East Coast Sampler

If you haven't spent much time on the East Coast, like me, what kind of vacation could be better than an East Coast Sampler? And not only did we visit fabulous cities, but we had fabulous travel companions. No, no. Not Max. That lucky guy got to stay in Arizona with Nanny, Grandpa and all his cousins. Our travel companions were Blythe and Vaughn. They put up with Blake so well that we'll definitely be traveling with them again. We spent about two days in each of our three locations, so our vacation went a little something like this--

First Stop: Boston, MA--Where Everybody Knows Your Name!Wednesday, August 29: After an all-day flight and quick layover in Chicago for some Nuts on Clark, we arrived in Boston, MA and headed straight downtown to check things out. We ended up at Faneuil Hall Marketplace for some Boston Clam Chowda. After walking around getting oriented with the city we watched a laser show that would have been super cool in 1991 and some very talented street performers. I wonder if they ever have street performer competitions between cities. We thought these guys were excellent.


Thursday, August 30: While Blake and Vaughn were checking out schools around Boston, Blythe and I headed over to the JFK Presidential Library. We learned so much about his short term as President and gawked over Jackie's beautiful wardrobe. Then, as we headed back into the city to pick up Vaughn and Blake, we learned the warning "driving not recommended for new comers" was actually very accurate. Poor Vaughn actually found us faster by walking to us than we did trying to drive to him. After the gang was back together we stopped by Cheers, ate lunch, and headed to some historical sites along the Freedom Trail. We stopped by Paul Revere's house, the Old North Church, and Bunker Hill. On our way out of the city we stopped by the Boston Temple and headed to our next stop--New York.



Second Stop: NYC, NY--The Big AppleFriday, August 31: Blake had meetings all day Friday, so it was up to me, Blythe and Vaughn to do some serious exploring. We started at Time Square, then to Ground Zero, and shopping all over. By the time we were done we were basically subway pros. Even the part where you have to put your head in your shoulder and smell your own shirt so you don't pass out from the B.O. We met Blake at the Empire State Building then went to check out Madison Square Garden. Then, after a much needed nap, we got all dressed up, went to an excellent dinner at the Brooklyn Diner, and headed over to see Mary Poppins the Musical. It was Supercali...whatever. And if that wasn't enough, we headed over to Serendipity for a 12:30 am dessert. But don't mention that to Blake. He's still upset he paid $13.50 for some chocolate cake and ice cream.


Saturday, September 1: Blake decided that he was going to be our driving tour guide today. I was so nervous about parking and especially Blake trying to be a NY cab driver, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. He started by taking us to the Statue of Liberty. We opted for the Staten Island Ferry rather than waiting 3+ hours for the real deal. Then we stopped by Wall Street and headed to China Town for some delicious lunch. Before we headed for our next destination we stopped by Central Park and the amazing Manhattan Temple. The actual temple was closed for construction, but we were able to look around the church that was in the same building. We couldn't believe that it looked like a regular church--basketball court and all. So, only one parking ticket later, Blake had yet another day as a successful tour guide.

Last Stop: Baltimore, MD--Home of the Precious Zoie, and Washing D.C.--Our Nation's Capitol
Sunday, September 2: Actually, our day in Baltimore started late,late Saturday night with a trip to meet that precious little Zoie. We couldn't resist stopping to meet our newest little niece. She is such a good girl--she stayed awake the entire time we were visiting and never once cried, only hiccuped. On Sunday morning we woke up and headed into D.C. Of course we stopped by the temple first--if you haven't noticed, temples are one of Blake's signature tour stops. Once we reached the city we went to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Monument, WWII Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Jefferson Monument, FDR Memorial, White House, and Capitol Building. And the only thing we ate the entire day was a couple donuts from Dunkin' Donuts that morning. We were just too busy to stop and eat. On our way home we had to stop by and see Baby Zoie, of course, and ended up eating a fabulous dinner prepared by Matt and Beth around 11:30 pm.

Monday, September 3: We started out our last day with more of Baby Zoie. She was still the cutest little thing ever, still wide awake, and still hiccuping.

Our plans for the rest of the day were to eat (first things first after a day of no eating) and touring Baltimore. The boys wanted some Baltimore crab and Blake knew the exact place from his visit last October. Unfortunately, when we finally found it, it was closed for Labor Day. So, we found the second best thing and ate, and ate, and ate. When we finished and looked at the clock, it was time to head to the airport. It was the perfect vacation!


We started planning this trip with Blythe and Vaughn in June while we were at Lake Powell. Everyone was given an assignment--Blake was in charge of scheduling (hotels, rental cars, etc.), I was in charge of buying tickets to a Broadway show, Blythe was in charge of travel treats and activities, and Vaughn...well, Vaughn was in charge of going to law school wherever the BAMs live next year. So far Blythe, Blake, and I totally came through. Hopefully Vaughn can do the same thing!

East Coast Trip Preview

Boston New York City Washington D.C.Baltimore

More to come...

