A Perfect Day at the Beach

We had planned to spend Memorial Day weekend up at our property with Kevin's family. But new snow and cold weather up there prompted a last minute decision to road trip to California and spend some time with the Moats family instead. I'm sure this decision was influenced just a bit by the fact that we wanted to try out our new Subaru Outback on the open road and we are happy to report that the car did great. (32 mpg on the trip home...a nice tailwind helped).

On Saturday we decided to spend even more time in the car and drive 3 hours from Tehachapi to the Morro Bay area. It has been years since I had been there and a first for Kevin and Henry. We started our day by doing a hike along a rocky coast covered with Elephant Seals. It was really cool because the area was not roped off and you could walk right up to them. There were hundreds of them and they were fascinating to watch. The picture below makes them look as though they were dead, but they were just enjoying an afternoon nap.


The boys had a fabulous time crawling around the rocks and getting right up close to the Elephant Seals swimming and finding starfish and sea urchins. It was one of the neatest things we have seen.
Cousin Max with a starfish

Henry with a starfish

Sea Urchins ( I think...and I used to want to be a Marine Biologist)

Kevin, Meg, and Henry on the rocky coast (Elephant Seal in the background)

Henry on Papa's shoulders and Max on Christian's shoulders


Jack, Shelby, Max and Henry on the trail

Nana and Papa


Max, Henry, Shelby, and Jack showing off their muscles. Shelby is so good with the little guys, she will make a great pediatric nurse.

That evening we had a wonderful meal at this quaint little cafe off the harbor at Morro Bay. The food was FANTASTIC and the company was even better. It was an evening I will remember for a long time.

It just goes to show that a last minute change in plans can be a blessing. We had a great weekend. And I'm sure we will make it up to the Proper-D at some point this summer, if it will ever stop snowing.

"Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me" -Matt. 25:40

It seems like whenever I exercise my femininity, Kevin feels the need to exercise his masculinity. In this case, when I left for an overnighter with the girls Kevin had his buddy come over with his chainsaw and climbing equipment and they pruned the massive Cottonwood tree in our backyard. This was no small project. We had several bids to have the tree done by a professional and the lowest bid we could find was $1,200. So, we were very grateful to our good friend Ryan, who has some experience pruning large trees, for coming over and giving it a shot. In the process of taking down some of the larger limbs, Kevin noticed a nest with 4 baby birds that came down with one of the limbs. While the birds sustained a healthy fall, they all lived and were all still in the nest when Kevin found them. He felt terrible and Henry was very concerned for the babies. Henry wanted to know where their mama was. Kevin was pretty sure that the baby birds were toast, but felt like he should try to do something to let Henry know they would help the birds. So Kevin scavenged one of our hanging planters that was filled with peat moss and placed the bird nest in there, thinking that if he could get the nest back to it's original location on the tree, the mama just may come back. This was not an easy feat as the nest was over 30 feet up in the tree. With their climbing and rope experience, Ryan and Kevin were able to construct a pully system that put the nest back up in the tree in it's original location. After placing the nest in the tree that night, they watched for Mama, but saw nothing. The next morning when Henry woke up, he wanted to go out and see if the Mama came back. After about 10 mintues, Kevin saw the mama fly up to the nest, worm in beak, and feed her babies. He and Henry were thrilled. Their kindness had paid off. It just goes to show that with all that testerone that was flying around with the chainsaws, there was also the innate need to take care of those who are helpless. I am grateful for the lesson that Kevin taught Henry that day.

King of the Throne

We are happy to report that Henry is finally Master of this here throne. While he potty trained fairly easily, he did have a very irrational fear of the #2. I cannot tell you how many hours Kevin and I have spent in the bathroom with him trying to convince him to just do it. It has been a rough road. After a two hour stint one night I got online and did some digging and found a great article by a specialist in this field. I had no idea the problem was so common in Toddlers, but apparently it is. The article stated that the best thing to do is to let them come around on their own and not push them. I read that a child can go for more than a week without success and have no adverse health affects. I was thrilled when I read this and Kevin and I backed off completely. Instead of rushing him to the potty at the first sign of the dance, we ignored it and eventually he became so uncomfortable that he started making his way into the bathroom on his own. After a couple of weeks and lots of Miralax to ensure painless success, he was over it. I have never been so grateful. Sorry if this post seems in poor taste (and poor Henry if he happens to read it when he is 16) but if I can help any parents out with our story, it is worth it.

Way to go Hank!

I've been tagged

I have been waiting and waiting and now I am popular enough to be tagged! Thanks Christi.

1. What is his name? Kevin
2. Who eats more? depends on what we are eating
3. Who said I love you first? Can't remember, dang!
4. Who is taller? He is
5. Who is smarter? He is
6. Who is more sensitive? He is with Henry, I am with everyone else
7. Who does the laundry? I do
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me
9. Who pays the bills? Me
10. Who cooks more? I do
11. What meals do you cook together? Breakfast on Sundays and when we are camping we tag team
12. Who is more stubborn? Neither one is overly stubborn
13. Who is first to admit they are wrong? Me
14. Who is more clean? Me
15. Who has more siblings? He does, 3 bros and 1 sis (I only have 3 sisters)
16. Who wears the pants in the relationship? I'd say one leg a piece
17. What do you like to do together? Camping at the property, working on house projects, vegging in front of the TV, kayaking class
18. Who eats more sweets? me
19. Guilty pleasures? Movies like Knocked up and Wedding Crashers, late night snacks (and a waistline to prove it!)
20. How did you meet? Teaching at a private school
21. Who kissed who first? Kevin kissed me, but I had to egg him on
22. Who proposed? He did, his plan to do it on a climbing wall was foiled so we ended up at the boy scout building on Foothil. It was prophetic.
23. His best feature? His talent for anything
24. What is his greatest quality? Sense of humor and love for life

So I think I am supposed to tag someone else now. I am tagging Molly, Catherine, and Kim Garff (good motivation to start a blog, Kim!)

Old School

(Christi, Debra, Meg, Kim, Kristen)
Good friends are such a treat. Saturday night I had the chance for a slumber party with four friends that I met at BYU. We all lived on the same floor in DT (Deseret Towers). We went to dinner, played cards,and just caught up with each other. We stayed up talking until all hours of the night. I feel so blessed to have these women in my life. And thanks to Christi who drove all the way from St. George to spend 12 hous with us!