Christmas 2008

We had a very nice but lonely Christmas here in Palmdale. We had never had Christmas alone before, but the boys had a great time. Evan told Santa Claus he wanted "Thomas" and when Santa reached into his bag and handed him a lollipop, he was so disappointed that he didn't get "Thomas" right then and there from Santa's sack. As you can see from the photos, he got plenty of "Thomas" for Christmas!

Day out with Thomas

We drove 4 hours to spend 2 hours at Day out with Thomas in Perris, California. The biggest surprise was that Jack loved it more than Evan! Here is some video showing his excitement!
I know I look awful and am such a distraction with my geekiness - sorry!

Tub time

We were having fun in the bath the other night. It is always more fun when Daddy gives baths. He makes lots of bubbles and plays fun games. Just hit pause on the playlist to hear the video.

Tehachapi Apple Picking

We were able to pick apples right from the trees in a town north of us called Tehachapi. We visited there before because it is famous for its trains. Here are some pictures of us picking apples, eating apples and watching trains!

Despite all, he really is a cutie!

I had to post this picture of Evan that was taken in September up in the mountains here in California. Even though Evan can be very difficult for me to handle, he is a beautiful child that deserves love and respect. So, when he scratches Jack and leaves a big scar, or refuses to use the potty, or runs in the mud after being cleaned off from running in the mud, I should stop and remember this sweet photo.

Jack the eater

Our little Jack loves to eat and get messy. He is also getting bigger - he weighs 25 pounds and Evan weighs 29 pounds on a good day. Hopefully he will continue to eat well through his toddler years!

Las Vegas 2008

We went to Las Vegas with Andrea's family and stayed at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Here are a few cute pictures. It was a fun trip.

Protect Marriage

Protect Marriage.com
As some of you know, California is voting this November to change its Constitution to standardize marriage as only being between a man and a woman. This change might not pass, and so we have been encouraged by the First Presidency to give all of our time and means to this cause. This is my first attempt at support, with hopefully more to come. The fact that this might not pass is very frightening as the repercussions are severe. If you click on the title of the blog, it will take you to the website for more information.

Evan at swimming lessons

Evan has just finished his first session of swimming lessons here in Palmdale. He took some lessons as a baby, but these are his first official lessons where he learns how to blow bubbles, go under water, kick his legs, move his arms, and "monkey crawl" around the pool holding on to the side. He did great and loved it! His teacher is "Coach Alex" and reminds us of Dave's brother. So, it is almost like a family member is working with Evan. He is really a sweet guy who has a great amount of patience working with 3 year olds (even though Evan is the only 3 year old - most are 4 or 5). He started his second session today. Here are a few pictures!

Happy 3rd Birthday Evan!

Evan celebrated his birthday on Saturday, July 19, one day before his actual birthday. Evan's grandma (his "Buela") came from Salt Lake to be with him. We invited some members of our ward over to our house for a BBQ and party. We had hamburgers and hot dogs and then we had a magnificent Thomas the Train birthday cake.
It looked just like Thomas. Evan loved it! He didn't want us to cut into it. He also got lots of Thomas trains and accessories for his birthday. This picture shows just a few. It was difficult not to have all our cousins with us on this special day, but we still had a fun time!

Why go to Yellowstone?

We had a 50 ft. geyser from a broken fire hydrant in front of our home on Monday. We weren't home when it happened, and so when we were going home, we saw the geyser from the road. I knew it was close to our house and so when we tried to pull into the neighborhood, the police had the road blocked off. The fire trucks had not yet arrived, though. A kind member who lives in the neighborhood came to check on us. They pounded on our door to make sure we were OK, but we of course weren't home. I saw him and his children playing in the water, which was running with a fury down the street. We couldn't get close to the house, but they did and told us that the front yard was a lake and if our windows were closed, which they were, then the house should be OK. Anyway, it took the fire trucks 40 minutes to get to the broken hydrant to turn off the water. We were finally able to get to the house and that same kind neighbor helped us check out the house to see if there was any damage. Thank goodness there wasn't. It was quite the kodak moment if anything!

