a horse drawn wagon to take you deep into the property, a huge tree swing to play on ,and my favorite thing of all, a bonfire so that we could stay warm, roast hotdogs and sip cocoa while feeling festive. When we moved away from Sacramento, my festive day at the tree lot became a quick trip to Home Depot. But that didn't matter because I still loved having a REAL tree.

That all changed a few days before Thanksgiving. Mark and I went to Lowes to buy a ladder. While he was shopping I took Matthew with me to enjoy the Christmas decorations. I saw a cluster of fake, pre-lit trees and went over to look at them-- I used to like looking at how ridiculously expensive they are. A fellow shopper saw me looking and started telling me that he had a pre-lit tree at home, at least 9 feet tall and beautiful that he was donating in a few days. Then as he left he gave me his business card and said that I could have it if I wanted it. He left and I felt stunned. Here I was in Lowe's facing a question to which I had always had an answer--no fake trees!!! But, if it really looked like some of these trees (which were over $350) maybe I should take a look?? So... long story short, we went his house. This is the tree. It works great in our living room. But, for the record, I am still a real tree girl.

Halloween

2010-11-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of cuties, if I don't say so myself.

Our ward threw a great Halloween party on Saturday night. The kids trick or treated, we had carnival games, lots of food, limbo contest (Abbie won her age group), dancing, etc. What a great time!

Pippy Longstocking

Happy Witch--actually she was just a witch, but she looks pretty happy in this picture, doesn't she.

Passing the Week

2010-10-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Who is this kid? I know. Where does he get it, SERIOUSLY!

This week has been a little different around here. Both Mark and Abbie have been gone all week. Mark is back east on business and Abbie is at sixth grade camp. Naturally, we have missed them a ton. Nothing is quite the same when the family isn't all together. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit that I have enjoyed the lack of fighting among the kiddos, and that the morning and evening routines are a lot quicker, but I miss my Abbie and Mark. I miss the sound of the garage door going up at approx. six o'clock every night, I miss the smooches, I miss the music, the phone ringing (yes, we have hit the time of life when the phone is usually for Abbie when it rings): I miss Mark and Abbie. We have tried to keep ourselves busy though. I thought I'd post a few pictures of what we've been up to.

Leak detection man, ant sprayer, sewing project, taking missionaries to Roberto's on 101, and doctor's appointments not pictured.

We enjoyed a cute Halloween party today with Matthew's play group friends at a nearby park. The kids came dressed in costumes, they decorated cookies and played to their heart's content. It was easy and they were thrilled.

Matthew is all smiles with his friend Jenna and my cousin's son Logan. I was so glad to see cousin Emily today--bummer that we didn't take a picture together--next time.

I love how easily little kids are pleased.

Earlier in the week I took Emma and Matthew to Wayne's World Pumpkin Patch. It's a groovy kind of place that morphs with the seasons. In a few weeks it will be a Christmas tree lot. Usually it's a funky nursery. Today it was bounce house heaven.

The kids loved the free access to the bounce houses. They played and bounced together for an hour and a half.

They also posed for a picture or two.

I loved that this place was really close to home, and yet still felt festive (I don't like the parking lot one day, pumpkin patch the next style).

It was just what we needed to get over the Missing Mark and Abbie Blues. They will be home tomorrow!!!

What are the Chances...

2010-10-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

that my kids will eat these??? Matthew spotted this stalk of brussle sprouts at Trader Joe's the other day and we both thought they looked pretty cool. Now they are sitting in the fridge (not even the fridge INSIDE the house) just waiting, and staring at me each time I open the door as if to say, "I dare you". I won't be intimidated by veggies, and I actually like brussle sprouts, but I'm just not sure how to get my little darlings to take a bite. Any ideas? What do you do to help your kids eat more adventurously?

Another Invasion

2010-10-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Imagine waking up in the morning, stretching, yawning, and going to the closet to find something to put on for the day. Imagine seeing these little guys all over your clothes!!!! Ewww!! That was our morning today!
Our little piece of paradise came with a price. The ants love it too. I can hear your question, "why don't you just get pest control??" I know, I know, I have considered hiring a pest control service many times, but when it all boils down, I am pretty cheap AND I have discovered how to get rid of these bad boys--at least for months at a time. The liquid ant bait from Home Depot does the trick. All you do is open the bait and set it out when you see a small trail of ants. Then comes the REALLY hard part. You wait and watch as your tiny stream of ants becomes a huge infestation, swarming over everthing near the bait. The hardest part is watching and doing nothing else. IF you can do this for 24 hours, you will find that your ants vanish, dead.

I am in the watching and waiting stage of the game.

It's disgusting and I am thinking about pest control once again, and wishing I wasn't soo cheap.

Birthday Boy

2010-09-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

"Is my birthday here?" This is what Matthew wondered this morning when he woke up to blue streamers in his doorway and Fruitloops on the kitchen table. We love this guy and had a fun time singing to him and telling him why we love him so much. Matthew is the life of the party around here. It is hilarious (most of the time) to hear him repeating all that we say and coming up with some pretty fun sayings of his own. He is loveable, sweet, tough, competely potty trained (yes, I count this as one of the traits I love about him), my helper in the kitchen, a great prayer, not a huge mess maker, loves anything with wheels and has a great imagination. We all feel so blessed that he his part of our family. Happy third birthday buddy!! He'd been looking forward to blowing out his candles all afternoon.

The superhero costumes were as much a present for Mark as they were for Matthew. I don't think Mark liked coming home from work and seeing Matthew running around in Emma's old Snow White dress. Obviously Matthew loves the superhero look too!

Everyone wanted to help Matthew out with his new toys.

Disneyland (With a Camera)

2010-09-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Make way for Emma and Mark!

We love going to Disneyland and have really gotten our money's worth from our passes this year. We don't, however, like to bring our camera. It's too big and fancy and we can't leave it in the stroller, or put it in our pocket (please tell Mark I want a small camera for Christmas) so it stays at home. Yesterday we figured it had to come along. We needed at least a little documentation. Big bummer for me though because we forgot to take any of the very necessary family pictures in front of the castle, or the big Mickey flower thing in front, or the main street cuteness. So, I am afraid that the camera will have to join us ONE MORE time (probably). But for now, here are a few of the shots that we did manage to take at the Magic Kingdom.

Waiting for the train around the world.

The line for Autopia was a little long. I thought taking pictures would help pass the time.

Matthew LOVES the rockets.

You've gotta love how Matthew poses for a picture.

So, this may be all you ever see of the Rowen family at Disneyland this year. But, who knows, maybe I will muster up the strength to bring the camera along next time--and actually use it too.

Easy as PIE

2010-09-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

After returning home from Cousin's Camp Abbie felt inspired to learn how to bake a pie. She did it all! She made and rolled out the crusts, cut, peeled and prepared the apple filling (no canned fillings is this house) and baked it to perfection. Look at that beautiful pie crust. She did it all by herself.

Cousin's Camp 2010

2010-09-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

Cousin's Camp is BY FAR the most looked forward to event in my kid's lives. Yes, Christmas takes a back seat to Cousin's Camp. Every summer all of my family gets together at Don and Monica's barn to celebrate being a family. The kids swim, do archery, trampoline, play the ukeleli, earn awards for having traits like ancestors (do you call grandparents ancestors?), put on a play, do crafts, listen to aunts' daily devotionals and an uncle's fireside, have cousin buddies, roast marshmallows... Are you understanding why Christmas is sitting in the back? Cousin's Camp is wonderful, and who am I kidding, we adults look forward to it too. Here are some highlights from this weekend's camp. The "Crazy Bunch of Cousins" This year there were 21 campers.

Emma, Ruthie and Madi jamming on the Uke.

Sarah painted the backdrop for the play. This year the cousins re-enacted the love stories of all of the aunts and uncles.

Swimming time. It got hot this weekend, thank goodness for the pool.

Matthew took everything he learned at camp very seriously.

Monica helping Danny, Emma and Evan with archery. "Fire at Will!"

