Lost & Found

We are back in AZ as of yesterday (Monday Aug 25). We had a very long trip back thanks to a 5 mile stretch/ one-hour traffic delay, forgetting Ben's suits, and keeping the kids happy--but it was a grand adventure. (Not one we'll repeat again soon though). Anyway, it is great to be back! Xander is so happy to be back and Eliza is starting to get this place figured out...we realized today that she's been in our apartment less than she's been in Cali. BUT to the good news--So, back in March I went home to visit family and took my journal with me. I'm not an avid journal writer but I enjoy writing when I can...this particular journal is one I've been writing in since late 2003. Well, it never made it back...or so I thought. When we got home from our March trip, I could not find it--I called the airlines, I searched both parents homes, I turned the apartment upside down. I never realized how important it actually was to me...long story short, I was sitting in my computer chair nursing yesterday when I noticed a gold ribbon between the wall and the night stand...Ben quickly came to my screams and retrieved it and YEAH! it really was the journal!!!!!!!!! Another prayer answered...boy am I lucky?!

ADDITION: This morning, (Sept 1) I found an earring that has been lost since Christmas! It was sitting underneath the kids teddy bears. Since they were one of my favorite pairs, I had since purchased similar ones but WOW now I have two! This is so fun! I've never been so lucky with finding lost stuff! This is fantastic!!!!

That Beautiful Friend of Mine

Another excuse for some girl time--my friend since the first grade, Ivy (the 6th most beautiful employee on Capital Hill), showed up the last week we were in California! We went up to her parents place for dinner and FHE--so fun. I really wanted to get a picture of Xander going down the water slide but the camera battery died--next time. But we love the Sellers new place--I taught several swim lessons up there this summer and so Xander is constantly asking if we can go...they moved up the hill from Folsom to live on a 10 acre plot with lots of activities and fun things to do. So we all had a blast swimming and playing. Then on Friday, Ivy came down and we got to go to lunch sans kids and go shopping at the Outlets. It was great to see her and hear all about her & hubbie, Shane. I so wish we could all live near each other--but since we all met our husbands who are from different corners of the States, that gets a little tricky. But at least I've been in the Sacramento area a lot so that I can always see those who come home to visit family.

French Meadows Camping!

Right after Ben treated me to a Girls Night Out, he took Xander and went camping with his family for a night. Eliza & I couldn't go because Kayley's Baby Shower was at the same time. But Laura (Ben's sister) and her two kids: Leona & Lydia drove up with Ben & Xander to meet their parents at French Meadows on Friday afternoon. From what I heard, they had a fantastic time. There was a huge log in the middle of their camp, which Xander immediately dubbed, "Thomas" and the train rides never stopped. They enjoyed lots of cousin time, marshmallows, swimming in the lake, tri-tip, popcorn etc. After breakfast, Uncle Seth & his fiance, Serena, joined the crew with Seth's girls--Megan & Madylin. Ben & Xander finally rolled in about 8:30 PM Saturday night. We got Xander bathed and while doing so I noticed all his scratches. I asked him what happened and he said, "Daddy said, 'No, No Xander. Don't slide in the dirt;' but I slid in the dirt." Apparently Xander had been running, after being told no, and then took a big fall in the dirt. He was very proud to show his scratches until they finally disappeared. After we finally got him clean (his diaper above his pants line was black, you can only imagine) we got him into bed and he slept really well that night.

Girls Night Out

Yeah for Sisters! Both Emily & Kayley came in to town before we headed back to Arizona and so we took advantage of the time we had and hung out! Em taught Kayley and I how to make headbands (Congrats Kayley--she just found out she is having a gIrL in October!) for our little girls and then we forced my mom to come with us to dinner (at the Kabob House) and to see Mamma Mia! It was so fun and the first time I've left Xander & Eliza with Ben at bed time...thank goodness for pumps. :) We had so much fun though and I can't wait until Christmas when Tara & Amanda can join us! Funny story though--we left some pizzas for the men to cook for themselves and the kids and for some odd reason, right before we left, the oven broke. We went anyway...and let them figure it out...what great husbands! Ben ended up taking the pizzas to our grandmas, cooking them, and putting Eliza to bed, and then taking them back to my parents house to some very hungry kids. (Oh, and Grandma was home, so he left Eliza there) :)

