How We Met ...

My friend Raimi tagged me!

Where did you meet your husband? We met in early morning seminary. I was a Freshman, G was a sophomore.

What was the first thing you said to him? I have no clue, maybe HI!

Where was your first date? We went with a group of friends to a movie around the time we first met, but our first “official” date was to a comedy club called Frubars. It was so much fun. I JUST turned 16 and G wanted to be the first guy to officially take me out. This came after not talking to one another for almost a year and a half. He came by my house the day before my 16th birthday and we reconnected, more as friends.

Where was your first kiss? Right outside of my typing class at school.

How long did you date? Well, our first go-around was about 2 or 3 months – can’t remember exactly. Became friends again later, then hung out with him a lot @ BYU. Sometimes we’d go on double dates where I’d have a date, and he’d have a date. Usually afterwards, we’d talk about the night etc. I wrote him throughout his entire mission. About half-way through his mission, I was clunked on the head with the realization that I really liked G. Man, was he patient with me!

Did you have a long or short engagement? About 7 months. We got engaged at the beginning of July, not too long after he got home from his mission. We thought a spring wedding would be great. Luckily, my Mom was much wiser and reserved the church in December during our school break! Thanks, Mom!

Where did you get engaged? Okay, not too romantic, but we had just gone on a nice drive. We parked the car on the side of the road on top of a hill looking over the valley where we grew up, and he just asked me. Regardless, it was still special.

Where were you married? The Oakland Temple.

How did the reception go? It went pretty good, but we had to stand in our receiving line way TOO long. I was starving! We actually went through the Burger King drive-thru before we got to our Hotel. There was a HUGE turnout, since we were both from the same area, and many people were home for the holidays. Can’t complain!

Where did you honeymoon? We didn't take a honeymoon right away... but we did open a bottle of Martinelli's that first night together -- the exact same bottle I gave G when he graduated from HS. He saved it! We got married at the end of December and had to get right back to school. So, we joke that our Honeymoon was spent in a white-out snowstorm in a motel in Wendover. We did, however, get to have a belated Honeymoon when we spent almost a week down at Bryce Canyon, Utah. That was a lot of fun.

**This is easy to do! I can't wait to read your answers. I am tagging everyone! Have fun! (Lisa P.: this could be your first blog! C’mon …)

Field Trip to the Safety Fair

T & I went on a field trip today to a safety fair. There were so many things to do. We rode the train first, then did bubbles, drew pictures, did gymnastics, and ran to the parking lot to see many types of vehicles. T got to climb in a tractor, a PG&E truck, an ambulance, a street sweeper, and a fire truck. I think his favorite thing was sitting on the police motorcycle. He did a couple of art projects, too. He really enjoyed palling around with his close friend, "Rett". I enjoyed palling around with MY friend, Raimi.

1st Grade Science

J filling his cup with dirt

I signed up to be the Science Docent in J's class this year. On Thursday, we observed 4 different types of seeds, and then each student got to plant one type of seed. It was so much fun! I brought the groups of kids outside on the grass to make clean up much easier. I'll come back to talk to them about the growth of their seeds and we'll compare the different seedlings. They were so excited to come outside and dig in the bucket of dirt. Or maybe they were just excited to come outside!?

Our Day in SF

Boys with their cousins

We spent a great day together in SF on Saturday. We decided to ride the BART into the city as part of the experience. The boys loved not having to be in seat belts for the ride. Once we got off BART in SF, we just walked around to explore. B was so excited to see the tall buildings. We tried to find a building where we could go up to the top floor, but had no luck. We saw many flower shops, many taxis, street vendors, and many diverse people. We made our way over to Chinatown and saw many older men at the park playing Chinese Checkers (I think?! -- It didn't look like Majong). We did A LOT of walking, but the boys didn't complain. It was great weather, and we just really enjoyed the sites. We topped off our day in SF with gelato before we got back on BART. It was SO good! We timed it well because we had to wait only a few minutes to get back on BART. We then spent the evening over at my sister's house with her and her 4 kids. We had a yummy taco dinner with Spanish rice and cornbread. Our boys were in heaven playing with their cousins. We miss them because we just don't get to seem them as often as we'd like. We got home late, but it was such a great day.