Prayer Time

2010-08-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves when it's Matthew's turn to pray. Who am I kidding? It's always Matthew's turn to pray. No matter who Mark calls on, Matthew gets started before they have a chance and is praying before we know it. But we don't really mind. His prayers are so sweet and to the point.

"Father, thank thee for blessings. Thank you for our dinner. Thank you for nursery. Bless us to be kind. Bless us to be awesome."

I felt awesome for the rest of the night when he asked for that; and we all got a good laugh. Awesome. This is why we let Matthew pray for us so often.

They're Here!

2010-08-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Abbie and Emma have been so anxious about who their new teachers are going to be this year. Aren't all kids? All morning on Friday they stayed close to home checking and rechecking the mailbox for the bright green postcard that hopefully would bare good news.

When the mailman finally came, my girls (with friend and cousin in tow) darted for the mailbox. As you can guess from this picture, as the mailman put the letters in the slot, my girls were there to take them out.

Happy cheers on both counts. Thank goodness!!

Birthday Girl

2010-08-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Look who's ELEVEN! That would be my Abbie. Here's to eleven years of tenderness, fun, spunk and enthusiasm. I love Abbie and am so thankful that she is part of our family.

Day at The Grove

2010-07-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we ventured up to LA to visit the American Girl store at The Grove. What a cool place!! Yes, the store was everything you would expect it to be. There was a salon for the dolls to get their hair done and their ears pierced, a cafe and every bit of merchandise you can imagine. The coolest thing, though, was taking our time, strolling around the area. Here are some of the highlights of the day. Grandma and the cousins inside of the beautiful movie theater. We saw Despicable Me.

Emma is proud of her doll's new look.

We all loved watching Emma's doll get the beauty treatment.

Next to The Grave is the Farmers Market.

We picked up the trolly outside the market and headed towards the cinema to watch the movie.

Abbie found some delicious fruit. We all loved tasting it.

Lucky Seven

2010-07-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

It was a special morning for our Emma. Turning seven is pretty exciting. The day started at 6:15 (yes, you read that right) when Emma woke me up and told me she was hungry. What she could have said was, "let the festivities begin" because Emma has been waiting for this day for weeks. Oh yeah--bring on my breakfast in bed!!! Notice my cute front toothless smile?

Emma passing all kinds of love around to her brother and sister. Who wouldn't be feeling happy when your brother and sister bring you presents, and sing you every rendition of the Happy
Birthday song that they know?

Party blowers and breakfast!

They are all getting into the party spirit. But this doesn't last long. After opening presents, we have to get Emma ready for her special day with Grandma Sedgwick.

Emma and I waiting at the Solana Beach train station. Grandma took the train from SJC to pick Emma up this morning and take her home to SJC.

Emma on the train platform waiting for the "all aboard." She and Grandma are heading up to SJC for a day together--including dinner and a slumber party.

Here they go!! Have fun Emma. We sure love you and are so happy that you are part of our family.

Surfer Baby

2010-07-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

Between cloudy days around here, we enjoyed an afternoon at our neighbor's pool.

Oh, yeah. He's a natural.

Thank You Note

2010-07-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Emma wrote me a note in her Primary Class. It cracked me up.

Dear Mom,

Thank you for being nice to me. I love you and that is no joke!

(cute drawing of the two of us together)

P.S. Call me.

Movie Night

2010-07-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a plan. It entailed getting the kiddos to bed early so that I could watch a movie and then go to bed too. So at about 7:45 I started directing the kids to their rooms so I could read with them and send them off to dreamland. Matthew was first, and because he didn't have a nap, he went to sleep pretty easily--we just had to read Where the Wild Things Are and roar our terrible roars. Emma was next. She was sleeping with me last night so we curled up into my bed to read Narnia--two chapters. Lastly, Abbie. She was in her room reading Les Miserables, but was getting tied up in some of the french so she finished up with a good Nancy Drew mystery. Done. 8:45.

I walked down stairs, got the movie going, and snuggled up into one of our extra soft blankets. I was feeling relaxed. Not ten minutes into the movie I heard Abbie calling down to me. Ignore. If she really needs me, she knows where I am. Five minutes after that Emma came down and was determined that I download some music that she had to learn for drama camp the next morning. I took a deep breath and went to the computer with her. Ten minutes later, we still didn't have it downloaded and she was back in bed--of course she needed to be tucked back in. I finished up and walked down stairs. Ten more minutes pass and Matthew cried out MOMMY!!. Back up the stairs. He was sitting up in bed crying. I asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom and I scooped him up in my arms and helped him take care of business. Then I layed him back down and slept with him for a few minutes--his favorite.

It was while I was laying with Matthew that I remembered how I used to walk into Abbie's room when she was just a baby. I liked to go in there while she was sleeping and smell her. I would get real close and touch her cheek with my nose, then take a deep breath. She was so soft and would often smell of shampoo. How I loved that smell. Matthew smelled like that last night too. I lay there wondering if I was ever going to get back to my movie. Please...just a couple of hours of peace.

I did get to finish my movie. In the story the woman found herself--she found joy through cooking.

When the show ended I went back up to bed. The whole house was quiet and dark. Emma was sleeping quietly where Mark would have been if he were home. I felt tired (it was 11:30) but happy. I thought about the movie and how the gal discovered that by doing something she loved and by following a great example she was her happiest. The same is true for me. What brings me so much joy? My husband and kids. I love them. It was ironic that I felt such a surge of love for the kids after trying to get free from them all night long. Though I initially wanted to get some time to myself-and we all need that, by the end of the night I really felt so thankful for those three soft, warm sleeping kids. They take all my energy, all my heart and all my self control. I am thankful that I am not left alone in my endeavor of motherhood. What a perfect example of love I have in Jesus Christ. Thank goodness for that.

Tonight I will be home alone again. I'll probably try to watch another movie I haven't gotten around to yet. The kids will most likely catch me eating ice cream (after I tell them "no") or will wake up a gazillion times at the best parts of the show--or even worse come down stairs for a drink of water while I am sitting in a heap, crying at the sad parts.

I wonder what life lessons I have in store for me tonight.

Two Years Eight Months and 28 Days

2010-06-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

I knew that it was just a matter of time before Matthew had his finger nails painted. Frankly, I am surprised that it took this long. But today, just two years, eight months and 28 days after his birth, the girls finally got to his nails. They are bright pink. What does Matthew think??? He thinks they are "pretty." What will Mark think??? Pretty is probably not the first word that will come to his mind. Probably something like--acetone or remover. I wonder how long they will last.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy Oh Yeah!!

2010-06-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Life Changing Day

2010-06-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

This week at lunch my sister Debbie said that up to that point, no day rivals the day your first child gets his/her drivers license. Finally you have someone to help drive everyone around--and they like it! She noted one possible exception--the day your baby is 18 months old and gets to go to the nursery at church for the first time. Oh the the joy that comes from that little bit of freedom!!

I have discovered that there is another day to add to that list of exciting and life changing events. Ready? It is the day that you discover that you have purchased diapers for the VERY LAST TIME!! Do you agree??

I am not yet at that day. I currently only have 10 diapers in the house and know that I'll probably need a few more . But I see it getting closer and closer and know that I, at least, will never again buy a Jumbo pack. I am excited!

Father's Day Recipe

2010-06-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is a big deal around here. We love spoiling Mark with gifts and special meals. This year I found a recipe that was so delicious and EASY!

Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup and Goat Cheese

(Giada Di Laurentis--Food Network)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoon butter

6 ( 5-6 ounce) filet mignon steaks

salt and pepper

2 ounces goat cheese

Directions:

Boil the vinegar and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium high heat until reduces to 1/3 cup --about 18 minutes

Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Melt butter in a heavy, large skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle steaks with s&p and put in pan. Cook the steaks to desired doneness about 4 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to a baking sheet and crumble the goat cheese on top. Broil until cheese melts.

Transfer to plate and drizzle syrup around the stakes and serve.

