Utah Trip

So, we went to Utah last week for several days and visited briefly with some great friends and grandparents up north, and then spent a few days down south with Jeremy's family. It's really tough to have only a small amount of time to visit for traveling so far. I wish the kids and I at least could have stayed another week. Not sure that we'll be able to get back there before our next planned trip to Utah in July 2013 for a reunion on my side. It's a sad business living far from family and friends, but we are very happy that we have a good job, home, ward, and growing opportunities here in California that were just not available to us at the time in Utah. Someday, things will work out for us to have it all, I guess. :) Anyway, the kids had a BLAST playing with their cousins and fishing with their uncles. There was some altitude sickness and general travel grumpiness, but overall, not a terrible experience. I kind of wish the kids could be seen on their own turf, then our family could really get a glimpse into who these little people really are. As always, I'm trying like mad to devise some way to get to visit more people more often...video calls are great, but not enough for me. Growing up in San Diego where all my closest friends were my cousins and all the important adults in my life were my aunts/uncles and grandparents and every holiday, birthday, and sunday was spent just enjoying each other's company, it makes me long for my kids to have those same kinds of relationships.

Nora & Grizzlies game

My baby is turning 2 this week. My goodness how quickly time passes and how big babies get. She talks a lot. She is potty trained! She feeds herself. She is very independent. She plays with dolls and likes to play dress up, too. She is a little girl. We need to stop calling her Baby. We went to a baseball game last night to celebrate. She a pretty good time drinking soda and eating cupcakes. Happy Birthday this Thursday to a stinkin' cute girl!

Morro Bay & Pismo Beach

We went to the coast for our anniversary and spent a Friday and Saturday at Morro Bay and Pismo Beach. We have not been away on a trip overnight without kids since Paul was 14 months old. It was time to have some personal time. We had so much fun! We scouted for shells on the beach, sat on the warm sand, explored around, saw lots of different beach and sea animals up close, went to lots of little trinket shops, ate GREAT food at local places right on the water, tried a bunch of different kinds of salt water taffy, watched boats and surfers, appreciated beautiful landscape, walked on the pier, swam in a heated pool, and R-E-L-A-X-E-D. One night was not enough. Now I can't wait to plan our next trip!

Waiting

We wait, wait, wait with wonderful anticipation of the things we want most.
When we know a specified ending, patience is a virtue we can welcome close.
When we know there will certainly be an end, but wonder, "When, when, WHEN?!"
Our world is woefully worked over and widened 'til we accept that winter will last a little longer before spring.
We are at our absolute worst when we are weakened by ineffective doubt, worry, and wishfulness about what time will bring.
Where do we wind up on this road? What profit can we wrestle from it? Why do we waste away here?
We must withstand. We must wake up to what we know. There is an end to all waiting although it may not be clear.

Paul's 6th birthday

We went to the splash park and just hung out, ate pizza and spiderman cupcakes, and had a great time. Not much more to say than that.

Photo Book

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School

So the school year is coming to a close. Paul gets out on June 8th. I've gotten used to him being gone for a few hours during the day, so this summer may get a little hectic. One thing is for sure, I have to establish a routine and have activities for the kids to do every day or else I'm going to go crazy. The biggest thing Paul has learned this year is how to work, so I am sure I can get him to do workbooks, coloring, and journaling. My plan is to have 2 hours a day devoted to the kids doing some kind of school. I have a big pocket calendar with seasons, days of the week, patterns, weather, and numbers. Last year we did that and the kids seemed to like it a lot. There are two closets in Paul and Katie's room. I only use one for hanging clothes. The other one is where we had the calendar last year. It's a fun little nook that I want to put some chalkboard paint on the wall and hang the calendar over that so it can be our little "school corner." I'm on the lookout for a cheap little table and chair set so that we can do writing and coloring activities right there in the room instead of the kitchen. I'm actually getting kind of excited.

It won't be all work and no play. It's summer for crying out loud! We have that great park right across the street, and about ten within walking/biking distance. We also have 2 different splash parks within a 20-25 minute drive. I bought Storyland and Playland tickets, we can have a zoo day, and I really want to go camping overnight with at least Paul and Katie. Nora may still be too small. At any rate, there are plenty of things to keep us busy this summer. I just have to have a plan. If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear! :)