Pier 39

We took one day of our vacation and went to San Francisco with the kids. It was so much fun to take them there and for them to see everything that is so familiar to me. We started our day visiting our Aunt Gen who lives in an assisted living home in Fairfield. She is technically not even our Aunt, but she is related, so we have always called her that. We got to see my Aunt Alice and all of her kids. It was fun to see everyone. After that we headed to Scomas for a seafood lunch on the Wharf. The kids had to use their manners, and put their cloth napkins in their laps. Claire discovered that she loves, loves, loves sourdough bread - that's my girl! Owen decided that fancy pasta is not his favorite thing, but he ate it anyways, and I found out where the bathroom was in Scomas because I only visited it about 5 times between the two kids. After lunch we went to Pier 39 where the sea lions live. The kids had a great time watching them, and then they got to ride the carousel on the Pier. That was the highlight of their day. Grandpa bought them both cotton candy, and they had a great time. The best part was that they were so enthralled with everything that they kept running into people because they were so busy looking around. Hopefully we will get to visit there again soon.

Swimming

While we were visiting my Grandma, our Uncle Rod was kind enough to let us use his swimming pool. The kids were a little timid at first, but once they figured out they could walk along the whole side of the pool, the were ready to go. Owen even thought about jumping off the diving board, but had second thoughts. I didn't stay very long with Grant because there wasn't much shade, and I am so worried that he will burn to a crisp whenever we are outside, but he had fun watching everyone, and would have nothing to do with the cold water.

Fun in the California Sun

Once we got the Grandma and Grandpa GG's house, we had to keep the kids busy. We quickly found that there were no more slip and slides at the store, so we invented our own. The kids had so much fun, and were even more fun to watch. Grandma and I sat outside for 2 hours just watching them play. It was great fun for everyone. Grandpa Farmer went to the store and bought them bubbles and a big ball to play with. They were very spoiled kids, but they were very tired at the end of the day.

Claire, Owen, Amber and I got to sleep in GG's motor home. The kids thought it was pretty cool for a few nights, but after that they didn't want to sleep in the "bus" anymore. It was hard for me because I would have to try to get Grant to sleep inside, and then get them to sleep out there, which was no easy task because I couldn't just leave them out there by themselves. Needless to say it was kind of a relief when they decided to sleep inside. I still slept outside, so my poor mom would have to wake up and bring me Grant at 6:00 every morning, but it all worked out.

We Love Jackie!

We just spent a week at my Grandma's house in California. The kids fondly call her Grandma GG. The ride was long to get there, but luckily my mom and sister were kind enough to take me and the kids there so I didn't have to drive with 3 kids by myself. There is no way I could have done that!! We were so glad to make it there, and we had a lot of fun. We met Jackie on this trip. She is my Aunt and Uncles dog who lives with my grandparents. Jackie is a great dog, and if my boys could have taken her home, they would have. Owen kept telling me that she can't come, but he wanted to get a dog when he got home. Owen would put his blanket on Jackie and call her the "Ghost dog," and he would just love on her. Grant was enthralled by Jackie, and would watch her whenever she was around. I'm sure Jackie is glad that we are gone so that she can get some rest! I know the picture is a little blurry, but Grant wouldn't hold still when Jackie was around.

Not A Playroom?

This is what I found at our friends house after Owen went to the bathroom.

Yes, his pants are off!! Since he pulls them down so far when he goes to the bathroom, he always has to start over and put them on again. Apparently they had so many great toys, he just didn't have the time to put his pants back on.

Happy Anniversary

Isn't he the greatest!! This is what I found when we came home from our date night for our 7th Anniversary. I can hardly believe how quickly time has gone by - but we have 3 kids to prove it!! I have been thinking about things that I didn't know about Chad when we got married because I think it is so funny how much you learn after a couple of years of marriage, so here they are.

1. He loves NASCAR - therefor Owen loves the cars, and I know all the drivers names.
2. He doesn't like to pull weeds or garden much even though he was a farmer when we got married (go figure!).
3. He does however love to plant gardens.
4. He hates movies that I love, and the feeling is mutual.
5. He knows a lot about computers.
6. He hates cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors (I should have known that after seeing his apartment!)
7. He is a perfectionist on projects - sometimes it drives me crazy because I just want something done, but it is always done right!!
8. He does not like asparagus, or any kind of squash.
9. He doesn't like any boy name that I come up with - figuring out two boy names wasn't an easy task.
10. He is a great husband, and I'm so lucky to have him in my life!

Happy Anniversary Babe!!

Did Anyone Say Crowns?

In case you can't tell yet, Claire is my crafty child. She loves to create things, and will work on a project for hours. Today we came home from the movie, and she got out some paper, crayons, scissors and glue, and made her crown all by herself. Then Owen of course needed one, so she made him one too. They were so proud of themselves, and loved being the prince and princess for a few hours.