Unfortunate Events of July

Meant to blog about this in our Sacramento Vacation Post. Someone broke into our car the last day of the trip. They went for an underwater camera case that was probably mistaken as a camera. It was found outside the car. We had our RC cars and other things in the car which were untouched. We borrowed a dry-vac and Scott helped me clean up the mess. We got it fixed two days later and are sooo grateful that they didn't steal anything and we just needed to replace a broken window for $200. This happened on the Fourth of July which is kind of sad. The irony of a nation where people break and steal things.
Danny went to a party with the men from church and innocently tried a Thai Dragon Pepper. He came home telling me he ate a pepper that made snot come out of his nose, caused tears and put his mouth on fire. Someone asked me at Church today if Danny was ok. The Internet claims "the Thai Dragon to be very, very hot, beaten only in spiciness by a handful of peppers." There is nothing hotter. I guess now I know my husband can conquer spice. One question though, "why on earth did they have a Thai dragon at an Elders Quorum Party?"

Chevron Family Festival

Downtown Walnut Creek has a great arts festival for kids put on by Chevron. Face painting, puppets, art projects, tons of characters and little shows. I finally have a pic of Kira so she realizes she is actually a part of our family outings. My parents walked around with us for a little bit before they left for Kenny's wedding. The Lesher Center has a great art display right now of things made from books. Our favorite was the train. Tyler wanted to be a part of the puppet show and kept peeking out with a huge grin that made me smile. Scott wanted to watch. Tyler loves to be in front of big groups and Scott is a little shy. I went with the kids to Sippy Cups which was a lot of fun. It is a kids band with juggling, psychedelic lights, songs, huge balloons they throw into the crowd, instruments, stilts and so much more. The most stimulating concert I have been and of course we loved it. We weren't planning on going, but a friend had extra tickets from work and I quickly made arrangements for Danny to pick us up after work. The entire time I felt so lucky to be a mom, so blessed for my kids and great things we get to do. Nothing compares to having fun and enjoying being a kid again with your kids. We met Danny at the park, had a relaxing afternoon and played at Northgate in the evening. It was a great day that made me feel so blessed for my family!

Kira 4 Months

A note to my Kira....

Kira, I can't believe you are four months. It feels like you have been with us forever. You bring so much peace, joy and love into my life. You are such an easy, happy baby. You went to a 3 day meet with me from 7am until 8pm with no break and were happy the entire time. More than once a week people mistake you for a doll. One man told me he watched you all day at the meet and wondered why I was carrying around a doll. He thought it was for my little girl he never saw. You rarely peep and when you do they are these quiet, cute little noises. Your cries, moans and laughs are all miniature. You are long and very skinny with the smallest little head and features. People are starting to think you look more and more like Tyler. You don't mind tummy time. You are starting to roll from your stomach to back and occasionally from your back to tummy. You do mini sit-ups to see the world around you and recently discovered your feet. You love your mobile, patterns, playing with blankets and your feet. You like your binky for bed, but prefer to put your hands and fingers in your mouth. You have these little dots of dry skin on your head, your eyes are brownish/hazel and you have lost all your hair except a big patch in the back. Scott said you look like Pop with no hair. Scott likes to feed you and Tyler reads to you. They are lucky to have such a sweet baby sister and you are lucky to have such great big brothers. Sometimes when the boys are being boys, I hold you and tell you how much peace and calmness you bring into our home. You smile at anyone who looks at you or gives you attention. You are such a sweet baby girl and I feel so blessed to be your mom. Having a girl has changed me for the better in so many ways. It was something that I never envisioned, however, now realize can be no other way. You sleep with your back arched and try to crawl out of your carseat and swing by arching your back and wiggling. You love to stand on your feet. Your innate sweetness helps me be a better, more loving, calm, nurturing woman. I love you!!

RC Boy Time

This dad is always with his boys fixing things. It is so great when father and son have similar interests. Danny is similar to his dad with their love and skill to fix things. I think Scott is similar. A car broke and Scott told a friend in a very serious tone, "You better bring the car over to me. It sounds like the bearing is loose." After closely examining the car he concluded, "yes, there is something wrong with the bearing." I have no idea, nor do I think Scott had any idea what was wrong, but it was pretty funny. I have no doubt that in about a year this child will be fixing his car and know way more about mechanics than I do. What a great thing to learn from Danny. I see so many similarities in Scott and Danny. Tyler was more interested in showing me skateboard tricks than fixing the car. Here is also Scott cleaning his car and a fort box for the cars. The ramp of the day was a success.

Swimming

Scott has always loved the water. He loves being thrown and playing in the pool. I am a coach and love teaching kids, but Scott doesn't want me to teach him, just play in the pool. He can swim free with arms and take breathes but doesn't want to go very far. We are going to do lessons and see if he will listen to someone else since he just wants to play with me. His favorite thing to do was throw little rockets and dive for them. It is so fun to play with him and Tyler in the water. Tyler is happy sitting on the step and playing with a noodle or toy. Such a content little man.

Kira Janine and LillyMae Janine

These cute cousins are one month apart. Their middle names are Janine, after Danny's mom. Kira was born on Janine's birthday and LillyMae was born on my birthday. That makes Kira one month older but doll-size compared to LillyMae. So far the cousins have zero resemblence to each other. Lisa's kids resemble dad's side, the Stevens, Michelle's kids resemble dads side, the Olsons and people (except the McMillan family) think are kids resemble the McMillan family. Here are LillyMae and Kira cheering to finally be together. Jade, is such a sweet, nurturing older sister and cousin in the last picture.

Old Town Sacramento

We went on a Ferry boat which was a lot of fun. The kids played with Lindsey. The boys drove RC cars. We walked downtown and ate candy with David and Juliann. We saw awesome trains at the train musuem. My three boys all took a nap during the movie. Tyler was sick with a fever and a trooper all day. Best part of it all was hanging out with the family. Fun Times!!

McMillan Family Trip - Lake of the Pines

We go on a family trip with the McMillans about once every one to two years and I am loving it more and more each year. I think it is because I have come to realize how important spending time with family is. When we were first married, I would feel bad taking time off because we could have been making money. Sad but true. I feel I have grown a lot in priorities and feel so blessed for coming to understand the important things in life. It is these trips that the cousins get to become lifelong friends and we get to grow, talk and relax that doesn't happen in any other setting. It was so fun being with Danny's parents, siblings, spouses, nieces and nephews. We had a great time at this hidden treasure called Lake of the Pines. It had the cutest beach/lake/tree shaded grass and pool. We stayed in a beautiful house which was surrounded by the outdoors. It was magical. Funniest part is that when we got home we went to a friends house for a BBQ and we were telling them all about this place and her parents retired here. We were about a block away from their house in this secluded neighborhood. Small world!

We relaxed by the pool and lake. We rode bikes. We laid on tubes and talked. We played at the house. We went on small jaunts. We saw lots of dear. We rode RC cars and boats. It was great.