The best thing since sliced bread

This afternoon, Cam was reading Harrison's shirt. This is kind of how it went down.

"The best thing since sliced bread. Sliced bread is goooood!"

This video should be good for a laugh. Yes, Sawyer does mention a group hug in it - he's all about the group hug. Also, it would be nice to be able to hear the baby better - but you can still hear his belly laughs. Love that baby!

Potty Talk

We have a little problem around here and it's called potty talk. pretty much every phrase that comes out of Sawyer's mouth has to do with parts of your body that have to do with using the bathroom. If it's not the body parts it's what comes out of the body parts.


So, that is pretty annoying. NOW, yesterday he added a new word to the every expanding potty vocab. BUTTOCKS. Cam had said it a few times (where did they hear this?!) and Sawyer repeated it. (Naturally) Then, after saying it about 3 or 4 times, Sawyer looked at me and said "what does buttocks mean?" Ah, the joy!


So, today was all about buttocks. Despite my best efforts to dash the potty talk - it's just not happening. Let's hope this is a short phase. (RIGHT)


It was a fun day with swinging outside, lots of basketball in the driveway and some time in the backyard pool.

I'm ignoring how dirty this ball is and focusing on how you can *hear* him yelling while pounding on the ball.

He's his own kid, that is for sure.

vacuum

because I said I would - I'm back to update the status of the vacuum.

in the 10 years we've lived away from Iowa (next month!) we've owned 5 vacuums. they've all lasted approximately 2 years. that is just nuts as far as I'm concerned. they've all been in the $150-200 range -- nothing completely expensive but nothing that we found in the bargain bin. a few of them have been recommended by Consumer Reports, a couple of them just looked good. whatever.

when our latest vacuum died, we'd had enough. we debated whether or not to replace it with yet another mediocre vacuum or to take the plunge and spend a little more and hope it'd last us a little longer. we joked about buying a kirby, as they'd managed to bamboozle me last year and wiggle their way into our home to give me a demonstration. since we weren't going to shell out $2K for a vacuum, we needed to go check out the dyson's.

we are the proud owners of a new dyson slim. so far so good. so good in fact, that we've already emptied the canister several times. we *thought* we had decently clean carpet before. we thought wrong. (disclaimer: this is a common theme in the reviews of the vacuum. you think you have a reasonably clean carpet and then you use a dyson. you realize how NOT clean your carpet is)

and now you know. and knowing is half the battle.

Conversions

Just wanted to share a couple of black and white conversions. They probably are no where near being technically good - but they are the first ones I've done that I'm reasonably happy with!

I used to think that I'd be all about black and white photos. They had always been favorites of mine for about forever. I'm still loving good, moody black and whites, but there is something about a bright colorful photo that really sings. Maybe once I've mastered the black/white conversions I'll be all black and white ALL of the time.

Random

I was all set to talk about my new vacuum last night. I was even going to post some cute pics of the kids and talk about how lucky I am to be their mom. But, they got the best of me by the time I had time to sit down.

Yesterday, Ma and Papa (Andy's parents) departed for home from the airport in Orange County. (John Wayne -- code SNA in case you're thinking of visiting!) As soon as we pulled away from the airport, Sawyer said "I feel really sad". One of the reasons I love this boy so...he's got a huge heart and isn't afraid to show it.

Anyway. Because we were already in Orange County and I had some returns at Hanna Andersson, we made the 5 mile voyage to Fashion Island. It was a gorgeous day outside and the mall is a lovely outdoor, dog friendly destination. We made it into a few good stores (including Quiksilver Kids, where Cam got some flip-flops. I hardly can imagine that he'll wear them - as these 2 seem to be anti flip flop, but we'll see) and visited the gigantic fish at the Koi Pond. I only wish I'd taken a picture because they are enormous and cool/gross at the same time.

Unfortunately, the kids were not displaying their best behaviour at the mall (or before, really) and it's incredibly draining to have the constant fighting over and over again. Then, after movie night (which wasn't really movie night at all - we just watched 2 episodes of recorded American Gladiators) they were at it again. So, they were in their room by 7:00. It's nearly impossible to not just feel emotionally drained after a day or constant reprimanding and such behavior.

