The U-2

I came across this video on Facebook tonight, posted by my friend Trish. I thought it was really great and worth sharing. Most of you know that Doug just retired from the Air Force as a U-2 pilot. I thought you might like to experience some of what he experienced. I'm so tremendously proud of Doug and all that he accomplished. I'm extremely happy though that he's retired and at home with us every night but I am missing those rides in the chase cars! Thanks to Trish for finding the video (and thanks to her husband Todd who loaned James May his helmet!)

Say cheese!

Back in May, our girls had the opportunity to model for a group of children's photographers at a photography workshop. The workshop was called "Soulographer" and was taught by the very talented Skye Hardwick. I was crazy excited when we got the call and were asked to model. I spent a lot of time gathering clothes and bribing the girls. The idea was for the girls to model for up to 2 hours and in return we would receive a CD in 3 weeks with pictures from all the attending photographers. Well, we just got the CD in the mail today. I'm very happy to have it but I must say that I'm a little disappointed that there were no pictures at all from Skye Hardwick. Still it was a fun experience and I got to watch other photographers in action! Click on Skye Hardwick's name above for a link to her site and you'll see why I'm sad we didn't get to see her pictures of the girls.

Here are a few of the ones we did get.

Even though I pleaded and cajoled, these are the faces the photographers saw most often. :)

What's the idea of messin' up my boy? v.2

Between his Daddy and his sisters, my poor baby Jacob just doesn't have a chance. I was making dinner the other night and turned around to find him adorned like this...by his siblings. Poor baby.


Maybe, just maybe, he'll be one of those men that are in touch with their feminine sides....

Or maybe I should start saving for his therapy sessions now...

Half Moon Bay

When Doug proposed the idea of a trip to the coast this past weekend, I was thrilled. I love visiting new places and even though I’d driven through Half Moon Bay in the past, I had never actually stopped. We headed down that way on Friday and made it to our hotel around 2:30 in the afternoon. During our visit the temperatures stayed in the 50’s-60’s which was a pleasant change from the heat of the valley. I really enjoyed the fog and light mist in the area. It reminded me of the years we spent in England. The water in the bay was so calm compared to the normal rough swells of the Pacific.

Half Moon Bay is such a pretty little place, only about 28 miles south of San Francisco. The area is very immersed in agriculture. There are crops everywhere as well as many nurseries with the most beautiful roses. The area is well known for its fava beans, artichokes, strawberries, and ollalieberries. We had some fantastic meals on this trip, including probably the biggest and best bowl of clam chowder I’ve ever eaten. As I’d never heard of ollalieberries until this past week, I was determined to try some. We finally had a piece of ollalieberry pie on our last day in the area and it was well worth the wait. Auntie Jan described it as a “little slice of heaven”. It even garnered some applause.

Speaking of Auntie Jan, we enjoyed our visit with her so much. The girls (well, all of us) think the world of her. The girls just seem to light up whenever they’re with her. She’s such a wonderful person and I wish we could spend more time with her and her family. She left on Monday to go back to Wisconsin. Lauren asked if she could go get Uncle Mike and come back on Tuesday. :)

Some of the highlights from our trip included:
Day 1: Swimming in the pool with Daddy
Dinner at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
Walking around Pillar Point Harbor
A gift of beautiful mums from Doug
Operation Crab Rescue ~While at Pillar Point Harbor, we came across a crab stuck between two boards in the pier. When I saw him, I immediately thought of that song, “I’ve seen better days.” The crab’s predicament was of great concern to our girls and some new friends they had made on our walk. They were determined to help the little fellow. They finally found a plastic bag and managed to gingerly pluck him out and return him to the water….all without getting pinched!!

Day 2: Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and the harbor seals ~This was my favorite stop. The beach was just beautiful, covered in shells, kelp, and seaweed. I really wanted to take some pictures of a tidal pool but we weren’t there at the right time of day AND our way was blocked by a pod of beautiful harbor seals. Of course, our head-strong child (Lauren) was determined to get to them. Auntie Jan explained why she couldn’t go over. Mommy explained why she couldn’t go over. Daddy explained why she couldn’t go over. She was still determined she was going to go for a visit.
Horseback riding at Lemos Farm
Beautiful flowers at Pastrino’s ~ Lauren managed to get her head stuck in one of those wooden cutouts used for pictures
Late picnic in the room~Jacob was trying every cute trick he knew to get a bite of Daddy's crab salad and bread
Sam’s Chowder house for dinner with the best clam chowder!

Day 3: We stayed at the Best Western and were very pleased. The rooms were really nice. There was a great breakfast. The kids loved the pool and the adults loved the outdoor fireplace. We had all of this for $130 a night. If, however, you felt more like spending $300 a night up to $3000 a night, then the Ritz-Carlton was only one street down. The Ritz offers the public coastal access, so we stopped by for a visit. They certainly have quite the view. The rooms even have their own fire pits. It was something. Afterwards we drove south to Pescadero and wandered around the town. We had lunch at Duarte’s Tavern where they brought out a loaf of hot bread that was to die for. Doug had a bowl of Cream of Artichoke soup and Jan and I shared that heavenly slice of ollalieberry pie. We actually came home with a loaf of Pesto Artichoke focaccia and another pie...for later.

