California Wildfires

Some Pictures from our house... our flash is not working... so please excuse the poor quality.

So... we have had a couple of weeks of uncertainty here. Thanks for all of the calls of concern during the fires... we were blessed not to be directly effected by them. We live in the Santa Ana Mountains, but were on the opposite side of the mountain to the Santiago fire in Orange County. The air has been so thick with ash and smoke, school has been canceled and we have been told to be prepared for possible evacuation. We only saw the flames crest over the mountain a couple times, but it gave us a little scare. We also had a red moon on Wednesday night due to the thick smoke???... a little creepy... we had to make biblical references to it. It seems like things are getting better. The Santiago Fire is slowly moving away from us and is expected to be contained by Nov. 2nd. It has been a lesson on self-preparedness... it is crazy to try to think of what you would take if you were told you had ten minutes to evacuate. We had our car packed with some of the necessities just in case, 72 hr. kits, scrapbooks, documents... Ryan helped Tatum pack a bag with some of her special things... it was precious what she chose (her favorite doll, a blanket for her doll, some play food for her doll, 2 barbies, her wedding dress-up, a couple of toys for Davis and the book "Someday."
Our hearts and prayers go out to all the people who are now without a home and to all the firefighters still working to put out the flames.

Big Boy Bed

Davis just graduated from crib status and is officially in his big boy bed. He was very hesitant the first few night and cried for his crib... but he has recently discovered a benefit of the big boy bed... not being restrained (getting up to grab a book/toy/ blanket/waking up mommy,daddy, Tatum/getting a box of cereal and spreading it throughout the house etc...) and he has decided he likes it. Oh, and of course... it is fun to jump on!

The proper poise when you talk to boys...

Ryan and I went to see "Wicked" back in May and absolutely loved it!!! So we got the soundtrack, and like to listen to it on occasion. Tatum seems to enjoy the CD... she always requests it, and she is always asking questions about the storyline. We have plans to take her to see it when she is a few years older. So, the other night while I was making dinner, Tatum was dancing circles around me and she sang the phrase... "I'll teach you the proper poise when you talk to boys, little ways to flirt and flounce." It was from the song "Popular." So I probably just lost Mother of the Year Award... good thing her daddy wasn't around.

There is still hope...

So despite the fact that Davis has an overly girly princess of a sister and loves to copy everything she does, his natural "boy" instincts are coming on strong. He loves to sneak dirt in the house, play catch, put a bucket on his head and run around the house yelling "fieman!" (as in fireman). Okay, so on occasion we still catch him making the barbie and his toy tiger kiss, but the outlook is good and we think Davis will survive his sister's prima-donna example after all.

Flashback Friday... Crazy little thing called LOVE!

I was sorting through pictures and found these fun shots of when Ryan and I were dating... we look so young and thin... it is funny (well not so funny) what three pregnancies, two children and nearly seven years of marriage does to you. The pictures made me smile though, reminiscing on all that Ryan and I have been through as a couple, and how we have helped each other grow. It also reminded me of how grateful I am for my wonderful, hard working husband and the great father that he is to our children.

Anne of Green Gables

So, apparently I missed out as a youth... I just read Anne of Green Gables for the first time. I totally fell in love with it. It seemed to be such a wonderful countenance of youth and innocence and growing up. Just thought if anyone else has been left in the dark... I would totally recommend it. I can't wait to get a copy of the second one. Prince Edward's Island was part of Ryan's mission and he has often talked about planning a trip there... after reading the book I truly appreciate the beauty and can't wait to see it for myself someday.

Cowboy Day

We had so much fun during cowboy day... Tatum (above) is lassoing her unicorn in her Ugg boots... we tried.

So, even though he wasn't an official participant in preschool cowboy day... he was so cute running around in his western gear, I couldn't help snapping a few pics of him.

From the Dust of the Earth

So we survived our annual beach camping trip, yet again. We went to Doheny State Beach with our good friends the McEuens. So, basically it rained a lot. Think lots of water, lots of mud and five kids. There was no escaping it, so we just gave up and let everyone get as dirty/muddy/wet/snotty/sandy as they desired. The kids loved it! Luckily, we were able to end the day with hot showers... so, I don't think that we qualify as pioneers yet. So much fun... can't wait until next year!

The Importance of Being Tatum

1. She likes to follow rules... teeth brushing, seat belt wearing, pre-dinner snacking, the slightest violation will bring her to tears.
2. She thinks Sponge Bob is the Devil. I don't really care for Sponge Bob, myself, but she absolutely detests him. Once she came came in to tell me Davis was doing something "really bad." I rushed out, terrified as to what I might find... he was sitting in front of the TV watching Sponge Bob. After coming home from a date once, she broke out into tears, announcing "the babysitter made us watch Sponge Bob." These are just a few instances. Watch out Sponge Bob.
3. She likes to sing Ariel's "Ahhh, Ahhhh, Ahhhh" quite loudly in public places, but is as tone deaf as her mother. We get a lot of raised eyebrows.
4. She misses her grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends from Arizona. She likes to break out in a fake whimper cry, often during sacrament, in the doctor's office, while in line at the grocery store or in other inappropriate places, until a bystander asks her what's wrong, then she dramatically whimpers out, I miss my grandmas... or whoever she is missing at the moment.
5. She puts soda on the same levels as illegal narcotics and embarrassingly confesses to people that sometimes her daddy drinks soda.
6. She has a future as a singer/songwriter. Her newest song is, "I looked out the window and what did I see, One little, two little, three little, four little, five little missionaries staring back at me." A little creepy, but a Tatum original nonetheless.