This was delicious meal. The method and the sauce works well on other cuts of meat too. I learned that the hard way because I accidentally served tri tip steaks instead of filets for dinner. In my defence, our freezer is full of meats and I couldn't tell the difference between them. Never buy meats from the Premium Meats guy who goes door to door... or you may do the same thing one day.

Anyway, our Father's Day was wonderful. I really love this holiday. I had such an extraordinary father and my kids do too! It is a pleasure to give fathers this day to really let them know how much we love them. I tried to show it with this lovely filet mignon recipe--but the tri tip said it too!

Berry Crisp

2010-06-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I tried making a pretty good recipe for Berry Crisp in honor of the delicious boysenberries that are wildly growing in our backyard. I waiting until Mark got home to dig into it so we could enjoy it together. We loved it, but because it was late, we both went to bed feeling REALLY full (it must expand in your stomach, because we didn't eat that much). The uncomfortable full.

So today I am trying a different approach. I'm having it for lunch. I'll let you know how it goes...

Beautiful Yosemite

2010-06-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend in Yosemite with mom and the Ostergar's. Here are some highlights in pictures...hold on to your hats.

Here Abbie is enjoying the spray off of Yosemite Falls. It's the 5th tallest waterfall in the world and very beautiful. By the way, we could see it from our super cool camp site. The top of Vernal Falls. We (all of us) hiked up to the top of these falls to enjoy the spectacular views. It was definitely worth the 25 mile hike (or at least it felt like 25 miles at times). We all got a bit wet on the way up.

My sister Cathy with two of her kids, Julia and Adam, at the top of Vernal Falls. Here's my bunch at the half way point of the hike.

ahhh, so pretty.

Abbie and Emma, along with cousin Ruthie, fished in the river next to our super cool camp site whenever they got a chance.

View from our super cool camp site--have I mentioned yet that our camp site was the best spot in the valley?

Grandma, Mark and Ostergar cousins stoking up the campfire.Matthew and cousin Adam doing some fishing.Thanks Ostergars for inviting us to tag along on this wonderful weekend. It had been about twenty years since I had been to Yosemite, and it won't take another 20 to get us back. The kids are already planning our next visit!

National Parks

2010-06-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend we spent a few days enjoying the beautiful National Parks of California. We started off in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and ended up in Yosemite. We all enjoyed a little snow time in May!

Mark jumped out of the car to take a picture of this beautiful deer eating on the side of the mountain. This peaceful picture was taken just seconds before Mark returned to the car only to see it slip out on gear and start rolling down the hill. No, not kidding. Mark jumped into the car and saved us from certain death just in time.

Yep, here it is folks, the LARGEST tree in the world (largest and tallest are not the same).

Ahhhh, Yosemite in the spring. The view you get upon reaching the end of the Yosemite tunnel is breathtaking.

Let's Hear it for THE BOYS!

2010-05-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant for the third time many people would say, "I'll bet your hoping for a BOY this time!" Mark would always reply, "We love our girls. We don't care what we have." He was convincing and I believed him. The day of our ultrasound came around. We were both really excited to learn about the baby. Would the baby be healthy, have all it's fingers and toes?? Would it be a BOY or a GIRL. Mark was still insistant that he didn't care--and of course he would have been thrilled to have another daughter, but when the technician announced that we were having a boy and Mark JUMPED out of his seat and cheered. I think his reaction even took him by surprise.

He was stoked!! Beyond stoked.

So, today marks one of those occassions that brings that day to mind. Yep, it's the Father's and Son's camp out. Mark is taking Matthew, of course. Matthew is 2 1/2. Both are super excited. Mark, as an adult is able to contain his enthusiasm, but Matthew keeps talking about going camping with just dad, eating marshmallows, and having none of the girls in the family around. Mark's probably excited about the same things.

So here's to my boys! Have great time tonight, eat all the marshmallows you can, sing camp songs until your throats get dry, enjoy playing at the beach, and above all TRY and get some sleep.

The girls and I are going to a movie!

Tickle Monster

2010-05-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went on an annual retreat with some of my dearest friends. I love the feeling I have when we are all together. We share ideas to help us a mothers, we talk about how to strengthen our families, we reminisce (we have known each other since 1992--a few of us even longer), we eat out, we eat junk, we talk all night... you get the idea. We also always have a gift exchange. This year one of the gals brought this book, Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett. It was a hot item, and switched hands a couple of times. I didn't get it. But fortunately one of my girlfriends found it online for a screaming deal and I picked up the "laughter kit" for my family when I got home. Here are the results of last night's unveiling the book---AND MITS! Tickle Monster is a cute little story of a monster that comes from outer space who loves to TICKLE everything from toesies and nosies to underarm pitties! Emma wasn't so sure about being tickled, so she made sure to keep the tickle monster in line by lightly BITING ME! Anytime the mits got too close, she let me have it! Matthew and Abbie loved it!

All in all, it is a great book. I love how the mits transformed me into a silly tickle monster. The kids loved that too. Even Emma came around later that night and asked me to read the book to her again...this time without any bite marks!!

Spring Break in Utah

2010-04-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

During our first week of spring break we hit the road for a fun filled trip to Utah. We really enjoyed the time we spend with our family there and also loved (kind of) the snowy weather. Here are a few highlights from our week. We enjoyed a couple of days of skiing. Good job Emma on your first time skiing!

Our kids probably enjoyed the day on Boots and Jean's farm in Heber the most of all of our activites this week. Our host Jean gave Abbie her first driving lesson. All the kids got in on the horse brushing action.

Emma loved exploring the hayloft... when she wasn't collecting eggs, caring for cats, playing with bunnies, brushing goats, and riding horses and donkeys.

Riding in the Model A Ford with Grandma and Grandpa was a hoot.

Emma could get used to farm life.

Abbie took Matthew out for his first ride on a horse.

As a little side trip, we hit the Valley of Fire outside of Las Vegas for some Petroglyph hunting. We found tons on a small mile hike that we took. We like to break up the long drive to Utah by seeing some of the sights along the way.

Zonked

2010-04-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

I just had to take a picture for posterity's sake. Matthew is taking his afternoon nap. There is nothing special about that, he has taken a three hour afternoon nap since he was a small baby. But, he is sleeping in a BIG BOY BED for the first time!!! Way to go Matthew!! My little guy is growing up. **sniff**

Festive...

2010-03-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Or totally disgusting??? This morning that pesky leprechaun had a little bit o'fun at my family's expense. The cushions on our couch were all in disarray, the milk was green, etc. He also turned our hashbrowns greenish. I thought it was kind of cute--that silly little guy, but not everyone in my family had the same feeling about the matter. Delicious hashbrowned potatoes, cooked in a combination of butter and olive oil, lightly salted and covered in a sprinkling of paprika , pepper and a little green magic.

Matthew chose to focus on the bucket full o'treats rather than even try any of his breakfast.

Emma began eating her's until she finally stopped and said that she just couldn't eat any more because "they SICK ME OUT!!!"

Better luck next time Mr. Leprechaun.

Some of my Favorites

2010-02-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

The weekend has been busy. With the kids home from school, a Valentine's Party for an excited group of girls, Disneyland, family in town, and the beach to keep me from home, today I have been trying to catch up on all of the less exciting parts of motherhood. But as I have been walking from room to room, with laundry and a spray bottle in hand, I have noticed that today my home is full of some of my favorite things.

Light pink tulips on my kitchen table
New rug in the living room
Sand in the bathtub (not one of my favs June-September)
Laundry folded
Open windows
Warm breeze blowing in
Something good for dinner
Son napping

Sometimes it's nice to reflect on the little things that enrich my life and to take a minute to write them down. It's now time to get back to my laundry and spray bottle, but I can do it with a smile on my face as I anticipate my favorite gals knocking on the door, all hot and sweaty from walking home from school--another of my favorite things!