Pictures of SF

Field Trip To the Capitol

B HAD to climb on this tree!

I loved this painting. The Declaration of Independence is quoted on the right side

B walking to the State Capitol

Mom & B on the steps of the Capitol

I finally was able to go on an elementary school field trip on Thursday. I was amazed at how much smaller the inside of the bus was!! Okay, so I've grown and the seats haven't. It was such a fun field trip. We were put into groups of 4 kids and 2 adults. We had a great group of kids. We had information sheets to fill out at our own pace, kind of like a scavenger hunt. This made things much more interesting for the kids. They had more control of their field trip. Great idea, teachers!! There are so many neat things to see at our Capitol building. Lots of symbolism and history. The Governor was there today and the kids kept trying to get a peek into his office, which was heavily guarded. We got to see where the assembly meets and the Senate chambers, too. Cool! The grounds around the building were really beautiful. The time went so fast. We had to practically run back to the meeting place for the buses. I'm so glad that I was able to spend this time with B. He said he really appreciated it. I loved the fact that he wasn't shy about walking with me or hugging me!! That made MY day!

Down Comes the Rain!

The boys cound NOT refuse the trampoline in the rain

T

B couldn't refuse the mud. Dad won't be too happy about the lawn!

N

This evening, the clouds rolled in and the rain began, which quickly turned into grape-sized hail balls. The boys quickly got their rain jackets on and ran outside. They spent about 30 minutes outside, stepping in puddles and jumping on the trampoline. Of course, B found the mud. I had to remind him that the lawn is SUPPOSED to be there! Oops. It was a nice break in our evening. After warm baths, we topped off the evening with Hot Cocoa and two episodes of Samurai Jack. Glad we got homework done earlier, so that we could seize the moment!

Super Goalie!

B ready to defend!

B is fearless as his team's goalie! He enjoys the challenge, and steps up every time. The assistant coach on his team played goalie in college and has been invaluable to B's training. His team lost today, but B had many saves -- one particularly difficult one, too! His defenders kept deserting him -- a HUGE frustration. The team would move around the field in a clump, rather than staying in positions! So, the other team had quite the advantage there. It's confusing because the boys stay in positions while they scrimmage during practices during the week, but that all seems to go out the window during games! Coach wasn't too happy. Lots to do this week at practices. B was feeling a little bad about the goals that got past him, but his coach quickly reminded him that it is a team effort and he shouldn't be too hard on himself. And if he didn't think that B could do the job as goalie, he'd tell him to go take a sewing class instead! That got a giggle. Thanks, coach!

10 Things I'm Grateful for Today

1. Washable markers & carpet spray = you do the math!

2. Prescription headache medicine

3. Some extra alone time with hubby this morning

4. A clean kitchen & a clean floor

5. Being able to help a friend with scanning pictures (Hope you like them, R!)

6. The cooler weather

7. Not being clobbered on the head by T @ 6AM; instead, he quietly & calmly climbed into bed with me @ 6:45AM -- What a treat!

8. A smile & a wave from my good friend, Lisa, as we passed each other on the road today

9. T was happy about going to preschool this morning – no separation dilemma

10. My dear family and friends. I love you all!!

What are YOU grateful for??

Foozle

J sharing his "binky" with Foozle

J is amost 2 1/2 years old

J's "Foozle" sweater, made by Grandma Marie

J being silly with Foozle

LEGO Foozle

Foozle eating breakfast

Foozle practicing piano

Foozle doing his scripture study (Good Foozle!!)

