Nana's quick trip to California!!

Nana came to visit us in California!  We went to pick her up at the airport.  Madeline tried to scare her by hiding and popping out to say "Boo!"  She is wearing the cute little scottish dress that Nana got for her too!  And here is Baby Joseph meeting Nana for the first time... "who are you?!"

Joseph's first time meeting Nana, "who are YOU?!"

Just chillin' at our house with our favorite Nana!

Filoli 

Filoli is a historic house in Woodside, CA.  We went there to see the house and the gardens.  You can look it up here.  It was beautiful and a great way to spend a Saturday.

The ballroom

Nana decided to drop her cell phone service and go back to this.  "Hello, Operator?"  

Swim Lessons!

These are the very first swim lessons for Madeline! This is the first organized lesson Madeline has done without me, and the moment her teacher first led Madeline by the hand and took her away from me, I felt my heart skip a beat. I mean, I'm pretty emotional anyway, I love country music because no matter how cheesy it is, I love to cry to it (eg. bawling to Butterfly kisses while driving to my OB appt. when I was pregnant with Madeline!!), and even Madeline calls me a cry baby, but COME ON this is swimming lessons! Pull it together, mom, pull it together! I am proud to say, I did NOT cry as they took Madeline away, but I could have if I had wanted to. I definitely caught my breath for a second, felt the tears start, but did not give in to the emotion--even though the mama-lion in me wanted to maul the face off of the swim teacher as they took my baby away from me! I knew it was for the best. Geez- just wait until Madeline's first day at Pre-school post or Kindergarden, good night! I am going to be a WRECK. Anyway, back to Madeline. She is in LOVE with her swimming lessons. She is so proud that she can dunk her head now and jump in the pool by herself. She loves that they play fun games like Motorboat and Mr. Sharky. She has also met some girls in her class that will be in her Kindergarden class, a year from now.
PS. Sorry Dad, for the immodest bathing suit, but it is soooooooooo cute, isn't it? And it was $2 at DI. I couldn't pass that up! We will wait until she's outgrown the bikini to talk about modesty! Isn't that convenient?!

Celebrating Seven Years at Yosemite National Park!

This Saturday marked seven wonderful years for me and Diana. We couldn't think of a better way to spend it than to spend the day hiking at Yosemite with Madeline and Joseph. We woke up at 5, loaded the car, and arrived at the park around 9:30. We packed lunches, hiked to lower Yosemite Falls, took a nap under the shade, and enjoyed God's beautiful nature. We headed out of the park around 5 and s

topped at this great cafe at the way back and had a real excellent dinner. There wasn't a better way to spend our anniversary, and more importantly, there wasn't a better way to spend the last seven years than married to my love, Diana.

Diana and Madeline posing under Half Dome. We looked for the image of the weeping Indian woman on the face of the rock, but couldn't seem to find it. Then again, I still have never been able to make the 3-d magic eye posters work . . .

What a sweetheart!

Half Dome!

  Today, I made bread.  Nothing fancy, just whole wheat.  It's Friday, my lazy day.  I spent the morning in bed with the kids rolling around and jumping and whining that I wouldn't let Madeline watch TV.  I wanted to walk over to the grocery store, but was too lazy, so I decided to make bread.  We put the baby down for a nap and Madeline and I got to work in the kitchen.  Me with my bread, and she with her playdoh.  We measured the ingredients together and mixed.  Then we kneaded it, for a long time, a very long time.   And I got lost in a trance, because it was such a long time kneading the bread.  I love kneading bread.  Making bread is one thing that binds women together between all centuries of time.  How far back do you think women have kneaded bread?  Back in the Bible times? Back in ancient Greece? sure they did.

    My kitchen was totally silent, as we kneaded and thought about ancient women kneading their bread, and wondering what they were thinking about.  What do you think they thought about?   Do you think they had to pick red pieces of playdoh out of their bread with every quarter-turn?  Do you think they had the same thoughts as we do?  I'm sure... people are people.

   It's also wonderfully therapeutic to make bread.  To make the same recipe over and over...there's something comforting about it. There is calmness in the repetition.  I haven't made bread since I conceived Joseph, and I hadn't realized how much I have missed it!  It clears your head and makes you feel like a woman.  I'm not talking about the sexed-out type of Lady GaGa woman, I'm talking about a real woman, who nurtures her family. While I was in my trance, I couldn't help but be so grateful for my womanhood!  I am so glad I get to be home and doing the things I want to do instead of being stuck in my husband's grey office doing things I don't want to do!  (No offense hon- I'm sure your office is great! )  Of course, there are days when it is hard, but today is not one of those days, and boy am I grateful!  And we will have fresh bread to eat!

Pictures of the Day

Isn't my baby Joe so cute?! And aren't these pictures awesome!! I took a photography class from my amazing friend Lesley about, what, a year and 1/2 ago, already? I haven't done anything with it, until now and I am getting the bug again. That's pretty much how my hobbies go, I'm really into them for a while and then I totally drop them and I change to something else. Hopefully by the end of my life I will have mastered something! But I got out my camera yesterday and snapped these cuties! My focus is a little off in some pictures which makes me mad, but if anyone has any advice, please share! I want to improve! ... especially you Tiff!

Stinker

Madeline wrote her first word by herself the other day: Poop. I laughed, and when I asked her what it said she pointed to the letters and sounded it out: "Da-ddy"!

This was in the car: "Mom, the other day daddy took me to the liquor store and we got a lollipop"... oh really?

In primary, her teachers were teaching about the plan of salvation. They were explaining how Jesus's plan offers you a choice and Satan's plan offers no choice. Madeline raised her hand and said "well, my mom doesn't let me choose what to wear on Sunday!" Thanks for comparing me to Satan! What about the other 6 days of the week that I let her choose?

Adam and she have been discussing getting a guinea pig. Let me just say, I cannot handle a guinea pig right now so we haven't gotten one. The other day in the car, with all the black-lady attitude she could muster, she said "Mom, whats it gonna take to get my guinea pig!?" It doesn't sound that funny writing it down, but just trust me, it was hilarious.

We were over at my friends house and she was giving her girl some candy because she got a boo-boo. Madeline, obviously wanted a treat too but didn't get a boo-boo, tried to invoke some sympathy from my friend said matter-of-factly "Sometimes my dad hits me." What!? Nice way to throw your awesome dad under the bus just for a lollipop! If you know Adam, you know that is not true. In fact he is way nicer than I am. It would have been more believable if she said her mom hits her, which is also not true, but more believable, I guess. My friend who is a former elementary school teacher just burst into laughter and said "if I didn't know you guys so well I would be calling Social Services!"

Picture of the Day

What a lucky girl