Mark Birthday Surprise

2010-01-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

This year Mark's birthday surprise didn't come the usual way wrapped in a box with a big beautiful bow. Nope, this year it came on Southwest flight 438 from Sacramento. Eric and Kristin came and surprised Mark by meeting us at the same restaurant that we (together with the Price's) have celebrated their birthdays for years up in Sacramento. Mark was stunned when we walked into the restaurant and saw them sitting at the kitchen table waiting for us. We spent the weekend together at the beach, eating out, going to the temple, eating out, going to the movies, boogie boarding (not Kristin and I), whale watching and eating out.

A nice shot of Eric and Kristin--I love the beautiful background.

Aboard the whale watching boat.Not the boat we were on, but one can dream.

If You Don't Believe Me...

2010-01-31T20:28:00.000-08:00

...Count the candles! The love of my life turned 40 this month, though no one believes it. So here's the proof for all of you who agree with me that Mark looks better than ever!! Happy Birthday Love!!

Memory Lane

2010-01-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

Each time a eat a Lindor truffle the same floodgate of memories opens wide. It was probably 19 years ago, the summer after my high school graduation, that my family (meaning my parents and the younger three kids) went on a two week, six country, whirlwind trip to Europe. We had a lot of fun, and definitely expanded our horizons--but I remember eating a lot of spaghetti (no matter what country we were in) because it was familiar. But what the chocolates always bring to mind is when we were in a train station waiting for our next sleeper car and my dad disappeared and resurfaced again with a bag full of pretty, shiny, red balls wrapped in cellophane. The first one I popped in my mouth was like heaven. I loved the silky chocolate center. They were rich and satisfying. My dad rationed them, so we only got one every once in a while, but that didn't matter because I knew he had more. They were the perfect companion to travel the rails with.

I didn't see them in the states for many years after that, and now they have become kind of ordinary. But for me, they will always represent train rides through beautiful countrysides, and time spent with my family. Ahhhh. I think I will go have another.

They Did It!!!!!!

2010-01-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Abbie and Emma for completing the CANDY DEAL!! They were able to abstain from eating ANY candy for 12 whole months. The girls were amazingly diligent, never cheated or complained, and Abbie is even thinking about doing it again this year! Wahooo, Look what you can do when you set your mind to it!

New Year's Eve

2010-01-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

We spent New Year's Eve with the Madsen Family. It was a beautiful day so we ventured off to Torry Pines Reserve to enjoy some hiking and panoramic views. Later that night we celebrated with Starwars and homemade donuts. Yumm!

Christmas Hightlights---Get Comfortable

2010-01-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!! In the spirit of thorough documentation, I have compiled some photos from our Christmas celebration. We really enjoyed our time together over the past few weeks. Christmas dinner wouldn't be complete without the crowns and jokes from inside the tradional Christmas Crackers--a tradtion I brought home from my mission to England.

Matthew was in train heaven.

Emma got a new set of wheels!

In the middle of all the action on Christmas Eve!! We have such a good time when we get together as a family (minus Sarah and Jake).

One Sunday night in December we got together with friends to act out the Christmas Story from Luke chapter 2. Emma and her friend were sweet (and funny) little angels.

He's no pirate! He's a shepherd, of course.

Our narator and our super WISE man.

We spent one night looking at the Christmas lights at the Temple. My kids loved walking around.

Last year we came upon a living nativity in Rancho Santa Fe and we knew it would become a tradition. The kids loved the camel rides again this year.

Here we are with our new friends, the Curtis family. The Roman soldiers are keeping us in line.

Abbie and Emma sang in a Children's Christmas Choir this year as part of a Choir Concert put on by our stake. I have never seen such a beautifully done choir concert--ever.

Christmas Dilemma

2009-12-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

For many people the Christmas season is made special by their family traditions. Families bake cookies together, exchange gifts, carol, give service--the list is practically endless. For my family making Sedgwick English Toffee tops our list. It is a tradition that has lasted decades, beginning when my mother wooed my father with it, sealing the deal with his wedding proposal. The toffee is THAT good. (OK, the toffee is really that good, even though the story may or may not be true).
So what could possibly be the dilemma then? The problem is that I am on the "Candy Deal" which is another, more recent Sedgwick family tradition where the participants go without eating candy for an entire year. Do you see where I am headed? How can one blast Karen Carpenter singing, "I'll be home fore Christmas" and stand at the stove top for 30-45 minutes (times MANY batches) and make English Toffee if I can't EAT any of it. A couple of my sisters have made exceptions for English Toffee in the Candy Deal. I mean really, can you trust a candy maker's toffee if they refuse to eat it themselves? We have said that we can eat it as an ice cream topping--but that's not working really well. Do I really have to eat a WHOLE BOWL full ice cream when all I really want to do is make sure that the toffee is good enough to give away?? And here is another problem--today when I took a picture of the toffee, I accidentally knocked some off of the table and it fell to the floor. As I cleaned it up I absentmindedly popped a piece into my mouth. What did I discover? It stuck to my teeth!!!!! I made that batch several days ago and hadn't gotten around to giving it all away, and the toffee that was left was not up to par. I know, this is getting serious.
So, I am a in a full dilemma. I don't know what to do. If I make an exception for the toffee, I will feel like I have to justify eating a little toffee after abstaining from candy for 11 1/2 months. If I don't eat the toffee, I might end up giving someone sticky or burned toffee AND end up eating too much ice cream. What would you do??

Thankful for Grandparents

2009-12-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving break which was made even better by a long awaited visit from Grandma and Grandpa Rowen. We loved spending time together. They hadn't been to San Diego in a long time, so we were determined to show them a good time. We went to the beach, hot tubbing and to Coronado Island. We watched movies, shopped, ate mexican food and played at the park. It was perfect. We can't wait for them to come back!

A Work in Progess

2009-11-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there. Sorry for the messed up blog layout. I am trying to learn how to make a banner (without photoshop or any other cool tool) and will likely fall asleep in my chair before I get it figured out. We took this photo this morning and I want to add it to my banner. So, until it works, my blog might look a little jumbled.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We sure did. So much to be grateful for. I'll post pictures soon.

My Sweet Son

2009-11-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to bed feeling gross. This morning I woke up (if you can call it that since I was awake most of the night) feeling worse. Mark was sweet and got the kids off to school as I sat on the couch--I was sick of my bed by then. After he left I was worried how I was going to handle the morning with my active little guy (see below post). Well, I learned that he is considerate beyond his years. All morning he let me sit on that couch as he watched Thomas the Tank Engine over and over again. Occassionally he brought me some crackers that I had set out on the table. What a sweetie. Thank you, thank you.

Within Minutes

2009-11-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Right now this little guy is resting quietly in his crib. Every day, for at least 2 hours, he takes a really good nap. And it's no wonder, when you take into account how much mischief he gets into in a given period of time. For example, let me just recount the last few days around here. Two days ago, while making dinner Emma came into the kitchen to tell me that Matthew had made a big mess in the playroom. What did I find? Soft, squishy, old top ramen noodles ground into the carpet. Fifteen minutes after cleaning that up, Emma found me again...this time he had gotten into the chocolate chips and had eaten/smirred them all over himself and scattered them all over the couch. The funny thing was that while I was cleaning them up, he was still trying to shove as many in his mouth as possible. My last example: yesterday he wanted to watch a movie so I took the opportuntiy to take a quick shower. When I came down stairs he was still seated on the couch, but with the box of fishy crackers (that he found) in his lap. I figured that I could let that slide since I had a nice shower without interruption. However, I then discovered that he not only got into the crackers, but also into all of the vitamins (thank goodness for child locks). He managed to slide a chair over to the counter, climb on, open the cabinets, then find and open one container and shake them all over the countertop. Of course I had to see if he had eaten, any so I stuck one in my mouth. I had a hard time biting through it and when I did, I was sorry. I was rinsing and spitting for a good long time. Disgusting. Needless to say, I felt safe that he hadn't swallowed or eaten anything harmful. But really, what is he going to get into next? And why don't I supervise my child? It all happens too fast, within minutes.

