Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Yesterday for playgroup, the stroller brigade went to the mall to visit Santa. I think there were more kids NOT excited to see Santa than there were excited. Max fell into the NOT excited category. He was doing fine while we watched the other kids go. I told him he needed to sit on Santa's lap and tell Santa to bring toys for him to Nanny's house. He was ready to go until I started walking toward Santa--then the melt down began. Max started scream-crying for "Mommy Addi" which he usually does when there are a lot of other mom's around. He doesn't want anyone to get confused. When I told him he needed to ask Santa for some toys, he started screaming, "Toys! Toys!" so I would come get him. Jack didn't even get the chance to get out of the stroller and sit by his brother (which actually worked better for me since Jack kept sleeping all through our yummy lunch at Olive Garden). Maybe next year, Santa.

September 2010

Everyone now has until September 2010 to come visit us in San Francisco. That's right--we are committed to the city for three more years because this morning Blake got an email accepting him to the Orthodontic Program at Pacific. Way to go Blake! All four of us are so excited to call this city our home for the next few years--there is still so much we haven't done. So, what did we do to celebrate this news? Well, Blake got the email at 6 this morning, left for work at 7:30 am, and then after work, his class and a meeting, he didn't get home until 9 pm. So, the celebrating consisted of Max staying up late to say "Congrats" and then going to bed. We are quite the party animals.

TGIT--O Christmas Tree!

Today we hopped in the car and drove out of the city, down south to the enchanted forest of Home Depot in hopes of finding a magical tree to help celebrate the Christmas Season. First we stopped by Burger King to fuel up before we started the long hike up the parking lot to the "Outdoors and Garden" department. We searched high and low and went through a very selective process until we found the perfectly shaped (and priced) tree! I know you can't tell from the picture, but this tree has the best star-topper branch!
Once the tree was cut and paid for, we started the long trek back down the parking lot, and strapped the tree to the top of the car. I love how Max is pointing to the tree on top of the car. He really couldn't believe there was a tree on the top of our car.

We're so lucky Blake is an Eagle Scout. He was throwing together all kinds of very difficult knots to keep that tree strapped down to the top of our car. I knew he must be some sort of pro by the way he made sure to hold the end of the rope as a safety net while he was driving. Don't worry--we made it home, tree and all, driving 30 mph the entire way!When we got home, we turned on the Beach Boy's Christmas Album (Max's favorite group) and went to work. Max was such a good helper, following Blake around everywhere. And Jack picked out his favorite ornament and wouldn't let it go!

Now our house smells so Christmassy and we've only had one ornament casualty. I love Christmas time!

A Utah Thanksgiving!

We flew straight from Arizona to Utah to start our holiday fun and Utah did not disappoint us, even though there was no snow. We had hoped to do some more sledding with Max, but it was not to be. Instead, we played wallyball and racquetball, had family pictures taken, went to the park, visited family, celebrated birthdays, had a DWTS party, watched some NBA games, and went shooting at the gun range. And when I say "we" I mean mostly Blake. Max and I did participate in the parking, visiting, celebrating, and partying, but it was Blake who got enough physical activity to last him until next year--if he can move by then.

There was only one minor set back during all of this fun. Poor Max had the throw-ups one night. It's times like this that Mommy LOVES being at Grandma's house!And all this fun was BEFORE Thanksgiving. We started out Thanksgiving Day by going to the zoo for the Feast with the Beasts. They had scheduled times throughout the morning that they would feed the animals their Thanksgiving dinners and you could go watch. We decided the crowds were too big during the feedings and roamed the zoo on our own. The animals were definitely putting on a show for us. They were right up against the fences moving around like crazy. Max's favorite was definitely the tiger. And Max was such a good sport in the cooler weather, even though he couldn't put his arms down in his big coat, similar to the little boy on "Christmas Story." He looked so cute! And thanks Grandma for staying home with Jack so we could have so much fun!

For Thanksgiving dinner we went over to Grandma's house. Almost all the family was there. I LOVED the turkey, Grandma's cranberry relish, sweet potato pie, and for the first time in my 26 years, the pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie now, my tastes must have definitely matured. And of course, we took NO pictures of Thanksgivng dinner, the main event, the reason we went to Utah. I guess we were too busy eating!

But yes, as soon as Thanksgiving was over, we moved straight on to Christmas. Christmas is getting earlier and earlier, but we don't mind. My parents decided to celebrate Christmas on Thanksgiving this year, since it's their off year. We were all so excited that no one would help Mom decorate the tree--we went straight to presents. Max loved opening his gifts. After opening a football, he thought the rest of his gifts would be "balls." And I'm pretty sure we gave Andy, Bri, and Tony their favorite gifts of the season--custom-made bleaching trays. Those lucky kids.

But I'm DEFINITELY sure that I was the big winner! I got the camera that I'd been wanting for so long. Thank you so much Mom and Dad! We are so thankful for all our family!

Jack's First Flight

Jack is one busy boy. If all the fun in San Francisco wasn't enough, this weekend that little guy went on his first plane ride. On Saturday we headed to the airport for our first flight as a family of four. We decided that the Saturday before Thanksgiving is the perfect time to fly. Max and Blake had their own row and Jack and I had our own row. Perfect. Jack was such a good boy--he slept the entire time. It was the best flight I've had in two years! I read so much of my book and finished all the Sudoku games in my Spirit Magazine. The Captain was even nice enough to let us into the cockpit to take pictures of Jack's first flight. And where was Jack's first flight to? Sunny Arizona. We are so happy we could attend Baby Zoie's blessing. That precious girl looked so beautiful in her white, crocheted dress. Plus, Jack couldn't go a minute more without meeting the rest of his cousins, and they did not disappoint him. Especially Caden and Jace who kept asking if they could hold him. I was totally shocked when Caden just picked him up and started walking around bouncing Jack. Caden is so big now, I can't believe it. And I love how Jace just sat there and snuggled Jack. I hope my boys are as good brothers as those two boys are. And I love, love, LOVE that Jack finally met the rest of the 2007 babies. These are the cousins that Jack is going to get in all sorts of mischief with. So, even though we were only in Arizona for a little over 24 hours, the trip was well worth it. Can't wait to see you guys again soon!

