Birthday Surprises

I turned the big 35 on Monday and it was a day filled with lots of fun surprises with people I love. My mom and sister Vicki made an awesome breakfast which is my favorite meal of the day. We had waffles, cinnamon rolls, and the yummiest fruit salad. I love the sweet bready foods of breakfast so it was fantastic! Then my sister took me to a Day Spa for facials!! We lounged around in robes, soaked in the hot tub, the steam room, and drank fancy water. It was literally transforming. I started to think, "I need to perk up a bit more, maybe not walk around giving all the heavy sighs I do as if my life is unimagineably difficult. There's lots to be thankful for, enjoy, and be happy about". I felt renewed. I had a fresh face and a fresh perspective. It was great. Payton had tried to muscle in on our trip, but alas, no one under 18 was allowed...

I also got this sweet card from Payton which meant so much to me b/c, like I said before, I haven't felt too sunshiney these past several weeks. I love that she still thinks I make the sun shine!

Jonah played me a mad-capped electronic keyboard version of the Happy Birthday song which the kids performed an interpretive dance to. Jonah just started piano lessons and he's always practicing "his music" on the keyboard. Trav calls him Ross from Friends.

Somehow this pamphlet slipped in the mix of cards anonymously.

Later on that afternoon Trav and I load up in the car with our bikes b/c we're going for a ride for a couple hours while Vicki watches the kids, but then he just keeps driving and driving. He kept turning on the blinker and slowing down like he was going to turn off several times and then kept going. I finally said, "we're not going back are we." And he said he had the tent packed in the trunk along with our clothes, and then he pulls up in front of this B&B in Half Moon Bay!!! It was perfect! He totally pulled it off, I had no idea, it was wonderful.


We kicked off our stay by reading in the garden. I know that sounds exciting, but I'm 35 now. I LOVE to read, and it was such a gift to be in such a pretty, quiet place. Since it was my birthday, Trav kept asking me what I wanted to do, so we read. A lot. It was heaven, and now we're back home here in our own little heaven with the kiddos. I can hear the sounds of the fighting and laughing happening almost simultaneously even now outside as they ride their bikes. Life is happening right now and I'm not making any plans!

happiness is...

...having my husband's adventure shoes to gaze at while I do the dishes each day.

After hanging there for two weeks they're like an old friend that greets me through the window each morning, "hey, how's it going? What's the plan for today?"

Trav used to wear these with socks when we were dating. It was a different time then. Now that they're back I'm not sure quite what to make of them.

Housing

Does anyone else think $2800/month to rent a three bedroom one bath is a bit much or is it just me? This is insane in the membrane, I think we'll just stay at mom and dad's....

LIFE is happening

Life is what's happening when you're busy making plans.

How true that is. I felt like God spoke to me through this little sign hanging on the wall of a shop I was in this morning. It was this sudden wake up call, realization, clouds parting, what have you, that I've been so busy making "plans" that I have let life happen everyday without me being purposeful or appreciative of it. All I've been thinking about for a year and a half is what are our future plans. Where are we going to be? What are we going to do? I've been removing myself from the life that is happening right now. I'm not in the moment. A year and a half have come and gone, what did I miss out on?

I know that starting to realize this doesn't bring about instant change, but it's a start. I'm grateful for it, especially being in the midst of summer and long days together with my three children. I want to soak this time up with them, be here with them today and not with my thoughts floating elsewhere about the what if's and the if only's.

I wanted to buy the little quote and hang it up so I'd be reminded of it everyday, but it was a piece of laminated paper for $7. I figured I could make myself a little sign with a picture of my family by it and get a couple of lattes for that $7 instead. Make those iced lattes, it's 100 degrees and smoky today, are we still in Riverside?

pics from the 4th

We ventured to the beach on the morning of the 4th with our friends the Ingrams for a little volleyball and chasing the kids on the beach. The sun came out after a bit and it was beautiful. We stayed as long as the kids were happy, which was about two and a half hours. I pushed it till three hours anyway which was unwise b/c we ended our beach day with Davey throwing some punches at Payton and Payton responding with a swift kick. I'm finding repeatedly that two and a half hours is our maxium for fun anywhere. Every time I push past that, it results poorly and our fun time is tainted by a rough ending. I'm learning though!

I love this picture of Davey and the ladies!

Later that afternoon we went boating down at the creek across the street. Trav and I took Davey with us in a rowboat. There is nothing more exhilirating than being rowed around by a very determined three year old who insists on "doing it himself!" We did a lot of circles.

Payton attached herself to Aunt Vicki and insisted on sitting in the back to "steer" the canoe. Vicki is so accomodating. Payton also invited herself over to Vicki's for a sleep over last night with a long list of activities that they should do together. They went out to dinner, did some oragami, watched a movie, etc. Vicki is very accomodating and a very good auntie to her niece and newphews.

Jonah loved that he and Papa were the fastest in their canoe than any of the rest of us. He greeted each of us back at the docks with, "We beated you!!" I don't know where he gets it from.

Mom of The Year

We went to the beach yesterday for the 4th of July and the boys have remained in their swim trunks ever since. They slept in them, ate breakfast, and our now having an "Angelina Ballerina" video marathon in them. I'm considering changing them out for some fresh underwear and shorts sometime this morning hopefully.
Jonah woke up disoriented this morning and came out and PEED in our kitchen trash can! I screamed (b/c I scream first at anything alarming) "Jonah, what are you doing!!!" He looked sincerely confused and said in his low, husky voice, "Oh, oh, I thought it was the toilet, oh, I'll go to the bathroom to finish, sorry mom". The funny thing is, he's always threatened to pee in the trash can or our shoe bucket or any such form that can hold liquid in the house, so I thought he was finally making good on his threats and going for it! I think it was an honest mistake. It brings me back to the time when I was child and we heard a loud crash in the kitchen in the middle of the night and there was baby sister, dazed and confused with her pants down and the kitchen trash over turned. There must be some link the toilet has to the kitchen trash that is stronger in some people's subconscious than others.

Davey throwing down

Davey just informed me under an hour ago that he no longer wanted us for parents, but instead wanted his friend Daniel's parents b/c Daniel has so many neat toys. How do I respond to that with my three year old? I grasped at straws, I very sweetly said something like, "At the end of the day Davey, the toys don't matter so much. What's most important is that you have a mommy and daddy that love each other and love you." You can guess how well that went over. He was having none of it and just kept repeating his claim of wanting to disown us. It finally ended with me telling him that if he said it one more time he was going straight to bed.
Trav and I have tried to keep a simple existence, I never wanted my kids to have rooms overflowing with a ton of toys the don't care about or don't even remember they have. My kids have plenty, they are definitely not hurting. This is the first time we've had to deal with toy envy, and wishing for someone else's life b/c of the envy! It's not pretty.