4 Years Ago Today

Today we celebrated dating 6 months. We had lived apart all summer--but coaching had ended and Ben's project in Provo had ended so we were together again in California. To celebrate we went to "OUR" city: San Francisco...remember, we met in a class called, The History of San Francisco and the American Imagination. It served a double purpose though because just prior to having met Ben, I had completed a huge family history project and discovered that I had a lot of ancestors who immigrated to the US by way of San Francisco. I had collected addresses and the like during my research and had been wanting to go searching for what used to be their homes. Ben's folks lent us their car with GPS and we went searching. We had a lot of fun! We also visited the S.F City Park, the beach, Coit Tower and the best crepe restaurant I've been to outside of France. It was quite the date and we got back late that night. For those who don't know Ben, the "6 Month" is a "make it or break it" month...it's kinda where he decided well before he dated me that at that point in time, things could get more "serious", but not before...

On moving

Well, within the last 4 months we have lived in 3 different places. We spent a month at the Websters, 2 months at the Harrisons and 3 weeks at Grandmas. Not to mention side trips, etc. The kids have held up really well. But I think I realized today that poor Xander needs something consistent. You see, Eliza has had her port-a-crib the whole time but Xander hasn't. As you can see though, he found something familiar for todays nap:

I love food!

One of the biggest differences between Eliza and Xander at this age is their eating. Xander hated anything with lumps or bumps. He was a pureed baby food kind of a kid and Eliza just wants everything! Here she is enjoying pancakes with her favorite Papa at a delicious breakfast restaurant in Roseville, CA. She also enjoys frozen peas and corn, black beans, cut up fruit, dry cereal, pizza crust etc. As long as adults are eating it, she wants it. The one thing they do have in common though is that neither of them had/have any teeth!! Yes, that is right, Eliza gums things to deaths--it's pretty amazing! (I guess she'll be a good kisser like her parents once she's married).

"I want Thomas Music Mommy"

Anyone who knows Xander knows that he is in love with Thomas the Train. Or trains in general. You will usually see him wearing his conductors hat, asking for a ticket before getting into his car seat or making train whistle noises. Last week though we added something to the list. We were bored one day and so I started looking online for sheet music to the Thomas show. I told Xander I would then play it for him. Since then, he has decided he can do it too. This morning, after him playing this song (listen carefully, they're 2, they're 4, they're 6, they're 8, shunting trucks and hauling freight etc) several times, I asked him if I could get in on camera. So this is a little staged since I'm not quick with the camera but suffice it to say, he now asks if he can have more Thomas music for his birthday.

7 Months Old!

Here is our little Eliza Joy--7 months old this week! What a spunky little girl we have! Eliza is really working hard on crawling--mostly going backwards and ending under couches and beds which really frustrates her. She started going from crawling position to sitting and vice versa today and is really trying to keep up with Xander. She LOVES food! She hasn't complained about anything from sweet potatoes to lentils to barley cereal. She is still a mommy's girl and has a hard time going to anyone else if I'm around. But Daddy and Xander are great replacements for mom. One of my favorite things is when Eliza wakes up and Xander hears her and runs into her room saying, "My brother woke up! Eliza, I'm here!" And she just starts giggling! She is still very sensitive to dairy--so I'm still abstaining--and this week marks 3 ear infections since birth--the poor thing. She still has yet to push out any teeth--lucky for me since we are still nursing. She is still working on the whole sleeping through the night but it seems as she gets close we move again and so she gets all messed up again. All-in-all we love our little girl and are so glad to have her be part of our family.

Jelly Belly Factory

My sister arrived with her 3 kids on Monday and we decided to start their summer trip with bang! We loaded them back in the car (they had driven from Utah) and went to the Jelly Belly Factory! We had a good time with few incidents--ie when we arrived and were standing in line I noticed Xander's pants were wet-like he had had an accident. Well, he had been wearing a diaper so I was a little confused until I took him to the restroom and his diaper was folded into itself (weird!) and so he had had an accident!! I'm so glad that we had his pj's in the car! Second, I lost Eliza's adorable headband but quickly recovered it. And third, GG (Great Grandma) Bonnie lost her wallet. After driving around, walking around etc I found it under the drivers seat of my car. :) YEAH! But we had a great time and the kids couldn't believe how many jelly beans they saw. And they loved the cool hats! (Eliza liked it so much she ate it!)

Washing Nana & Grumpy's Car

Uncle Jake was asked to wash the car while he was in charge of Nate & Ryan...Xander had to join in on the fun. I'm not sure it turned out very well but the kids had a blast!