Being a Homeowner

So far Blake and I have been pretty lucky with our house. Besides the usual cleaning and monthly payment, we really don't do much. I feel like we're basically renters with a mortgage--until this month. What happened? The water heater had to be replaced, the dryer broke, the toilet wouldn't stop running unless you lifted up the top and made it stop, 50% of our light bulbs burned out (and we have weird light bulbs, the ones you can't touch with your hands, not just your typical screw-in), and the kitchen sink started leaking and spraying water. But something good has come of all of this. I've learned that Blake is an amazing handyman. He fixed all of this! Yes--BLAKE. Well, except the water heater. But he did a lot to get that fixed by calling around and getting different quotes. He ended up saving us about $400 from the original quote. He really is amazing. He even thinks so. After fixing the sink he asked me if I ever thought he'd be able to fix that because he definitely didn't think he could. Way to go Blake! I think the secret to his skill is the little apprentice who follows him around and is such a big helper! I love my boys...and my house!

TGIT--Golden Gate Park PARK!

Today for TGIT we went to the new playground at Golden Gate Park. Yes, there is actually a park that Max would describe as a park in those 1,017 acres. And let me tell you, it is A-MA-ZING! It was just remodeled and opened earlier this year. I don't know what makes it better than the other parks we've been to, but it was just so much fun. Max could do almost everything there by himself and they had stuff we've never seen at the other parks. Down one side of a nearby hill was a cement slide that you would ride down on a piece of cardboard. Interesting. Unfortunately, we didn't bring any cardboard so we didn't get to try it out. Plus, most people we saw go down fell off their cardboard and ended up ripping holes in their pants, so we weren't too sad about it. But it's always more fun for Max when Daddy comes to the park with us. Let's face it--Daddy is just much, much, MUCH more fun than Mommy.

Here is the best picture we could get of most of the park. The picture is actually missing quite a lot. We are standing on the toddler playground structure. Over to the right is where the cement slide is, and to the left is a huge spider web and sand box. Plus, this picture is proof Jack and I were there, too.
And what would a day at the park be without some friendly bird chasing? Max is so funny; he chases after the birds and yells "fly away!"

But the biggest hit of the park was the spinning chair. Blake had never seen one before, so since Max is a pro, he showed his dad how they worked. Those two got spinning so fast! The best part of the chair was after Max was done, he tried to run over to the slide but was a little dizzy. He ran into the same lady 3 times while his parents stood there and laughed. TGIT!

Jack is ONE MONTH OLD!

Baby Jack, I can't believe how much you've changed our lives in only one month. It seems like we've had you forever. We love your furrowed brow, your big eyes, your gassy tummy, your bobbing head, your healthy appetite, your warm cuddles, and your cheesy smiles. We love you Jack!
THEN--
NOW--

Dinner Guest

Tonight we had one of our favorite guests over for dinner. April flew all the way up from San Diego to partake of some delicious Chinese sundaes. But why is she one of our favorite guests? Because she brings DESSERT! And not only does she bring one dessert, but TWO desserts. All the way from San Diego! April's harvest loaf and oreo cookies were so tasty. And I'm sure April would agree we showed her a pretty good San Francisco time. After dinner, we pulled out the Phase 10 cards for some very exciting, intense competition! April even won, but Blake and I think it was just your typical beginners' luck and demand a rematch! (Jack's eyes really aren't that scary!)
Having April over, surrounded by all that yummy food reminded me of the good old days when we used to get together and cook. This is a picture of some of our creations. We made these beautiful cakes for a co-worker who was moving to San Diego. I'm holding the U-haul and April's holding the wheel. Even though they didn't quite turn out how we envisioned, I think we definitely get an A for effort! Come again soon, Apes!

TGIT--Tilden Park

Max, Jack and I are SO happy Blake has decided to make Tuesday Family Day! Tuesdays are now our favorite day of the week! We were trying to figure out what we could do with Blake to show him how exciting our lives are while he is at work when Max remembered how much fun we had at Owen's birthday party at the Tilden Park Steam Trains. Max LOVES trains ever since Grandma got him a track and trains to celebrate Jack's arrival. So, Tilden Park it was. After all this excitement and anticipation, you can imagine how upset we all were when we found out not only were the steam trains closed for the winter, but also the carousel and the pony ride. MAN!The only thing we could find was the Brazil Room, which is used for parties and receptions. It had a big grassy area that we thought, if nothing else, Max could run around there. Plus, there was a statue of Mr. Tilden. And if you're going to go to Tilden Park, maybe you should know a little bit about Mr. Tilden.However, while we were there, a nice lady let us know that the Little Farm is still open. Jackpot! We went over to the farm and had so much fun petting and feeding the animals. Max just kept running from animal to animal, while Jack slept soundly in the Bjourn.

But we had promised Max a train, so the only thing we could think of was lunch at Spaghetti Factory. You know, they do have that little train car you can sit in! The perfect solution for everyone! TGIT!