Whale Watching

 We got to do something really fun for a family trip last month. We headed up to Avila Beach to watch the humpback whales, dolphins, and seals. When we arrived there was probably about 50 people on the pier. We stepped out onto the pier and less than 10 seconds later a humpback whale popped out of the ocean not more than 15 feet from us! We watched for a long time as the birds dove in the water and the seals splashed around. It was really neat! The boys insisted on going into the ocean even though it was almost 5 o'clock at night and was getting pretty cold. They lasted about 10 minutes, and then we headed home! Have I mentioned how much I love where we live?? :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2012

August Comes to a Close

Our darling Emma turned two August 23rd! We did what she loves to do best- we took her to the park and made her pasta! I love 2 year old birthdays! I figure I have maybe one more year until the "birthday demands" kick in. We always let the birthday child pick an activity and dinner (within reason) on his/her birthday. Since we home school we can almost always celebrate on their actual birthday depending on Dad's work schedule. I don't do too many parties (Only for big years, like when Brad turned 8 and was baptized we had a big party. We will probably do something special for Savanna's Sweet 16 NEXT year- yikes!). I love that some of my family and friends go all out with the parties every year. I love attending when we can and enjoy how creative they are, but throwing my own parties stresses me out. The preparation, the hosting, the cleanup- yep, the whole thing! Maybe I will enjoy that more when I have a bigger space, a bigger budget, and more time (so when ALL my kids are grown and gone, I will throw myself some amazing birthday bashes)! For now I much prefer a family activity and special dinner. One day, and then back to real life! Savanna's birthday is next month and she wants to go get her hair done at a Salon (dyed and cut), she wants to shop with her anticipated birthday money, and then she wants to pick up her best girlfriend and go eat Sushi. LOVE it! One day, super fun, DONE. :)

Okay, back to Emma. Here she is in all her cuteness:
 

She refuses to let us pick out her clothes. She picks out all her own outfits (mostly skirts and dresses). Savanna says we should nominate her for "What Not to Wear." She might win with this one!
 

She is still loving her doll and stroller from her Auntie for her birthday as you can see!
 

Benjamin lost his first front tooth when he fell off a bar stool on our tile floor. He lost his second front tooth last week when he fell on Brad's foot while jumping on the trampoline (AKA Brad kicked him in the face "accidentally")! Dang Boys!!

Brad had his first soccer game today! He is having a blast. He is such a team player. His team's name is The Scorpions. I love going to the games. Now that he is getting older they are becoming much more coordinated and competitive. Emma loves going too. Every time Brad would get the ball she would scream, "Thank you, Brad!" She cheered for him and waved and clapped. Totally cute!
 

 Our garden is doing awesome! I have enough greens for smoothies usually once or twice per week. Having fresh herbs is amazing! I use the basil and parsley a lot, and the kids love to go out and pick fresh cilantro for their burritos or tacos. Our tomatoes and cucumbers should be ready to harvest in the next couple of weeks as well. We haven't had a very hot summer so it is taking a bit longer. We just planted some kale too.
 

 But our pumpkin patch is doing the best! We have several large pumpkins, and the kids can't wait until they turn orange.
 

 

Not too much else to report here! James is officially off training and has started graveyard shift. I absolutely love it, and he absolutely hates it! He sleeps until about 5pm so we have dinner together every night. He helps me at the hardest part of my day with cleanup, baths, and bedtimes. He leaves at 8pm (all the littles are tucked in and the house is clean!), and I blog, read, hang with Savanna- whatever- and then go to sleep. I wake up and he arrives home within an hour and we all have breakfast! The only downside on my end is keeping everyone quiet and having the baby nap downstairs during the day. His body, however, is having a hard time adjusting to being up all night. Plus graves are dead boring so the time drags. He will have this shift until January and then he will be one of the first people to pick their shift instead of the last! In the mean time he is having a great attitude and is just grateful to be out on his own without a trainer breathing down his neck!!

School is still going well. I feel like we just hit a good groove. Savanna is super motivated. The boys are always excited to learn. Benjamin is doing so well with his reading and has gone to the library twice to get more books. I am going to spend tomorrow putting together some "toddler totes" I read about to keep Emma occupied while I do school with the older kids. Having her whine and run around during the bulk of our school morning is pretty distracting. I'm going to make her a rice table with cups and funnels and spoons. Maybe I'll add some dried beans too. Savanna's daycare had one when she was about Emma's age and she played with that ALL day. Someone suggested paint brushes with water and cardboard. Maybe some homemade playdough and cookie cutters. She needs simple, hands-on, independent activities to keep her happy. And then everyone else will be happy too (That's the plan, at least)!