Halloween

2009-11-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

What a fun day! Halloween is always a lot of fun around here. Did some one say, "that's because you are a candy addict--or at least used to be?" Did someone say that?? I thought I heard someone say that. Hum. Anyway, I wasn't sure if Halloween this year was going to be as much fun since the girls and I are on the "candy deal" (NO CANDY for one year). But the day was full of fun activities, a party and trick or treating. NO one missed eating the candy (OK, the girls didn't miss eating the candy--I am still cryin inside). Abbie and Emma while sorting out the goods.

The family gathered for a picture while our pre-trick-or-treating party got underway.

" Spooky Soups" with our neighbors and friends was a fun way to kick start the night. I've already got a plan for next time. How's this...a "Hallo Wiener Roast"

Pumpkin carving is such a mess. But worth it, not only for the cute jack o lanterns, but also for the Parmesan roasted pumpkin seeds that Mark made.

Disneyland

2009-11-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

After a two and a half year long break, we finally made it back to Disneyland! What a great place. We had a wonderful time, the kids were in heaven, no one begged for treats and souvenirs, the weather was nice, Mark was with us...perfect days. Our one and only family picture at Disneyland.

Dia de los muertos was being celbrated while we were there.

I know I look frightening, but this picture tells a great story. Here we are in line for our very first ride. Matthew spotted the rockets and HAD to jump aboard. Thank goodness the line was short because, as you can see, he is very excited. It took all of my strength to keep him from climbing over the railing.

So sweet.

More Fall Break

2009-11-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Our school district has a funny schedule. We have a shortened summer (only 8 weeks) and a couple of longer breaks throughout the school year. Modified Traditional. Apparently, during the fall break (this one) is when we are supposed to go to Hawaii along with the rest of the families in our elementary school. Being new to the school, we didn't get the memo in time and had to enjoy our break closer to home.

Mark took a few days off of work so we could all enjoy some time together. We went to Newport Beach for a few days. Though we did spend a lot of time in the MAgic Kingdom, we also enjoyed swimming, the beach and Balboa. The beach pictured above is in Corona Del Mar off of Poppy and PCH. It was beautiful--a great place for tide pools and to watch the sun set over Catalina.

We strolled along the water front on Balboa Island. The little (and not so little) houses on our path were decked out for Halloween.

Matthew and Emma enjoying a quiet moment at the dock.

Show cones the SIZE OF YOUR HEAD!!

It has been such a long time since I have been to Balboa--years. I used to go all of the time in my teens. Things have really changed. But, thank goodness one thing has not--Balboa Bars!! They are still ice cream, chocolate and nut heaven on a stick. Though only Emma and Abbie are pictured here, I am sure you can use your imagination to see me scarffing down my ice cream bar on the other end of the camera.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-09-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

How quickly time passes. It has been over a year now that we have moved to Carlsbad. In honor of this milestone, I looked through some of the pictures we took this year and came up with a few of my favorite things about living here. This post has taken a while to publish because I was going to take a few more photos to add to the blog. It never happened and I had to move on. So, as you read on, also try and imagine the hot pink utility boxes around town, the sparkeling lagoon I pass every time I go to the freeway and the San Diego Temple--only a 20 minute drive away. That should complete my list. Here are a few of my favorite things (isn't that a song)... We get lots of visitors--and LOVE THAT! In this picture we are with the Price family at La Jolla Cove.

I love the strawberry fields and flower fields in the spring. Both with an ocean view.

Beautiful beaches within minutes in every direction.

So many fun, new, and not so new places to eat. We were stoked to discover that the Oceanside Pier has a Ruby's Diner at the end of it-like the diner in Newport Beach that I went to all the time in High School.

This has got to be one of our very most favorite thing about our new home. Every evening during the weekend we can go outside and see as many as seven hot air balloons floating above our backyard waiting for the sun to set.

We LOVE being close to our family. COUSINS, COUSINS, COUSINS!!

So much to do. In this picture Mark and I are enjoying a free concert on a boat in the San Diego Harbor with some friends.

An Unfortunate Haircut

2009-09-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

Oh, the poor little guy. If he was any older or any less adorable, this haircut might have given him serious issues. But instead, luckily for him, I am the only one who won't sleep tonight. I know it's terrible. You should see the back. It doesn't look much better. This doo is actually the product of three different attempts over the course of a week or so. The first two tries were successful only as long as the roll of Smarties lasted. This third and most horrendous stab was done after he actually asked me to put him on the counter to cut his hair. I wasn't prepared with Smarites and this is what we got. Moral of the story... I think it is obvious.

Holy Mackeral!

2009-09-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our friend and home teacher Randy, and his wife Laura, took us out fishing on their boat on Saturday morning. We had such a great time. We loved being out on the ocean, learning the difference between seals and sea lions, seeing the kelp beds and the Point Loma light house. We even saw a submarine that was above water (behind a curtain) being serviced. Abbie and Emma caught a few fish near the bait station just outside the launch ramp. Fisherman who are heading down to Mexico to do some serious fishing load up here first. The girls were happy just catching the mackerals.

Watch out, Emma is behind the wheel!

Emma getting some fishing tips from Randy.

Now Abbie is behind the wheel. She went for some serious speed. Mark's face sums it up!

The Trouble with Bananas

2009-09-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one out there, or is it almost impossible to guess your family's banana consumption? I am either purchasing bananas three times a week because my family is eating them like crazy--in lunches, smoothies, snacks, etc. Or I decide to buy a bunch more than usual and they sit and sit like the brown bananas above. Don't get me wrong, this really isn't a rant. I dont mind throwing extra bananas in the freezer, or making an occasional banana nut bread with yummy chocolate chips (as is baking in the oven now while I type). I just wondered if I am alone in my inablity to guess. It drives me bananas!!

First Day of School

2009-09-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

One of life's ironies...we live in a place like Carlsbad, and end up with the shortest summer vacation of anyone we know. After just eight weeks of a purely wonderful break from school, the kids were ready to CHARGE!! Abbie to fifth grade and Emma to first. Man, are they growing fast *sniff*.

A CraZY buNCh of COusiN's

2009-08-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

Another year of Cousin's Camp is over. Once again, it was wonderful beyond our expectations. Three full days and two nights of singing, archery, swimming, hiking, crafts, FOOD, fun, play rehearsals, trampoline, big buddies etc etc etc. If they weren't a crazy bunch of cousins when camp began...they were when it was over!! All fifteen campers! This years theme as HEROS.. Each day the aunts gave devotionals sharing experiences and ideas about heros--heros among us, the hero within and the ultimate Hero.

Ruthie, Emma and Lucy settling in to sing some campfire songs.

Monica--the craziest camper of them all. Cousin's Camp would not exist without Monica. She is definitely a hero to us.

Aunt Cathy taught the kids how to tie dye. The shirts were so bright and colorful. The campers were thrilled.

Aunt Sarah, Mary Markoff, Uncle Jake and Grandma.

Madison was always smiling.

Matthew and Hannah enjoyed a few friendly games of tetherball; but they enjoyed the licorice they seemed to be constantly eating even more.

Mary taught Abbie, Anna, Ruth and Madison a synchronized swimming routine.

The barn on Empty Saddle--where all of the fun takes place.

This year Anna created this hang out for the girls.

The last night of camp is always the uncles fireside. The kids look forward to this as much as anything else because their uncles always have the greatest, most inspiring stories to tell.

Camp would be incomplete without all of the singing...

...and without the Ukelele.

Love my girl!

Putting on a top notch play has become a highlight at camp. This year uncle Greg wrote a hilarious (and possibly somewhat political) play about who heros are, and who they are not. The kids had a great time hamming it up!

Dave played Nephi (definitely a positive hero) who came to Wendy (of Peter Pan fame) because she was afraid of growing up. He introduced Wendy to many would be heros and guided her through the process of deciding which examples to follow in life. You wonder why Nephi is playing an electric guitar??? To quote a line from the play, "you've heard of teh sword of Laban, this is the the AXE of Laban.

Harry and Hermione--they show courage and fight the bad guy (that's heroic), but are they really good role models???

