Home Again

John had to work in the Bay Area last week and since the kids were on spring break we decided to go with him.  I have made only a few short visits since I left home 14 years ago.  It was fun to go but it was not nearly enough time to visit old friends or to show my kids all the fun things that are out there.  During the day while John was at work the kids and I did day trips.

We got to ride BART into San Francisco, and that was a favorite part of the trip.  When it was crowded on our way back a sweet lady offered her seat to Hyrum.  Hyrum refused because he thought it was so cool that he could stand up.  We did the touristy stuff and went to pier 39 and saw the sea lions there, went on a boat ride around the bay, watched street performers and had a lot of fun.  What the kids really liked was being able to be little boys.

We also got to enjoy going to some of San Francisco's great museums and the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. I wish I had the camera with me when the boys tried the booger flavored one's.  Aparently they don't taste as good as the real thing. The kids were thrilled when we brought bags of Belly Flops home. I got to see some old friends but not nearly enough. I will have to take multiple trips back to be able to see everyone.

                                   

John was able to join us for a few outings.  We went to see the elephant seals in Ano Nuevo.  Most of the adults had left already but there were a lot of weaned pups still there.  We saw one of them make it's way out to the water and swim away.  It's so funny to watch them on land because they look like giant slugs moving around.

 

We also got to see the Oakland temple,

 

and of course we had to take a trip to Fentons

A Two Sport Family

Hyrum caught the first hit and immediately threw it to first base.

We told Hyrum that he had to wait until he was seven to start playing a sport.  He talked all the time about taking taekwondo lessons like Alan.  He would  even practice TKD while watching Alan take his classes.  However when it got close to his seventh birthday and we asked him what sport he wanted to play he didn't hesitate when he said he wanted to play baseball.

So Hyrum is signed up for little league and had his first practice this week.  Aside from being embarassed that he wasn't wearing baseball pants (he wasn't the only one) he loved it.  He hit every ball the coach threw at him and when throwing the ball he actually got the ball in the near vacinity of the person he was throwing to.  Most of all though he loved that it was his turn in the spotlight.

We experienced our first Saturday of being a two sport family yesterday.  Hyrum had his first "game" (a one inning scrimige) and opening day of little league.    I noticed a running theme with the pictures I took of Hyrum.

Then we had to rush to taekwondo where Alan had a tournament.  Alan has gotten a lot better in sparing and took second place, as well as a third place in his weapons competition.  It was a long day that had us going for eight hours but the kids really felt special.

Disney Land without the kids = A BLAST!!!!

Several weeks ago we found out that the Mother-In-Law was going to be out here watching a different set of grand kids for a week while their parents went to Hawaii.  She offered to watch our kids for the following weekend.  We jumped on it.

We quickly started to put together plans for 3.5 days and 3 nights away from the kids.  After a couple of days listing the pros and cons of each of our options we decided to go to .......  DISNEYLAND!  What a concept!

You may not remember but we did take the kids to Disneyland a couple of years ago.  We had a blast then but it's a different experience without the kids.  The best parts about being on vacation and going to Disneyland without the kids:

• You wake up and get out of bed when you want
• You don't have to go back to the Hotel for naps because the kids are cranky because they wake up at the crack of dawn even though you've pulled the blackout fabric.
• You can go back to the Hotel for a nap because you feel like it
• It's just you and your spouse
• You get to talk and joke without being interrupted and without worrying if it's something you should be saying in front of the kids
• No whining about long lines
• Waiting in line isn't really a chore because you don't have to "manage" the kids so they don't bump into the people in front or behind you or keep asking "how much longer"
• You get to ride what you want and how often you want
• You can watch the parade and the shows.  Did you know that on Friday nights they have bands play in Tomorrow Land?  It was an 80s cover band.  We haven't been to a concert in years.  It was a blast.
• You don't have to worry about a height limit
• You don't have to ride autopia 10 times.  Don't get me wrong.  This is a fine ride but the kids think it's the best and want to ride it over and over
• You can eat at the park without first looking to see if the place serves kid-friendly meals 
• It's just you and your spouse

There were one or two times that we found ourselves saying "the kids really liked that ride" but honestly it was only a couple of times.  Getting away for a few days and nights without your kids has really recharged us.  It's a great way to remember why we fell in love.  I think we'll have to do it every year.  

Christmas

Alan said Saturday night that this was a perfect Christmas. I think he might have been right. It started with a family hike the morning of Christmas Eve. It was a short hike but when we stopped for a short break the kids started playing and using their imaginations and were so animated in their play that John and I could bear to interrupt them to make them keep going. So our short rest ended up being a long play time.

That afternoon we dipped chocolates and the boys did some work on our "tree house".

Christmas Eve we did our annual reenactment of the Nativity.  John and I noticed that our roles never change.  The kids always switch back and forth between wanting to be Joseph and a shepherd.  That always leaves John and I to do Mary and the Angel.  Well since John really doesn't want to be Mary, I'm always Mary and John is always the angel.  And a wrapped up scooby doo always ends up being Baby Jesus.

Then we each got to open one gift before bed. The kids get books on Christmas eve, and Mom and Dad each got a gift that the kids made in school. I think those were John and my favorite gifts.

We did your Christmas dinner a little different this year.  I heard about a tradition of a friend of mine and decided to try it this year.  Instead of traditional ham and potatoes we tried to replicate how Christ might have eaten dinner.  I was a little worried about the foods but overall dinner was a success.  My brother and his family came over.  We ate sitting on the floor and used our fingers.  It was a neat experience that helped bring us back from the presents to remembering Christ.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas too!

Concentration

Last night was Hyrum's winter concert.  The picture above is terrible but it gives you an idea of how Hyrum was during the entire thing.  His brow was furrowed almost the entire time.  Hyrum is a perfectionist and I think he was concentrating hard on remembering the words and getting the actions right.  It made John and I laugh watching him.  He was so excited to have it be HIS concert.  We've gone to many events for Alan but this was his first.  He was even asking if he could have the "You are special today" plate at dinner.

Another reason why I love this kid.

The other day after school he says he's going to make a sandwich for a snack and this is what happened.  It's a triple decker peanut butter, pretzel and cracker sandwich.

I love this kid.

Success!

It was every child's worst nightmare.  The invitations were sent, the cupcakes were baked, the decorations were set.  Then Alan got the stomach flu the day of his birthday party.  He took it pretty good when we told him we needed to cancel, but it was hard.  I had a hard time not crying.  John had a hard time not crying when I stayed up all night debating back and forth to him about what we could have done to save the day while John was trying to sleep.  But we rescheduled.

I was worried that no one would be able to come since December is so busy (it took us 3 weeks to find a weekend where we were free to have a party). But friends came, they all had fun, and Alan felt special. And THAT makes it a success.

It was a movie party filled with lots of candy and popcorn.