Happy Birthday to Me! #29

I had a wonderful birthday and was thoroughly spoiled.  I got my nails done, Paul made me dinner and a cake and I got lots of fun presents and babysitting offers.  September and the beginning of October has been uncomfortable hot and in honor of me, I turned down our AC three degrees on my special day and it was heavenly!

We had our friends over for cake.  All the kids took turns blowing out the candles before it was my turn.

 Paul made me a beautiful almond cake that we served with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.  Mmmmmm...

I had to act especially surprised about this gift.  It's a cutting board and something that I told Paul I wanted. A few days before my birthday the kiddos and I were at Target and I said, "Oh! we should go look and see if they have any cutting boards while we're here," to which Parker responded with a whisper, "But Mom, we already got you a cutting board for your birthday!"  I said, "Parker, you're not supposed to tell me.  It's supposed to be a surprise!"  I think he knew that, which is why he whispered it, but me saying that really embarrassed him.  He wouldn't look me in the eye for the rest of our shopping trip.

 Kate loved the cake and presents, but by the time we were done it was way past bedtime and she was one tired girl.

Thomas and Angela Visit

Thomas and Angela came for a quick weekend visit.  We loved having them!  It was a wonderful vacation for us too and we didn't even have to travel anywhere.

On Friday we went to the zoo and in the evening just the adults went to Old Town San Diego for dinner.

On Saturday we did a little garage sale shopping (Parker scored a scooter for $2) and then the boys (minus Parker) went on a fishing voyage on the ocean.  The rest of us watched a movie while Kate took a nap and then went to the mall for some retail therapy.

Thomas and Angela responsibly left Sunday morning so they could make it back to Arizona in time for church.  The weekend flew by and we hope they come see us again soon!

(Thanks for these awesome pictures, Chomas!)

This monkey was so funny and kind of freaky. It kept smiling at us and raising its eyebrows and just generally acted quite human.

Anniversary #8

Trudy came into town the day after our anniversary (for Kate's birthday) and we got an extra special gift from her: free babysitting!  We went kayaking at the La Jolla caves and then out to dinner and I kept thinking how nice it was not to be checking my phone for missed calls from the sitter or worrying about the time and having to rush through dinner to get back home.  Plus, we knew our kids were in the very best of hands and that Parker and Kate were having a great time too.

In honor of our eighth anniversary, here are eight of our favorite things:

1. Favorite Season: Summer (Paul)

2. Favorite Book: Gone With the Wind (Courtney)

3. Favorite Meal: Carne Asada Fries (Paul)

4. Favorite Job: Organic Chemistry TA (Courtney)

5. Favorite Car: Audi R8 Spyder (Paul)

6. Favorite Dessert: Creme Brulee with Fresh Berries (Courtney)

7. Favorite Smell: Surf Wax (Paul)

8. Favorite Location Lived: London (Courtney)

Yellowstone

Before Erin became a grown up and got a job, but after she took the bar, my family wanted to get together for a vacation.  We decided Yellowstone would be a great location.  My best friend in high school had a cabin near Yellowstone and I joined her family on several occasions during the summers.  One time my dad and brother came too and then it became a summer tradition for our family as well.  Even though we'd stay in a hotel instead of a rustic cabin, it was still so fun.
Yellowstone was a nostalgic choice, plus Paul had never been.  We rented a cabin so that we could all be together and I'm so glad we did.  It was perfect!

On Friday we went into the park and saw clay pots, paint pots, Old Faithful and lots of other geysers.  That evening we saw a play at the Playmill, which is an absolute MUST in my opinion when visiting Yellowstone.

On Saturday we went to a lake and rented stand up paddleboards and canoes and had a picnic lunch.  That night we played a silly game of Munchkin after the kiddos went to bed. I recall that a lot of M&Ms were eaten that night...

It was a wonderful vacation and the only downside was that it was too short.  Aren't they always?

When planning this vacation, I didn't really consider travel time.  Except for Matt and Jamie who live in Rexburg, I knew that getting to Yellowstone would require 5+ hours of driving for everyone (we flew from San Diego to Salt Lake City, then rented a car), but I didn't think it would be a big deal.  It actually wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good, if you know what I mean.  There were several candy stops along the way.  At one of these stops Paul insisted on getting an Idaho Spud.  A "when in Rome" type of thing, I guess, even though I told Paul that real Idahoans don't eat those nasty things.

 Parker did this weird claw thing in most of the pictures.  He said he was being a Minion... ???

 I love this picture because Kate and Paul have the same smile.

 Our plan was to hike down to that waterfall you can see in the background here, but we ran out of time.  Next time!

 Parker is not bugs' or small animals' biggest fan.  He liked this little chipmunk from a distance, but got nervous when it got too close.

 Look!  Joe's profile and Erin's arm!  Next time I need to pay my photographer extra to also take photos of people that aren't named Parker or Kate.  Or I need to do a better job of getting pictures from other people's cameras...

4th of July in Redwood City

Paul's sister and her family recently moved back to the good ol' U.S. of A.  They were staying with Paul's parents over the 4th of July and we couldn't think of anyone we'd rather spend the holiday with.  It was a weekend to be remembered and one I'd like to repeat every weekend if it were possible.  Thomas and Angela came too and Paul's cousin was staying with John and Trudy for the summer.  It was a full house (16 people in all!), but I'm glad that we were all able to be together.  I was surprised and delighted at how well Parker and Elizabeth played together.  It's so fun seeing cousins get along so well.

John picked us up from the airport.  Parker loves his grandpa!


The grandkids having breakfast together:


We went on a train ride through the mountains to the Santa Cruz boardwalk.  The train station is located in a re-created mining town.  I'm sure we could have wandered around here for hours if we'd wanted to.

The scenery was beautiful- it was so green and lush and we saw trees that were thousands of years old!



Kate had mixed emotions; the whistle was a little too loud for her, but everyone else enjoyed the ride.

Santa Cruz was buzzing with people.  It was a great day to be at the beach!










And what's a stop at the boardwalk without an ice cream cone?  Except not for Parker.  He didn't want one with chocolate, which I can certainly sympathize with.  The chocolate sure didn't stop Kate.

This carousel ride almost made us miss our ride back up the mountain!  But I'm glad we went on it and I'm even more glad they held the train for us!

On the 4th we went to Half Moon Bay.  John loaded up the dune buggy with his small friends and they all got to be in the parade.  

The rest of us had great seats and watched from the sidelines.

Parker and Kate still love these shirts and wear them probably once a week. 

Some of Paul's friends joined us for a barbecue that evening.

Paul made ribs in John and Trudy's amaaaaaazing new kitchen.

The kids help decorate the American flag jello.

Sunday was the last day we were there and I think by this point Parker had just had too much fun.  He wanted to stand by his "best friend Elizabeth," but as Paul likes to sing during tantrums, "you can't always git whatcha wah-waaant."

We missed having Peter and Amber there!  Hopefully our next big party at the Fjeldsted resort will require a tent in the backyard!