Every moment of camp was wonderful. As a mother, I am so grateful that my kids have this opportunity ever summer. They come home talking, laughing and reminising about all the funthey had, but the also come home with a stronger testimony of the gospel and strengthened family ties. You can't beat camp!!

Family Reunion Update

2009-08-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

A highlight in July was going to Utah for a Rowen family reunion. It had been way too long since we had seen some of our family--and there was some family we hadn't even met yet. We had one week to jam pack with as much fun as possible and I think we suceeded. We can't wait for next time. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

Hilary with hubby Lewis. Are they cute or what?

Emma got this hat for her birthday a few weeks ago and thought that a hike up Rock Canyon would be the perfect place to try it out.

Mark and I with the kids and cousin Austin

On the way down the canyon, the boys were learning how to whistle.

Matthew loved Austin

Grand daddy of us all.

Abbie's birthday fell during our trip. We all had a great time celebrating with her.

As you see, Matthew got in on the action. Baby Grace with mommy Deana!

Matthew loves Eric.

Here's the Birthday girl!!

A little bit too much noise at Abbie's birthday party.

We love having lunch at the Garden restaurant at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Cute Emma in front of the SL Temple

Secret fishing spot of Grandpa's. The family was up at the crack of dawn to go fishing with Grandpa Rowen. The excitement got them out of bed...the donuts kept them going.

Abbie's first fish, what a beauty! Cousin Maddy was next with her fish.

Way to go Emma!

Here's Collin's with his catch of the day. The kids kept uncle Eric busy baiting all morning.

Unfortunately, you just can't force an almost two year old to sit for a picture when he has other things on his mind. The rest of the kids and grandparents had a great time though!

Getting there is half the fun!

2009-08-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

If you prefer to read about events as they happen chronologically (as I admit, I do) , scroll down, read about Cedar Breaks and then scroll back up (Unfortunately, this posting is turning into an IQ test. I really need to read Blogging for Dummies because I have spent too much time trying to move these photos of Cove Fort below the pictures of Cedar Breaks).

A stop at Cove Fort was next on our agenda, preceded by a quick picnic on the grass outside. Cove Fort was great. We loved learning about life for the Hinckley family during their days here. Ira Hinckley (President Hinckley's grandfather) was asked to build this fort as a way station for early travelers. After the fort was built, it became a center for activity--complete with a telgraph station, post office, dinner and beds for travelers, a blacksmith shop, huge barn etc. Our kids were facinated by all of the artifacts from the time period. They just loved it.This summer we took our first road trip as a family from So.Cal to Utah. It can be quite a daunting drive with three children, as many know. WELL, WELL, WELL, we made the most of our drive to Grandma's this summer and definitely went over the mountains and throught the woods.

We left our home on Friday at noon and drove through the Mojave desert to Las Vegas, arriving around 5PM. First of all, I had forgotten how much I disliked Vegas. To be fair, I should actually say that what I really hate is the strip. It's such a filthy, keep your eyes low, kind of a place. But, on the positive side, staying in Vegas did give us the opportunity to enjoy a few stops on Saturday morning... Abbie loved all of the wild flowers at Cedar Breaks. We ALL loved the cool, crisp air. Seriously, the freshnes of the air, after driving through the hot desert was dreamy! Matthew, in particular, was totally excited by the views. "Abba, Ewww", "momma, momma!" translation..."Abbie, look, isn't that neat?", "Mom, you've gotta see this!"

Here's the whole gang at one of the beautiful look out spots. We all loved Cedar Breaks. It was a short distance out of our way, but the views and fresh air (minus a few cracks of thunder that terrified Emma) made the side trip 100% worth it.

Emma Turns SIX

2009-07-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated our Sweet Emma's birthday. What a gal! Emma had been planning every detail of this day for weeks, so thank goodness it was a success! Every other year we do a party with friends-this was Emma's year. We had a Hawaiian Luau for Emma and her friends. They ate lunch, made cute hair clips, learned a hula dance, played octopus tag, ate cake an, of course, ice cream.Emma had a great time.

Forth of July

2009-07-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing. I am having a hard time putting two sentences together tonight, but I want to get some of these pictures posted. I shouldn't work on this type of thing when all I really want to do is go to bed. We enjoyed a really fun night with friends at the Lone Tree park in Rocklin. Abbie with her BFF Emma!It was a HOT day and Kristin and I were kicking ourselves that we didn't wear our swimsuits. Instead we just sat in the shade as much as possible.

China Bar off of the America River (I think). We spent the Forth of July weekend back in Rocklin. We had a wonderful time visiting with some of our dearest friends in the world and enjoying family time at Grandma Funk's 80th birthday celebration. We fell right back into old friendships. I love how that happens!!

Oh oh!

2009-05-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, after a very productive morning, we decided to go to Del Mar to enjoy the rest of our day. Right before we left Mark was working on the sprinklers and accidentally broke the sprinkler valve (while the sprinklers were in the ON position). He fiddled around with the valves and tried to turn the main water off but nothing he tried work. I called the water district to see if they could help ( I'm thinking $$$ fines and huge bill if the water stays on forever). They of course weren't working today, so they connected us to their emergency dispatcher.

This is what showed up at our house 10 minutes later.

It caused quite a stir around here. I thought it was hilarious, Abbie was MORTIFIED, Emma was the only one who would pose for a photo, Mark felt just a little sheepish (but he can't help that he is so big and strong that he breaks water valves), the neighbors were curious and some were probably thinking, "Oh shoot, I haven't met the new neighbors yet, I can't just go over there NOW and find out what's happening!" (so they sent their kids instead), and one friend came racing up our driveway to offer to take our kids for a while so we could deal with whatever drama caused the fire truck to be parked outside our house.

SO FUNNY!

And in case you are wondering, the outside water was turned off, the truck left, we went to the beach after all, and best of all, we finally got to see some of our tax dollars working in our favor. What a day!

Not My BEST Idea

2009-05-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I had the bright idea to put Matthew in his seat with a little snack so I could get a some things done. So I set my 20 month old baby up with apple slices and a mound of peanut butter to dip them in. This is what I came back to. Why didn't I see this one coming?

2009-04-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

Look at these berries!! If there has been one theme around our house during the past couple of weeks, it has been strawberries. Last week I hosted an Enrichment Activity over here where I did a demonstration of making freezer jam. Ahead of time I made several batches of jam using four different types of pectin--I have probably made 9 batches of jam so far (I can't commit to being done yet). At the activity the gals and I tested the four jams and discussed what we liked most about each recipe. It was fun to be able to compare the different flavors and textures. And, in case you are wondering, I think I am going to go for the reduced sugar recipe from now on--it's almost as tasty as the others AND so much better for you.
Also berry related, is my fantastic find of the century. There is a cute little strawberry stand that I go to (where to kids picked their own berries) which sells beautiful, plump berries for $30 a flat. THAT'S EXPENSIVE! The lady who runs the stand told me that they also have a packing facility that they send their berries to to be packaged for grocery stores, etc. She told me where it was hidden and said that I could buy their berries there for a little less money. I thought it was worth a try, and drove to a big white warehouse with no store front. I found an office and asked if I could buy strawberries. The man working in the office said, "yep, that will be $11" and brought out a flat of the same big, bright, beautiful berries. I couldn't believe my luck and had to resist running to my car to get out of there before he changed his mind.
The last berrilicious item--Strawberry picking. So simple, and so fun. My kids still talk about it as the best thing we did over Spring Break. For $6 each, they were given a bucket to fill with as many berries as they could pick. They had a blast. Though I'm not sure whether they ended up putting more berries in their mouths or in their buckets .

Easter Festivities

2009-04-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

Easter is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the mild weather, the beautiful spring colors, and the Cadbury chocolate eggs (not this year). But especially, I love the opportunity it gives us to think of Jesus' life and ultimate gift to all of us. In honor of Him, this week our family spent time every day learning about his ministry, singing songs, and giving compliments and service to each other. I didn't take pictures of much of that part though. So instead, here are some pictures of the beautiful mild weather and spring colors part.