It was really a wonderful mini-vacation. I think it energized all of us. Now if I can just convince Doug to go back again next weekend….

And she shall have music wherever she goes... Our big announcement

As of Wednesday night, we are now officially a family of 6. With the assistance of Auntie Jan, Grandma Ruth made the long trek from Wisconsin to California...to stay. We've been thinking about inviting Ruth to live with us for a while and even purchased this house with Grandma in mind. She has her own room, bathroom, and sitting area. All of her things will arrive this week and we'll be working to get her settled in. The girls already love having a live-in grandmother. This morning, they've drawn pictures, built a railroad track, had a beauty salon, and played the piano. They're just gearing up but I think we've already worn Grandma out as she headed down for a nap. :) Ruth plays the piano beautifully and I feel a little like the lady in the nursery rhyme. Our home has already been filled with music and I love it. I've also found that even spaghetti seems like a gourmet dish when cooked to Beethoven playing in the background.

We had an incredibly good time in Half Moon Bay. It was such a nice little get away...especially considering that the temps there were in the 50's-60's. We returned home to a temperature of 111! Yikes!! I'll be posting some photos from our trip later today or tomorrow.

On Vacation

Headed out to Half Moon Bay for a few days... Be back soon with a big announcement!

SOS

I can't seem to get that ABBA song out of my head. All night long and all morning long, I can hear it playing over and over. So, SOS, Help, Ayudenme, Hatzilu! I am seriously design-challenged. I see rooms I like in magazines and rip the pages out. I lay awake at night thinking about how I want to decorate the kids' rooms. When it comes to putting it all together though, I just seem to run out of steam. So, we have a new house filled with undecorated rooms. I need some inspiration.

The girls are sharing a huge room and I want to make it into their playroom as well. I love the idea of an "Alice in Wonderland" inspired room. I don't want it to be Disneyesque at all but more whimsical, soft, and hinting at Alice. I thought a vintage aviation theme would be fun in Jacob's room. The guest room will also be my craft room and so I want it to be a bit ecclectic but calm at the same time. We've had a tough time picking a color palette as we have so many that we like.

I came across this vision board months ago on a blog called Snippet & Ink. I love, love, love this blog and the way she pulls pics from all over the internet and combines them. She posts wedding vision boards almost daily or at least she used to do so. Even if you're not busy planning a wedding, I still think the boards are great inspiration for party planning or heck, even house decorating!

I love the warm autumn colors in these pictures. I'm especially attracted to the color of the blue-gray mailbox in front of the copper-colored wall.

So, what do you guys think? Like or dislike? Ideas for decorating??

Q & A

Question: So, what do you do at 3:00 in the morning when the rest of the house is asleep and you can't figure out how to turn on the closed captioning on the new TV downstairs?
Answer: You post pictures of your beautiful and brave cousin Brittany.

I've always thought Brittany was absolutely gorgeous. This last trip to Alabama she agreed to let me take a few pictures of her. She was such a great sport and was up for whatever I asked. Poor girl! She ended up with cobwebs in her hair. She had hay in her hair. She stood with no shoes on a snake-y bank. She even posed on a decrepit porch of an abandoned house with a huge bee infestation. I had really wanted to do the abandoned house shots and was so excited about them. Unfortunately, that was our last stop of the day and the sun had already gone down. I didn't have my flash and even with my widest aperture, I had to dial the ISO way up. Plus, I was terrified she was going to be attacked by bees. I still wanted to share it because I thought the idea was fun.

Isn't she beautiful??!!

Conversations with the Peanut Gallery

I LOVE to sing even though I really CANNOT carry a tune. I mean it's not as bad as fingernails on a chalkboard or a tom caterwauling at night but I'm no Celine Dion. Anyway, I sing when I'm happy. Lauren, however, does not like my singing. She's always telling me to stop and to turn the radio off. She never likes the songs that I like and will whine through the entire thing. Well, it took me a while but I finally found one station she'll listen to all day long, without complaint. It's Elvis Radio on XM. She loves it. I can't explain it but I'm going with it.

The King....

and a hunk-a, hunk-a burnin' love.


My stepdad has a nice little cabin built out behind their house. It's very rustic and it's where the family goes for cookouts. Anna calls it Poppy's cabin. Lauren calls it Poppy's "cabinet".

Anna found a watch at my mom's. She proudly wore it everywhere. One day I asked her what time it was and she replied, "I don't know. I can't tell the time. My watch is on speed dial!" (Stopwatch setting)

Anna wanted to call Doug while we were away. She dialed our new home number, listened for a second and then hung the phone up. She looked at me with a perplexed expression and said, "Some lady said my party had been disconnected but I'm not even having a party!"