Okay, what is Foozle, you ask?? Foozle joined our family Christmas Eve, 2001. He was given to J by a distant relative, and J took to him right away. Since we had no idea (still don't) what IT is, G came up with the name Foozle, and it suits him fine. He used to have more yellow hair, but that' s been pulled off. He has a little pink ball for a tail, and that's been sewn back on countless times. Foozle is highly guarded because when J was younger, he couldn't (or wouldn't) go to sleep without him. Once, we took Foozle on a walk to the school to pick up his brothers, and discovered at bedtime that Foozle was missing. We tore the house apart -- literally! We retraced everything we did that day, and when I said we went on a walk to school earlier, we panicked! Where in the world could we get another one? We've never seen one before and haven't seen another one since. Foozle was patiently waiting on the sidewalk for more than 7 hours, not too far from our house. Let me just say that our prayers were answered. We all were so grateful, especially knowng how special he is to J. Since then, Foozle does NOT go on walks. He rarely goes out of the house (only on vacations under special guard!) I'm so glad that he's so brightly colored because it has made him easier to spot in the house. He's so special, that even Dad has made up a boogie-type song about him and sings it almost every night, sometimes while playing the piano. Like I said, he's been a big presence in our home. Did I mention that Foozle has even driven our van??? Scary, huh!

Buzz!

T with his new hair-do. He's got his toy scissors in hand

We lined the boys up for haircuts again. We really buzzed T's hair this time. He looks so much older now! The other boys just look trimmed up, but T looks so different. I'm sure we collected a pound of hair from our boys' heads. It was a scary sight in our garbage can!!

Soccer Time

J getting into position as defender

J taking a break

Today was the first soccer game of the season for both J & B. We had to divide and conquer because their game times overlapped. I had the camera, so I only have pictures of J this time. I'm hoping to go to B's game next week. J's team won 5-2, and that was even accidentally giving the other team a goal! Our goalie stopped the ball, but when he tried to kick the ball out, it swerved back into the goal. Oops! J stopped several balls from getting too close to the goal. He had a great time. B was goalie the entire time for his team, and G said he did really good. B is fearless when the ball is hauling right for him. He blocks it with any part of his body and has been quite successful. I just bought him his very own pair of goalie gloves. His coach is glad to have him -- no one else wants to be goalie! His team lost 0-2. Apparently, B's defenders kept disappearing. Coach said he knew exactly what B's team would be working on during the week!!

It's been SO busy over here. We're settling into our new routine with school and all of the trimmings. Things are still a little crazy, but it's beginning to run smoother (Can you say Slow Cooker Meals!!?) I'm ready for the cooler weather. I'm looking forward to my Bunko night coming up. I'm looking forward to my scrapbook night, too. Just my chance to have time with my friends -- whom I'm so grateful for!!

More From our Adventures in the Sequoias

Happy Birthday, Ali!

My sister, Allison with T

Allison is my younger sister, who is also a great friend! Wish we didn't live 2 states away from each other. We hope to come up there for a visit this spring or summer. She's got her hands full with 2 boys herself -- 3 if you count Russ! (j.k.), and she does a great job running everything. Ali, hope you've had a great day -- you deserve it.

Saturday is a Special Day ....

I know my boys have a love/hate relationship with Saturdays. They don't have to get up early for school, but yet they are up at the crack of dawn (eagerly, I might add). Since they don't have school, they usually don't have any homework. However, the dreaded chores creep up on them. It's amazing how quickly the house gets messy. One mess gets cleaned up, and I turn around and there's another mess that just appears out of no where! If I ever find "Not Me", I'm going to have to restrain myself!!!! It did take all day for B&N to have their room pass inspection. No surprise there. But, the boys spent a lot of time organizing their Legos. We bought several different sized storage containers to separate all of the different types of Legos. I can actually walk to my craft table today! No mine field of Legos waiting to jab into my feet. Exciting, huh?!

We took a dip in our pool today. We almost took the pool down two weeks ago. We were not expecting this heat wave. The water sure felt good! Still not as awesome as Lisa's pool, though!!! But it cooled us off nicely, and for that I am grateful.