An Easter feast at Cathy and Allen's house, Pictures in our back yard, and our traditional Old Jerusalem feast at home. Grandma Bird, Mary Markoff, Allen, Monica and Greg doing what we do best at any get together--sitting around and talking.

Our Matriarch. Grandma will be 96 years old in June.

No eggs in there, Abbie! Emma, taking a moment to smile for the camera.

Matthew was a serious little egg hunter. He liked the colorful eggs just as much as the candy.

Abbie-dabby-do and me. What a gal!

OOOH, I love these guys!!!

Sorry gals, these two are MINE!!

Easter on the "candy deal." You won't find any candy in this basket this year. Emma, along with Abbie and me- aren't eating candy for a year. This year, the Easter Bunny had to get more creative, filling baskets with powdered donuts, fruit by the foot and black olives--yes, black olives.

Matthew is attempting the impossible. He loves cucumbers.

During the week leading up to Easter we try to do a few activities and lessons that teach about Christ's life, time, and teachings. One of our favorite activities is an Old Jerusalem style feast (usually eaten in recline style) but for obvious reasons--he's 18 months, we ate at the table. This year our feast included grilled (broiled) fish, nuts, fruits, cucumbers, and grape juice (our version of wine).

Happy Birthday

2009-04-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a second for a quick tribute to my mom. Today is her birthday. She will be spending it at the temple--the same way she has spent almost every Friday for the past decade. Mom is the most compassionate, understanding and generous person I know. She loves her family and always tells us how proud she is us of, and of each other.
I am grateful for how much she loves my kids and husband. She truly does love them, and shows it in many ways.

Happy Birthday Mom! The world was made better the day you were born!!

Carlsbad Flower Fields

2009-04-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

First day of Spring Break!! Yay!! Yesterday was a cousin filled day at the Carlsbad Flower Fields.

Such vivid colors!

Abbie with her cousins Madison and Ruth. Yes, that is the ocean in the background.

Matthew was my buddy today. He had a great time NOT being in a stroller--free to roam.

Caught in the Act

2009-02-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

The proof...three cookies with huge baby bites in them.More proof...A chocolatey smile on his face and cookie crumbs everywhere.

Should I be concerned? Is it normal to find that your 17 month old baby has found a stool and pushed it across two rooms in order to eat the chocolate chip cookies on the counter? At first I thought that maybe someone had left the stool there and he just climbed up. But no. After I put the stool back, there he was again pushing it across the floor, heading right back to the cookies. Crazy kid!

How do you spell relief?

2009-02-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the weird title, but really, it was such a Relief to have two of my nearest and dearest's come down and visit me for the weekend. Rachelle and Danee left their kids and hubbies up north and flew down for a WONDERFUL girls weekend with ME! I can't begin to explain how great it was to see them after moving away this fall. It was like a comfy blanket, a tall glass of water on a hot day and a See's Candies Scotch Mallow all in one and somehow going together.
Our weekend was complete with everything a great girl's weekend should have. We shopped, ate at yummy restaurants, went to the beach a couple times, listened to inspiring talks -thanks to Mary Ellen Edmonds speaking in my mom's stake and a Family Symposium in another. We also squeezed in a sewing project and making toffee and still managed to get to bed before two in the morning each night. OOOh, it was so fun.
It seemed so natural to be with my pals again. After I took them to the airport on Sunday morning, I half expected to hear from them later that day asking if they could borrow something, offering to drive my kids somewhere or letting me know about a sale I just couldn't miss. But alas...
But thank goodness I didn't move to ____ (fill in the blank). San Diego has a draw all it's own, and although my friends will protest and say they'd come visit me anywhere if they could, I know that with the beach and sun in my favor I will see them again and again!

Deal of the Year!!

2009-01-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

My niece, Amanda, has a company that produces the most adorably soft sleepers and blankets on the planet. Her company is called MyNochi. Her peoducts have been sold in specialty boutiques and at Nordstrom. To simplify her life, she now sells them direct through this website.
http://www.mynochi.com/

For the next two weeks, all of the blankets and sleepers (my personal favorite), will be sold at drastically reduced prices for all family and friends. Check it out!!

Birthday Man

2009-01-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

Well, this was the best I could do tonight on the eve on MArk's birthday. WHY WOULDN'T HE SMILE FOR THE PICTURE? He should know by now that I don't give up so easily! So, with or without a fancy picture to go along with this, I want to say that I am thankful for this wonderful man whose birthday is tomorrow. He is the man of my dreams, my best friend in the world. Mark is kind to everyone, he's a loving father, a wonderful provider. I count my blessings often, and he tops my list. How did I get so lucky!!! Happy birthday, love.

Watch for Her Name in LIGHTS!

2009-01-18T22:38:00.000-08:00

Do any of you remember being in school plays in elementary school? Ohh, I do! I lived for them. I recall playing everything from a cooky, meditating lady in a play about garbage to an old granny with a dying horse! I loved practicing the lines and learning the staging and choreography, but I especially loved the day of the performances.

The apple doesn't fall from from the tree, so they say. And that is true with Abbie. The drama club at her school preformed the Wizard of Oz on Thursday. Abbie played the scarecrow and was brilliant. She acted with enthusiam and sang her little heart out in her solo of "if I only had a brain." Watch out Broadway, here she comes!

Hidden Treasure

2009-01-18T22:10:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was a BEAUTIFUL day around here so after school we headed to the beach. To our amazement this is what we found. STARFISH EVERYWHERE!!! The end of the jetty at Ponto Beach is usually 20 feet under water, but thanks to a very very low tide, we had all this fun..

Emma liked "looking with her eyes and NOT with her hands!"

Abbie, on the other hand, was in starfish handling heaven.
Matthew was just happy to be there!

A great Reason to Miss School

2009-01-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

Our friends were in town today. The Neilson's were in Newport Beach enjoying a week of fun with their family, and this afternoon we crashed the party!! Since I didn't bring my camera, you'll just have to imagine the girls faces as they squeezed their friends tight, swam, smiled from ear to ear, made up water dances and squeezed their friends some more. Though I refrained from the water dances etc., I was equally as happy to see Leslie and Dave. After spending the last few months now trying to "make friends" it was so great to spend time TALKING to friends. No questions about where we were from, what brought us here, or where MArk and I met. Just talking, laughing and me trying to convince them to move down here--something that anyone who comes for a visit will have to endure--sorry.

Catch Up

2009-01-04T21:19:00.001-08:00

Here is my attempt to catch up on reporting the events of our lives. As anyone knows who has moved (and who hasn't moved) it's an all consuming affair. Not only did we have to pack up again (after just four months in our rental), but we also had the complexity of doing some cosmetic work to the house before we could move in. Add replacing all of the existing flooring in the house, repainting it AND trying to have it all ready by Christmas Eve, and you've got quite a production on your hands. At times we thought we were crazy, but in the end it all worked out great and we are settling in just fine!!

Our home...before replacing the yucky tile and blue grey carpet with doggy hair accents.

The same room on Christmas Eve after Santa worked late into the night transforming it from a construction zone into a family room complete with a new Christmas tree, some furniture and all of the decorations and presents!!

The kids enjoyed decorating this gingerbread house this year, though we all really missed our traditional gingerbread house making party with our Rocklin neighbors.

We didn't chop our tree down by ourselves this year, but I have to admit it was the cheapest and best looking tree we've had in a while--and it only took about ten minutes!

A new tradition... a local church in the area presents a "living nativity" each year. They invite the whole community to enjoy a re-creation of the events leading to Christ's birth. The church property is transformed into the old town of Bethlehem complete with Roman soldiers collecting taxes (actually giving kids chocolate coins so they can pay taxes), free camel rides and a mid-eastern baazar!! What fun!!

I love my boy!!