August 19 -  Sept 8, 2012

August 2012

 James and I had such an amazing anniversary! Savanna was a doll and watched the littles for us for the afternoon and early evening. We decided to do a progressive lunch/dinner and try out three different restaurants for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. We started with clam chowder from Hoagies in Pismo Beach. We walked around the beach area and chatted. To be honest we weren't super impressed with Pismo. Besides the food there are just a bunch of T-shirt/souvenir shops that appear to have the exact same merchandise! But it is always nice to get away with my love WITHOUT the children! We checked on the kids briefly and then headed to Jocko's, the best steak joint on the Coast (which happens to be 3 blocks from our house!). I'm not sure how we have managed to go 5 years without going to Jocko's but I have a feeling we will be going there as often as possible now that we have tasted their steak! We are not super steak people, but the steak at this place is out of this world! We found out later that James gets a pretty nice officer discount and he has already been back with his partner to take advantage of that (he brought me home leftovers too)! We were going to go somewhere else for dessert but we were seriously full so we rented some movies and cuddled up for the night. Before our movies we pulled out the letters we had written to each other over the 2 years he was on his mission. Oh my gosh, I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time! We were so funny, and immature, and funny, and cheesy, and did I mention funny? It was a blast! We stayed up way too late but fortunately the kids let us nap the next day! :)

James' parents had a time share in Avila for the week and on top of our fun day, Kathleen watched the kids for TWO nights while we snuck away! It was like a Happy Anniversary to us week! We watched the Olympics, swam, walked on the beach, played board games, and slept in- it was perfect and just what we both have been needing for a long, LONG time! I just adore my husband. He is truly my best friend. I enjoy his company so much and it is great that after 10 years and 3 more babies that we can still connect and have fun together. 10 years down and eternity to go, and I couldn't be happier!

 The kids made us Anniversary cards and the boys gave us their very last dollar because they knew our anniversary budget was  not very large. :)

 We saw this place in Pismo. Excitedly I thought it was a raw vegan cafe but after glancing at the menu and seeing chimichangas, taquitos, and carne asada, I am thinking their sign means something completely different to them! 

 This little guy liked the pier in Avila.

 Our little princess will be two in less than a week! She is getting so big and is talking so much- and singing (as you can see above)! She sings constantly, and every morning for family devotional we have to sing her favorite, the ABCs, before we are "allowed" to sing a hymn.

 Emma's birthday present from her Auntie. She LOVES this baby! She carries it with her everywhere and pushes it in its stroller. She won't sleep with her two other dolls she has been sleeping with since birth. All she wants is this baby. It's darling. Girls are so much fun!

 James has been working hard as usual! He has one last night of training and then he is finally on his own!! He will be on probation until next March, but he will get his own car and beat and will finally be able to spread his wings a little bit. Bradley has been taking over some of his Daddy duties on his work nights by rocking Emma Leigh to sleep. Love those two!

 Ben has been doing my Les Mills Pump program with me every day for over a week. He told me that he wants to see results so he is going to exercise with me for at least 2 weeks- must be nice to see results in two weeks! I am 30 days into this program, and I absolutely love it! I will be posting more pictures at the end of the 90 days. Who knew lifting weights could be so much fun??

 We hit the big rock show a couple of weeks ago and the boys are all excited about rocks again. We have been reading books from the library and they have been playing "rock show" in the front yard. I love how Brad soaked the rocks in water in my Tupperware and made his own "jewelry" out of plastic rings. They have been rock hunting around the neighborhood and sampling garden rocks from various properties (Shhhh). Now to convince them that they can't "borrow" other people's rocks and then try to sell the rocks back to them!

Poor Brad dropped a hot bowl of Shepherd's pie on his foot and it totally blistered up for days! Who knew mashed potatoes could be that dangerous? He is finally able to walk and put on shoes. He had his first soccer practice today and all went well. He is in the "big kid" division now with larger fields, goal keepers, and referees. He seemed intimidated but I know that he will try his best and do wonderful.

What else? We started school this week. It is going great! The boys have been studying geology and math. Savanna is gearing up to start her Algebra lessons and has recently started her own YouTube channel with hopes to put videos up about hair, makeup, etiquette, and modesty. I am reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy which have to be some of the best books ever written. I also was recently called to be the nursery leader for our ward so I will be starting that on Sunday. Seminary and scouts begin next week. We are dropping formal piano lessons for the Fall to simplify some scheduling issues. Savanna is going to mentor Bradley in his piano and practice on her own in the mean time.

As usual, very busy here. Still a little too busy but I am making time for myself every day to exercise and making sure that I get out on dates with my husband and children and friends each month. Balance: it is always what we are striving for and very hard to achieve. I will keep trying!

At the pool at San Luis Bay Inn.