I will share some photos none the less. We are so lucky to have these 3 kids, even on the worst day. The baby is over the moon perfect, Sawyer is clever, loving and funny and Campbell's smarts are what get him accolades and trouble.

Happy Sunday everyone. We have another birthday party today, grocery shopping and some recovering to do after our visitors. (I'm looking forward to (sick, I know) vacuuming with my new vacuum. I'll report back - I hope you'll be okay until I do!)

*the* Trip

I know you've been waiting with bated breath for me to return and let you know how our Central California trip was. Well, the wait is over. I am here and I will let you know the details!

By the numbers:

number of days in the car: 4

number of nights in a hotel: 3

number of different hotels: 3

number of people in my toyota sienna: 7

number of miles driven: 860 (give or take a few)

number of vineyards: too many to count

number of giggles: many

There are probably more. For those of you not in the know, my husband, children and I took a short vacation with my inlaws who are here visiting from Iowa.

On Sunday we headed out for a small Danish community in Central California called Solvang. All of the people I know that are California natives always speak highly of it and we thought we'd make it part of our journey. We spent a few hours walking the streets after having a much needed lunch. It was fun and interesting. We were all still fresh and ready for whatever adventures would come our way.

After the unseasonably warm weather there (and at home where we'd been having record breaking heat!) we headed to the coast. More specifically, Pismo Beach. We stayed at Pismo Lighthouse Suites. Let me be the first to tell you - if you need to stay on the central Coast -stay here. It was a really nice, updated hotel with fun activities for the kids right on the ocean. It was here that the boys got to play oversized chess and ping pong -- Harrison got to dip his toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first (and I'm sure won't be last!) time!

I would have been perfectly happy to stay in Pismo Beach for the rest of the time, but the others insisted we move on. (Plus, I *HAD* been waiting over a year to see those dang Sequoia trees!) So, we headed north for the tiny town of San Simeon and Hearst Castle. Before we could tour the total opulence of the remarkable home WR Hearst had built, we stopped in San Luis Obispo to visit the mission there. It was far smaller and less commercial than the mission in San Juan Capistrano that we visited in November, but it was still lovely and full of history. There were beautiful gardens in the back and I took that opportunity to take a few photos of my darling (yet sometimes wild) boys.

I absolutely loved SLO. It was a fun and funky Iowa City with much better weather! There was a fun downtown with cute shops and it just had a really nice feel.

Hearst Castle was absolutely over the top and I highly recommend it. I'm not sure what to say about it other than it was just completely decadent. (the indoor pool was amazing. as were the guesthouse and dining room!)

The last stop was the Sequoia National Forest/Park and Kings Canyon. Despite the road that would make anyone sick to get there (lots of turns and twists going up, up, up!) it was an amazing day. The trees were completely unbelievably large. Their sheer volume was unimaginable! We learned a bit about their history and how they compare to other trees, both smaller and taller.

It's impossible to understand how big they are without something ordinary to compare them to. So, that is why there are things like people and cars in these photos. :)

On Tuesday night we stayed in the Park. I had thought that it would be fun to sleep in cabins versus in one of the lodges. (Who am I kidding?! The lodges were all full when I made our accomodations. Okay, so it would be so bad to sleep in cabins. We booked the "honeymoon" cabin (the one single cabin - not a duplex) and a tent cabin. The tent cabin had 4 walls but a canvas roof. It had no electricity and used a shared bath house. Luckily, our honeymoon cabin had it's own bath for all of us to use. Andy and the boys bunked up in the tent and Tom, Carol and Harrison and I shared our own private honeymoon cabin. How romantic.

I thought the boys would enjoy touring a cave so before we departed we did just that. We walked through Boyden Cavern and saw all of the fun formations within. The cavern is located up in an area that is less full of sequoias and more dramatic in its landscape.



It's taken me all day to write this less than thrilling account of our trip. If you've read this far, much applause to you. This trip was loads of fun, first and foremost. Secondly, it totally made me remember why travel to all of the corners of our country and this earth is so great! I'm very glad that we're not the type of people to only vacation to one place over and over. There are so many amazing places to see and this trip just gave me a few more of those images burned into my mind. I've been to 29 states (I would have thought this was more. Plus, Andy and I have some definitions of what constitutes this) and 6 countries other than our own.