Thomas Town at Magic Mountain

Thomas Town finally opened on Friday, June 6 and we were able to go on Saturday.  After waiting 45 minutes to park and then 40 more minutes in line to get in, we finally got there.  By then, the excitement had kind of worn off, but Evan loved it there.  They have a Percy Roller Coaster and a Thomas train with real Annie and Clarabel coaches which goes around a track by Tidmouth Sheds.  You get on Thomas at Knapford Station.  The exit is of course through the gift shop where they sell everything Thomas.  Evan loved it there too.  Outside, there is a Cranky water feature like the one at The Gateway.  Evan didn't like it, but Jack kind of did.  Here is a photo. 

It is small and totally for Thomas lovers, but it is well put together and I think that Evan will like to go and play there.  I wish I had a great freak-out video, but he didn't freak out like we were hoping.  You can see by the end of the day, both boys were tired.  I hope it wasn't a mistake to purchase a season pass!

Jack's first birthday!

We feel so lucky that our Jack has made it through year #1, starting with his fast and miraculous arrival through his first emergency visit, he has been the perfect baby and such a joy to have in our family. Our GiGi came to be with him and he has loved having her take such good care of him. We took a lot of pictures and so we created a slide show and YouTube videos. He got several trucks to push around and a bubble-blowing lawn mower so he can help Daddy and practice walking (which he is doing very well with!) He loved his birthday cake. He got a big piece which we expected he would eat some of and then play with. He did play with some but ate most of it! We took some of it away so he wouldn't eat too much. He loves food and we love him! Happy Birthday Jack! Thanks everyone for your kind rememberances!

Jack's first boo-boo

On Wednesday, May 28, Jack had his first visit to the urgent care clinic. He fell and cut his eyelid open. It needed stitches, but because he is so little, they used Dermabond (medical super glue). This would be easier to apply and hopefully not leave a scar like stitches do. He was a little squirmy, but after a while, he got tired and actually fell asleep while they put the final application on. Mommy was upset, but realized that she had stitches on her eye when she was little and many others have scars on their eyes from stitches. We put a band-aid over the cut and after a day and 1/2, we tried to take the band-aid off. The dermabond stuck to the band-aid and while we were trying to decide what to do about it, Jack was frustrated and in pain and grabbed the band-aid, tore it off, and all the dermabond. Mommy thought it was all over and we would have to go back to the urgent care, but his incision did not re-open and so we are just hoping that it healed up enough that another visit won't be required. Here are some pictures of our poor baby.

Memorial Day

We picked cherries on Memorial Day!  They have cherry orchards here that are reserved just for the public to pick.  There is no admission fee and you can pick as many cherries as you want!  Then they weigh them and you pay for them as you exit.  It was a perfect family outing.  Evan got to hold the bucket and Jack was in the backpack.  It was a little chilly, so we were bundled up, but the trees were loaded with cherries and we ended up picking 10 pounds of cherries!  We have been eating lots of cherries and our GiGi helped us make cherry jam with the rest.  We will be having cherry jam on pancakes, cereal, toast, ice cream, and whatever else we can think of.  Then we went to Tehachapi to see the famous trains.  Well, we thought it was trains, but it just ended up to be a famous train track that is still used 30 times a day.  Just as we got there, a big train came by and Evan loved it so much!  He got so excited and counted the train cars and the engines.  The drive up there was interesting as we passed a large wind farm.  We tried to take some pictures, but there was no way the camera could capture the quantity of wind mills.  They might create a "clean fuel", but they sure create a lot of visual pollution.  But because it is soooo windy here, I guess it is a good use of the wind resource.

Santa Monica Beach

We were able to go to Santa Monica Beach with our cousins who were in town. We had the best time! We played in the sand, sucked on seaweed, ate a lot of sand, and played in the cold water. It was a warm day, so the water was refreshing. We loved it and hope to go back often.

Make way for Hollywood

One of the exciting aspects about living in California is to be able to see places like Hollywood! We went on a day trip to an area of Hollywood called H&H (Hollywood and Highland). It is a shopping mall and tourist attraction all in one. The Kodak Theater is here where they hold the Academy Awards. They have a fountain kind of like at the Gateway in Salt Lake where you can walk through it.

Outside on the sidewalk is the "Hollywood Walk of Fame". We saw "Tom Hanks", "John Travolta" and other famous people's stars. It was great. You can also see the "Hollywood" sign on the hills. What a thrill! I can't wait to go back and see some more!