2009-01-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

The other day Matthew and I were playing upstairs. He wanted to ride on my back as I crawled around and pretended I was his horse. No problem. So up he goes and I start crawling around while trying to keep him steady at the same time. We tried this a few times. I thought we were having fun until he got off, looked at me--making sure he had eye contact, and then got down on HIS hands and knees, crawled, then LOOKED at me again (driving in the "do you get it now?" look) and hopped back on my back. After his brief tutorial we were in much better shape. Thank goodness for his 15 months of experience!!!

Apology

2008-12-14T20:13:00.001-08:00

Well friends, I just couldn't let my no-blog streak continue. We have been doing great, but I have just been too lazy or distracted or something to sit down and record what's been happening around here. So let me do a quick "sum up" of the last 6 weeks. House hunting, house "offering" (8 offers to be exact) and finally, house BUYING! We have finally, after seeing a trillion houses, bought a home and close escrow TOMORROW! We love the neighborhood, the yard, the proximity to school and shopping, the extra 20 minutes Mark will have each day of family time, and the closeness to the beach (two miles). Although we get the keys tomorrow, we won't move in until Christmas. I'll post some pictures soon, and you'll see why.

It feels so good be a blogger again!!!

He's A-Walkin'

2008-11-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick little video of Matthew walking around. Usually he is a little camera shy and falls to his hands and knees whenever a camera comes around. So this is a treat!!

Election Eve

2008-11-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

Can you tell what that little bumper sticker on the middle of my window says? Well, I'm not going to tell you, but I will tell you how it got there.

This afternoon, I took my kids with me to do some friendly YES ON 8 sign waving. When we got to the street corner we found that no one was there. Confused, I drove on to a much larger intersection where I have held signs before to see if I just got the location wrong. When we got there, to my dismay, there were a lot of Noers but not a lot of YESSER's waving signs. I drove around not sure what to do. I REALLY wanted to stand with my sign and felt that more bodies in yellow were needed, but I felt uncomfortable taking my young kids with me into an environment where we were outnumbered (those of you who have been doing this can imagine why).

Then I remembered Abbie's yellow car paint. A few weeks ago Abbie asked if she could paint our car windows with YES on 8 slogans. Today I had bought the paint! So I pulled into a neighbornood and we went to work painting five of our van windows. When we finished, I turned up the music in the car (again, if you have been doing this you'll know why) and drove back to the busy intersection. I drove around and around, honking my support for Prop 8.

Finally after a few go 'rounds, I decided that we could get out and join the others. In the time it took us to paint our windows and return, Prop 8 supporter numbers had swollen into a very large group and there was a section of mostly families. We stood shoulder to shoulder waving our support amidst more craziness than I have ever seen on the eve of an election. I felt like I was part of something historic.

After a while it was time to take my kids home. As I approached my "freshly sloganed" minivan I noticed a new sticker on the back window. "Oh, puleeeze!", I thought, but I wasn't surprised. While we were away, someone had slapped this sticker onto my car. Maybe to get revenge for my stand for truth? Who knows. All I know is that the "Goof off" I'll have to use to remove it (the left over sticky stuff at least) has been very well named.

Weekend Update...

2008-10-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to update a few pictures. Last weekend we discovered Imperial Beach in Oceanside. It's a great "all day" kind of beach. It is very accessible, has good bathrooms, a HUGE playgound on the sand, and the best part is the PIER--complete with a Ruby's Diner at the end. I'm not sure what I loved the most...watching the surfers, fishermen and sunset, or enjoying fries and shakes with the kids. It's a toss up.

These other pictures were taken at the Dana Point Harbor--the fresh sea air enhanced Matthew's walking ability!!

...To Grandma's House We Go!

2008-10-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we had such a fun visit with Grandma Bird. For those of you who don't know my grandma, let me tell you a little bit about her. First of all, she is 95 years old, though you would never know it by looking at her. In her 95 years she and my grandpa have travelled all over the world--inspiring the adventurous spirit in me, to be sure. She has had many friends and an interesting family , but has lived in only a couple of places. Grandma is known with love for her generosity towards all of her grandkids. We love grandma!!

With this little intro, let me tell you of our fun visit. Grandma greeted us at Freedom Villiage and invited us to her home with lots of kisses to go around. We visited for a while about our moving down here, the kids transition, and about my mom's recent travels. Then she got up and began making delicious ice cream sundaes for us. I got up to help her because I didn't like watching her go to all of that trouble by herself, but she insisted on working alone, so instead I just admired her work. She pulled out five pretty glass dessert bowls and carefully loaded them with strawberry ice cream, bananas, whipped cream , two cookies and a cherry. My girl's large eyes were priceless. Once she finished the sundaes, Grandma served us one by one and we continued talking in between bites.

Grandma probably doesn't have too many opportunities to make sundaes anymore. She probably doesn't have much chance to serve at all. At 95 years, people are usually looking after her. I thought about that as I watched her work and felt grateful for Margaret. I remembered the stories she's told about raking pine needles off of the roof in her high heeled shoes, while enduring her neighbor's complaint that Mr. Bird wouldn't like it. Grandma was a hard worker (some things don't skip a generation) and I'd imagine she still wants to feel useful today.

So...my point? Go visit (or write) your grandma. I 'll bet that she's a lot like mine. She'd love the company and might even have some morsels of wisdom (or an ice cream sundae) to pass along--who couldn't use some of that.

Two all beef patties, special sauce...

2008-10-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

Great news for all of you McDonald's boycotters out there!!! Because of efforts from families like yours, McDonald's has announced that it will remain neutral in regards to same sex marriage in California. Prior to this, McDonald's had officially offered support to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Events like this really get me excited. When people take the time to call companies or governments and express their opinion, things change. Not only as an indivual can you feel better knowing that you are taking a stand, but your voice, banded together with others can promote change.
The only problem is that I enjoyed having McDonald's off of our list of fast food choices. I didn't have to say "anything but McDonald's " anymore. My kids knew that we were boycotting the golden arches and never asked. But after the good news of today, I suppose I need to tell my kids the news. I mean, I'd really be missing out on a good teaching moment if I didn't tell them that their efforts (and sacrifice) paid off. Right????? I guess we'll be getting shakes after school today.

A Step in the Right Direction

2008-10-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, this feels good. For me, this is kind of like a confession, and it has been long in coming. FIVE years in coming. These shoes. I know. They are terrible. In fact, I'm not sure that terrible is an adequate word to describe my fall/winter boots of the last half decade. I want to say that I don't know why I still have them--and worse yet still wear them, but I do know why. I know exactly why. In fact, these shoes actually say a lot about me. I'm cheap.

Of course, I liked them when I bought them and they were probably in style at the time too. Or at least only out of style for a little while. The problem is that I held on to them for so so long. Maybe it was the cushy sole, or the slick side zipper. Maybe I just liked the worn out toe or the fact that my socks didn't have to match my outfit when I wore these. But mostly, I just never wanted to spend the money when I went out shopping for shoes.

Today I bought a replacement (on sale of course) and I think things are going to change for me. My new shoes are black leather ballet flats-- the cute kind. I got them at Anne Taylor Loft when I was in there looking for something else. I've got a new spring in my step. It's a great feeling to let these shoes go! Talk about starting out the season on the right foot.

Happy Birthday Buddy

2008-10-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here is our birthday boy!!! I love this little face and what a sweet boy too!!
Higher dad!!! You should hear the giggles from Matthew when Mark throws him up in the air. He loves it. I, on the other hand, don't usually like to see him hurled up in the sky and have to leave the room. But today, in the pool, it was a lot of fun.

After swimming and pizza, it was cake time!! Mark was close by to give Matthew some encouragement.

He started with the Junior Mints.

A little encouragement went a long way!

Beach Day

2008-09-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I love about the idea of living close to the beach again is being able to go at a moment's notice. Saturday afternoon, after we had finished working around the house, we headed over to enjoy eating sand, chasing birds and riding waves.

Moonlight Beach

2008-09-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

After four hectic days of moving in to our home, starting a new school and living in relative chaos, we took the kids to the beach with some neighbors (who happen to have kids our kid's ages AND who go to school and church with them) for smores and night time fun at the beach!