Over the rest of my life I will continue to make it my goal to visit more new places and see new thrilling things. It's going to be hard though - because I live in a great state for travel. California has SO MUCH to offer and I've only experienced a small part of it - even though I feel as though I've been all over this great state.

I couldn't believe it

Today, in the morning more specifically, I took the boys to the pool. We left the house at 930 because I knew it was going to be hot today. (Turns out I was right - it was 107* again today) We met several of my friends (5 of them to be exact) and had a great morning.

Anyway, I put Harrison in his little float/boat and he LOVED it. He splashed and had a gay old time. His "girlfriend" (named as such by Sawyer) Emma was there and she not only entertained him but also Sawyer. Harrison enjoyed the float so much he about fell asleep resting his head on it's side. Luckily he waited to doze until I put him into the stroller.

I didn't get a picture of this first. I take my camera just about everywhere and today, I didn't. So I missed the swim in the real pool. OH well, I'll have to photograph the second.

Last day of basketball camp (WOOHOO) and Campbell had a birthday party this evening too. Seems like we're going to have some time to rest. I wouldn't count on it!

A few random snaps I took at the Santa Ana zoo last week. Mostly just because I haven't downloaded any in a couple of days!

***OH YEAH*** Andy got his new Prius today. I drove it home from camp today and it's like a spaceship!

One Sweet Earth

A couple of weeks ago Andy and I had the pleasure of meeting Andy's friend, Dave's, brother in law and his new wife. While that sounds less than scintilating, let me assure you -- this was truly an experience.

Over a year ago, (in April of 2007, I believe) Brian and Susan embarked on a 14 month adventure around the world. They visited approximately 26 countries in this time period, some for a week and some for a month or more. Initially we were both completely in awe of this idea, cheering them on as they quit their jobs, sold their cars and traveled our vast yet very small, earth.

A couple of weeks ago, they returned to the States and we met them at Dave's 8th grade son's graduation party. I was really eager to talk to them and hear just a snippet of what their travels brought to them. It was fascinating to hear about their favorite part of their trip (Nepal) and the most overrated place they visited (Australia). I was enraptured by their tales and just soaked in all they had to tell.

Needless to say, I personally think that this is an amazing adventure -- and that they are brave and unique folks. Now they are on a month long trip around our great country (with Dave's 8th grade son!) and that is also a great journey, in my opinion.

If you're interested in peeking at their photos or reading a bit about their stops, you can find their blog at http://onesweetearth.com/travel/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

As for us, we're just trying to keep cool. It's been over 100* all week and our pool is getting some real use. (good timing on that one) We're plowing through basketball camp and enjoying seeing our friends. The pool, camp and friends - isn't that what summer is all about?

$4.47

Let's just get the cute photos out of the way, shall we? (unedited, of course, because I don't have time to edit AND blog!)

that above mentioned price, four dollars and forty seven cents, is the price of gas - per gallon - at the gas station across the street from andy's work. (it's one of the cheapest stations we know) the price goes up $.02 per day. it was $4.45 when andy got to work this morning at 5:30 a.m. and when he left it was $4.47.

isn't that annoying? we think so.

apparently in our house it's a must that we have some sort of sport going on at all times. since baseball ended a couple of weeks ago the boys had to have some sport to fill the time. enter basketball camp at centennial high school!

campbell went to the basketball camp last summer and this year sawyer was insisting that he needed to go. today it started and it was all we remembered it to be. except there were 2 new kids in attendance - harrison and my friend cara's baby - McKenna! last june cara and i were pregnant and discussing our kids (cara has three little girls) and our upcoming bundles.

anyway. the boys had fun - it was even better once cara got campbell on the right team (and off of sawyer's team. they split the 5-6 year olds up from the 7 and 8 year olds. so, cam was initially on sawyers team. he was also at least a head taller than all of the kids!) with some of his friends. i had fun too, there were plenty of friends for me there, as well. tomorrow, however, i will not stay the full 3 hours. once andy arrives I will bring the baby home for dinner and rest.

for your viewing pleasure, some terrible photos of basketball camp!

I almost forgot. the boys spent over an hour in the pool in the back yard today! Woohoo! (I mean, the thermometer *did* register at 101* today!) they took a brothers picture. (according to sawyer)

this doesn't even look like Cam!