My Boys

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This weekend we went to our ward Welcome BBQ at Paradise Beach Park in Tiburon. The views were amazing. Blake and Max went on a little walk out to the end of the pier and I sneaked up and took pictures of them. Blake later told me that he had mentally prepared himself to jump in the freezing, icey-cold water after Max, just in case. What a good dad! Max loves Blake so much. When he wakes up in the morning and I go into his room to get him, the first thing he says to me is "Daddy?" I either tell Max that Daddy's in his bedroom, and Max runs to get him, or that Daddy's at work, to which Max responds--"bus." Yes, Daddy rides the bus to work. One of Max's favorite things to do is go pick up Blake from the bus when he's coming home from work. Because then, Blake will get back on the next bus with Max and go for a little ride before coming home. When Max and I are at the park and he doesn't want to leave, I bribe him with promises of Daddy. Wrestling, jumping, and reading books with Daddy. Every night before Max goes to bed, Blake reads books with him. And it HAS to be Daddy. Mommy just doesn't cut it. They have a routine down. Max will run to the bookshelf to get a book then run back towards Blake, stopping a few feet away to turn around and back up into Blake so he'll pick Max up. Then, Blake will stick his head forward and Max will automatically give him a kiss on the cheek. This, I guess, is payment for reading the book. Blake then reads it until Max says "all done" and the process starts all over again. Max has even started calling Blake "Blake." Well, more like "Bleak." I think it's pretty funny, but Blake always responds to him, "NO! Daddy!" I could go on and on about my wonderful boys and their wonderful relationship, but I'll save some stories for another day. Even now, as Max as in his room trying to fall asleep, he's saying, "Daddy. Daddy. Dadddy."

Long Time, No See

This week was packed with fun visitors we haven't seen in such a long time. And, if you know the BAM San Frans, we LOVE visitors!

My cousin, Kirsten, came to San Francisco this week for a visit and we're so glad she called us. She was supposed to go to Cancun, but that silly hurricane ruined her plans. We took her to the Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park, out for a fabulous dinner, and on a quick tour of our beautiful city.
Also, this week, my friend Erica from work came over for dinner. She is my first San Francisco friend and we shared countless hours together during the first four months of my San Francisco life. She made life bearable with her fun facts and fun gossip. She even tried to make me feel good about all my work mistakes by making a pretty good one herself--sending out financial statements to a client, without the financial statements. I still smile when I think about that; but maybe only an accountant can appreciate the humor.
AND Blake's cousin Kristi and her husband Quinn were visiting this week. Kristi had never met Max and we had never met Quinn so there was plenty of catching up to do. We had Pacific Catch for dinner, crepes for dessert (they had never heard of nutella--basically a crime), and then on a quick night driving tour. We are looking forward to keeping updated on their lives through Kristi's blog--when she finally starts it!

These Are A Few of Max's Favorite Things...

Recently Max has two new loves in his life. Besides his constant favorites--blanket, Peter Pan, and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" to name a few--he has developed some more favorites for when the dog bites or bee stings.

First, Max loves his towel. Or more accurately, his toWUHL. And not just any towel. Not the dog towel or the lamb towel, but the dragon towel. He loves to be wrapped up in it and will just sit and cuddle with me as long as he's swaddled tight. And he gets mad when I try to unwrap him to put on a diaper. The dragon towel is the only weapon I have on my side when he just won't get out of the bathtub. Then, after he gets out he likes to look at himself in the mirror as I'm holding him and smile at how silly he looks.
Next, Max loves stickers. We usually play with stickers every day. I'm lucky Tony got me a tons and tons and TONS of stickers for my 17th birthday so I haven't run out. Stickers are what make plane rides and sacrament meeting bearable for Max. Usually, he gets to put one sticker on each hand and then we put the rest of the stickers on his paper. Sometimes, though, he puts the stickers in his hair. I still haven't figured out why he does that. The other day, he came in and got the box of stickers out of our room while I was putting on my make-up. I thought I'd let him play with them until I was done. When I came out to find him, this is the masterpiece he had created on his arm. He had even put the paper the stickers came on back in the box and the box back on the shelf in our room. I love this kid.

Arizona WOW Weekend

We were in Arizona for less than 48 hours and I have no idea how we were able to pack so much in. Going to the lake, swimming in the pool, a baby blessing, a baptism, an amazing birthday bash, and a missionary homecoming. Unfortunately I didn't wake up at 6 to go to the lake and then the battery on my camera died, so the only thing I got pictures of was swimming. Luckily I am very resourceful and stole pictures from Blythe's blog. Thanks Blythe!

After Blake made a quick trip to the lake Saturday morning, Louie, Rachel, Ruby, Chloe, and Baby O came over to Nanny's to go swimming. But silly Max just kept sleeping and sleeping. Finally around 11, we woke him up and he wasn't interested in eating at all. He ran straight for the pool. I can't believe how fearless he is when it comes to the water. He loves jumping off the diving board and going down the slide and did both all by himself. We need to get that guy some swim lessons.


Baby Bliss Tyler was blessed at home on Saturday afternoon. She is the teeniest, tiniest thing I've ever seen. Blake and I were surprised that babies could even be this small and were a little nervous holding her. She is like a fragile little doll. She is the sweetest little thing and I'm pretty sure I never heard her cry. Good girl. She looked so beautiful in her little white dress. We are so happy those boys finally got their little sister.

Right after the blessing we went over to the stake center where Caden was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is the most handsome 8-year old I know. Caden, Jace, and Ruby were such angels singing "I like to look for rainbows" and Blake gave an amazing talk on the Holy Ghost. I am so proud of Caden and his decision to be baptized.

Saturday night we celebrated Caden, Jace, Crew, and Bliss's birthdays. It was like going to the fair. They had a big blow-up jump cage, a blow-up waterslide (I like to call it the waterslide of death), face painting, cotton candy, snow cones, pizza, cake, and swimming. We had so much fun and I even brough some left-over cotton candy home to SF to keep the party going.

Sunday was Gage's homecoming. I thought he was just the same as before until I heard him talk in church. Amazing. Little Gage has grown up. He was so eloquent and thoughtful with his speech. He's going to do very well at BYU. And Max LOVES Gage. When we got in Friday night, Max went right to him and gave him hugs and high fives. We can't wait for him to come and visit us!It was a perfect weekend and we can't wait for ALL of us to be together. Don't be fooled--this family picture is still missing SIX people!