On the drive to the pet store, we had the following conversation:
A: Mommy, can I have a fish?
M: No.
A: How 'bout a puppy?
M: Honey, we already have a dog.
L: I want a cunafish.
M: You mean you want a tunafish?
L: No, I want a CUNAfish. Just tell Anna.
M: Anna, Lauren wants a cunafish.
L: No, I don't. I want a lizard or a parrot.

By this time, we had made it to the pet store. Lauren was determined to bring home a lizard. I tried to explain to her why we were not going home with a lizard. She was none too happy about that decision. So, for the next day and a half, periodically, she would yell out, "How 'bout my lizard????"

We were at the grocery store and an ambulance raced up, sirens blaring. The girls asked what was happening and my dad replied that somebody must have had a heart attack. I heard them talking about it in the backseat of the car a few minutes later. Lauren told Anna that somebody had a "hat" attack.

The girls noticed the "Piggly Wiggly" sign while driving through a town in Alabama. Anna sounded it out and said, "Pigg-a-ly Wigg-a-ly...ooh, I wouldn't want to eat there!"

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

Due to the unseasonably cool weather we’ve been having, the kids and I have started taking advantage of the beautiful trails near our new house. They ride their bikes while I push the stroller. The path we took today (and yesterday) is a bit hillier than where they normally ride. Yesterday Anna complained of sore legs afterwards. Today she wasn’t really into going but finally decided she’d tag along. While we were getting our stuff together, Lauren started talking about the deer she had seen out behind the house “in the wild”. According to her there were also lions in the wild and we had better be careful because the lions would eat us and our baby’s head... and maybe bears too. Shudder. Okay, so you all know I already have this irrational fear of my children being eaten by something (cough…sharks). So, immediately the idea of mountain lions sprang to mind and set the stage for our entire walk. When Anna came outside with her little purse filled with bandages, just in case, I began to wonder if someone somewhere was trying to tell me something. We headed out anyway and yes, we did see quite a bit of wild life. Some of the myriad “forest” dwellers we encountered included peacocks (as the girls called them) more commonly known to the rest of the world as turkeys. Apparently, their meal of choice is bread and mac ‘n cheese. We also saw woodpackers. These birds must be close relatives of the common woodpecker in on vacation from their home in Green Bay. We saw a dead snake which was a huge favorite of the peanut gallery and Lauren spotted a deer. We also heard many, many things moving in the grass around us and on the hill above us (irrational fear revived…reminds me of the news story about the mountain lion attacking from above). At this point, Lauren, who is normally Speedy Gonzales, had broken a training wheel and was forced to walk. This was a blessing in disguise as Pokey Pants big sister now had a chance to be the speedy one. During the course of the walk, Lauren would scale a hill and ride back down it twice before Anna even made it up one time. Anyway, as Lauren and I were walking, we heard and saw something moving. Lauren said it was surely a scary creature which would pop out and bite her on her head or her eye or her leg so we had better get going. Sounded like good advice to me. We all made it home safely where everyone had to go to the bathroom too badly to put their bikes away. Funny how when I opened the door, everyone went inside, sat down, and began to play with their Leapsters. After I put Jake’s stroller away, I laid him on the floor and let him play with a baby piano. He actually began to tap out a little tune. The girls heard and came running upstairs. They grabbed their band in a box and an impromptu jam session broke out. We had Jake on the piano….Lauren on the maracas…. and Anna playing a mean, mean flute. It was heavenly.

Happy 4th of July!

~We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.~

~"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. "~ My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy! ~ Thomas Jefferson

~There are those, I know, who will say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American dream. Archibald MacLeish~

~This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis~

~ This, then, is the state of the union: free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith. ~Lyndon B. Johnson~

~Oh beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain. America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea.~

~When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect. ~Adlai Stevenson~

~I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~Abraham Lincoln~

~From every mountain side Let Freedom ring.~Samuel F. Smith, "America"~

American Gothic

Green Acres is the place for me...

We're back in California, safe and sound...although I may be a bit more gray after my first time flying with three kids. We had a great, great time on our mini vacation. You can check out some photos from our adventures in the posts below.

Whenever we visit Alabama, it’s almost as if we’re in a black hole of time. You wake up and the next thing you know it’s 10:00 at night. There are so many things to get done during the day but time just seems to slip away. I was thinking about that a lot on this trip but then I realized no matter how quickly the day goes by, when you're in the country there’s always time for...

Fishin'....

Reflectin'....

Eatin' cake...

Watchin' the corn come up in rows...

Doing chores....like shellin' peas

....and takin' care of the chickens...

Makin' new friends....

Takin' the road less travelled....


Hangin' with your cousins....

And your uncle...
Enjoyin' the land...


Learnin' to drive...
Chasin' dragonflies....

And there's always, always enough time for huggin'.