The Importance of Being Davis

1. He will eat just about anything, once confirmed that it is not poop... the other day he brought a small, purple grape, from who knows where up to me and questionably asked, "Poop"? I smiled, and told him, no, it is a grape. He mimicked, "grape," then popped it into his mouth.
2. He has yet to discover swords. While visiting friends, he found a sword, pointed it at me and said, "Bippity, Boppity, Boo."
3. He has great potential as a contortionist, considering he has the ability to worm his way out of any buckle/child restraint.
4. He sings, "Slippery Fish," word for word, puts his hands on his cheeks and exclaims "OH, NO!" after every verse.
5. All it takes to make him happy is a "nack" and a "tippy cup."
6. The only ones who love nursery more than him is his mom and dad.
7. He is magnetically drawn to dogs. He will run up to any strang dog, and refuse to leave until he has ridden it, pulled its ears, and gotten a few good face licks from it.
8. He is a ladies man... mommy, grandmas, sister, his little girl friends, his mommy's friends... he loves them all.
9. He has learned that he can get away with just about anything by flashing his sweet Davis smile.

Farm Field Trip

Tatum considering feeding the sheep... she was a little grossed out by everything, and kept her nose plugged most of the time.

Giving a newborn calf a bottle.

Davis was quite brave... even after a few turkey nips, he still enjoyed throwing lettuce at them.

Red Door

I would describe my design philosophy as simple, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. So, I faced a dilemma with my front door... (very serious issue). We had a screen door that was quite ugly, but it was so nice to catch the mountain breeze and cool our house off. So after much inner conflict, I finally took it off and painted my door red. I am so glad I did it, it totally adds some welcoming curb appeal and somewhat hides the fact that our house is due for an overall paint job. Much to his surprise, Ryan actually really likes it, too.

My little preschooler

Tatum's first day of preschool was so exciting for her! She had so much fun with all her friends and has become the teacher's pet... I am her teacher:). She is so enthusiastic to learn new things and loves to show off her newfound knowledge to her daddy.

A moment of self reflection...

So... my grandma sent me an e-mail with pictures of fruit and vegetables carvings and I thought Tatum would enjoy it, so I showed it to her. She giggled at them and then when she saw this picture, she exclaimed, "Oh, look at the cute little baby oranges." Out of curiosity, I asked her who the big orange was. She tilted her head to the side, thought for a moment, and questionably said, "the mommy orange?" That is lovely that my three year connects a crazy looking orange with a mommy. No, connection to myself, though.... right????

Earthcakes

Sunday morning as we were getting ready for church, we experienced our first earthquake... or earthcake, as Davis would say. Nothing too big... it was 4.7 magnitude, but it definitely caught us by surprise. I ran to check on Tatum and in her grumpy voice she said, "Hey, who is shaking our house?" No damage... it was a wake up call though... I guess it time to make sure we are prepared. I am sure that we can't last too long on potato pearls, hot chocolate, and refried beans. Later that day it started storming pretty bad, and we ended up getting flash floods... so it was a pretty crazy day... the kids thought it was pretty exciting.

Leap Year Baby on the Horizon....

Yes, we are expecting. No, we are not crazy... maybe a little. Yes, it was a surprise, but a welcomed one. The due date is February 29th, 2008.... seems like a long way off, but I am in my second trimester, so we are slowly getting there. We just told Tatum and she is really excited. She exclaimed, "So that is why your tummy has been getting so squishy." Davis is clueless. Just wanted to share the news!

Carpenteria Beach House

We spent the last week satying in a beach house near Santa Barbara with my famiy. Erik just returned from his mission, so it was an exciting reunion. Tatum and Davis ate up all of the attention and had so much fun chasing the waves and finding seashells. We got to see some sealions up-close and saw several dolphins.

Papa and Tatum building sandcastles.









Davis and "Grr"

The newly invented game
"Beach Quidditch."









Davis exploring the beach

Tatum and Aunt Chelle

Watching the Sunset.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

We had an unexpected trip to Paris in July... Ryan had to go for business, so I tagged along. We had an awesome time. Paris was so beautiful and romantic and the food was amazing! We got to tour some of the sites together during the weekends and had the evenings together for our lavish 3-hour dining experiences. During the week, I explored the city with Ryan's coworkers wife... I have never walked so much in my life... but it was a good opportunity to burn off all the extra calories. We went to Chateau de Versailles, Musee de Orsay, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and of course the Eiffel Tower. We saw all of the Cathedrals, including some famous De Vinci Code locations.


My favorite part was visiting Marie Antoinette's Estate... it was pretty amazing how elaborate she made everything. We had a blast, but were ready to return to Tatum and Davis after 9 days. Who, by the way, were completely content being spoiled by both sets of grandparents.





Marie Antoinette's personal village, A Seine River View, Notre Dame, Chateau de Versailles.

Day Trip to Oceanside

We went to Oceanside beach with our good friends the Cooks and the McDowells. It was a little crazy without the husbands, but we had a fun day!

Madeline & Tatum

Davis & Daxton

Waterslide

We got together to play on the huge Costco blow-up slide. The kids had so much fun! We have made some great friends from the ward.