In June We Went to California, and In July We Watched a Parade

A big thanks to Jessie and her family for hosting us in sunny beautiful San Clemente this last June. It was a little week of almost paradise, especially if your paradise includes lots of Rock Band and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean coming in the windows.


Fabulous fun on the boardwalk and beach. Please note Amy does an excellent job of putting on the vibe in her sexy wet suit.









On the lovely San Diego Temple grounds. We inspected the flowers and tried in a hilarious but failed attempt to get a family photo.








One of Lulu's new quirks is to have her foot sticking out of the high chair as she munches.




We had a wonderful fourth of July even though most of our family was out of town. A few of us camped out on the parade route and then we all got up early to watch the hot air balloons. I'm sad we didn't get any pictures of their take off. I love these fourth of July traditions.




Lulu was sporting a lovely festive summer dress complimented by cute pig tails and a huge welt on her forehead and scrapes on her nose, battle wounds from still being a wobbly walker.




The rest of us in our red white and blue. God bless the USA.


The girls watching the fireworks. The boys were either lighting them in the street or, as in Baylub's case, were inside eating chips because they were just too scary.

Lucky Utah

Vanessa Zinke is coming to Utah in August to do some photo shoots for anyone with an extra buck who wants a quality photographer. She really is the real deal. She is the type of creative person that makes great art look easy. Quality stuff people.




Click on the logo to got her website and see her work and get more info.

Baby oh baby!

As many of you have noticed, there is a little baby counter on the side of the blog. I thought I would stick it up there before formally announcing to see if anyone would notice, and many of you did! This little blessing is also a HUGE surprise. I mean, humongous. I've been on a roller coaster of emotions since finding out which is another reason we waited so long to say anything

We had our ultrasound yesterday, but all the pictures I got stink, so I won't bother you with blobs of white on a black screen that make no sense to anyone but the doctor. The baby is healthy, though. And we found out that we are having... a surprise! We decided not to found out the baby's gender just to shake things up. We have a boy and a girl so we wanted a little extra excitement this time.

So far, everyone I've talked to raves about how wonderful it is not knowing the gender of the baby and how it adds a lot more excitement to labor. I'll let you know if this is the case for me.

I am due November 9th which means if this little person comes on time, we will have three kids in less than three years! woot woot! I think that deserves some kind of award, don't you?

Happy Father's Day

This is for all the Fathers out there who, like this man, work so hard for their families, spend time with their children, honor their priesthood, and do the best they can for us.

Song for My Garlic Press

(to the tune of "Till There Was You")




There was fresh garlic zesty, but I never used it cooking.
No, I never used it at all, till there was you.

I used dried garlic salty, but not cloves of flavor yummy,
No, I never used them at all, till there was you.

And now there is pasta, and recipes countless I'm dying
to try because garlic's now pressed and usable.

Oh my press, you're so lovely, you make life a new adventure
For now fresh garlic is back, because of you.

Thomas the Train

Baylub has always liked the show Thomas the Train. Not his fav, but he likes it fine. My bro and his wife are here visiting from Ohio (medical school) and we thought we should do something fun all together. So, I, Suzanne, Mom, Jessie, and all the grandkids drove up to Heber to meet Thomas.



We took a 25 minute ride on Thomas. Oddly enough, Thomas's passenger cars were so old, it made me feel like I was back in Ukraine. Here is Baylub on the train right after he got LOST!



That's right, it finally happened. I lost my son. I took him out of the stroller, bent down to get Lulu out telling him to go run by his cousins who were two feet behind me, the next thing I know, I can't see him anywhere. It was insanely crowded with people everywhere. I stayed surprisingly calm through the whole ordeal. I contacted security, we searched for about fifteen minutes on and off the train. While standing on the train, I spotted him being carried by an employee on the other side of the tracks. He wasn't fazed a bit, didn't even know he was lost.

Here is some of our party enjoying the ride (which was actually pretty boring). The other activities were a blast though. I highly recommend going. Lulu was feeling so sick but she stuck it out so well. What a sweetheart.



Suzanne, Daniel, and Maren.



Along with the petting zoo here, they had huge bubble wands, a large toy area with tables filled with trains and train tracks, a tent with a detailed lego city with a moving train driving throughout, Mr. Topamhat, and live shows including a a magician and musicians.



It was for sure Baylub's cup of tea. He could have stayed there for hours more than we did. I felt bad making him leave, but Lulu had had enough and I could tell he himself was getting tired. He zonked out right when we started driving. He is getting a lot better at his picture smile so I had to show an example.



Thank you for such a fun day, Meema!

Childhood

It's amazing what childhood experiences can still make you feel 20 years later. So, everyone knows the Disney movie "Enchated"...




...I personally thought it was darling. I LOVE Prince Edward and how he hams it up. Being a little girl at one point in my life, Disney princesses, especially Ariel, still have a special place in my heart.

I recently discovered that some REAL Disney princesses make some cameo appearances in the film, "Enchanted" and I am amazed at how excited I am by seeing my real princesses in real life...on film.

Ever wonder about that random part where Giselle puts a live fish in her mouth and then spits it out? It's a bizarre and subtle reference to the fact that the secretary is the original voice of Ariel! The real Ariel! I keep watching her over and over again trying to hear if Ariel pops out of one of her lines.

Then there is the soap opera that inspires the bad guy Nathaniel. You'll here a small musical reference to "Beauty and the Beast" because the mean woman is the original voice of Belle.

Last of all, as Prince Edward knocks on apartment doors looking for Giselle, a pregnant woman opens the door surrounded by tons of kids. THAT is the original Pocahontas. She's blond, I was amazed to discover.

It makes me so excited to see the real voices of the princesses. So magical!