Disneyland...We're Back!

We have been avoiding the summer crowds AND heat over at Disneyland for almost two months! I decided to take the girls and meet up with LuAnn, Tori, and Kortney because (1) I do enjoy their company and (2) the odds are in my favor with the adult to kid ratio :-) Cliff stayed behind to play some church ball.

Of course, I didn't get the camera out until we were about to leave and I realized "Hey I didn't take any pictures!" So here's what I got--it's pretty pathetic.

I treated me and Lacy to some sweets since it was our first time back this summer, hehe. (I didn't really need an excuse, but this is in case Cliff's reading.) Lacy's pick: Goofy Gummies. My pick: Peanut butter and Chocolate Caramel Apple (a seasonal treat that I've literally been waiting all year for them to bring back!)

And my sweet Anjali! No treats for her...she was sleeping. It's tough being a baby!

Ward Beach Days

Our ward has been doing Beach Days since late June, but I was too afraid to brave it with two small children on my own (and all the junk you have to bring). After talking to my friend Nicki, she suggested bringing my wagon--GENIUS! So I tried it...Ward Beach Day. The girls had a blast!

It was Anjali's first time to the beach and as you have already seen from the previous Churro Entry she didn't mind the sand at all. Anjali explored the beach. She enjoyed crawling towards sunbathers, chasing seagulls, climbing on boogie boards, putting things found in the sand in her mouth (her favorite, unfortunately, was probably cigarette butts) and mooching snacks off of our friends. She would crawl towards the water and let the water breaks hit her in the face. She loved to have her feet sink into the sand as the water got pulled back into the ocean. She's my little beach bum!

Lacy loved running away from the water. She would wait for the chase. As the water got close to her, she'd run away screaming and giggling like a maniac. I would have to say though, Lacy's favorite part of the beach was definitely playing in the sand. But she was kind of a loner. Playing in the sand with friends when you are two years old entails a lot of 'drama.' So she'd often wander off to a sand pit that someone had dug up and deserted, leaving behind their shovels and pails while they swam in the ocean, and Lacy would pick up where they left off. Or she would walk up to strangers digging for sand crabs and just plop herself down and start digging. She liked the 'action' as opposed to the 'interaction' I guess is a way to put it.

My favorite part was watching my girls. They entertained themselves for most of the time--and I just loved seeing how different and yet similar their personalities are. I loved seeing Lacy's perma-wedgie in her bathing suit. No matter how many times we picked, it always came back :-P Anjali always had sand all over her face and she just didn't care. I loved having all the YW in the ward coming up to us and wanting to take the girls away and play for a little bit. I have the BEST girls. They were SO good. I am such a Proud Mama!

Staying Cool for FHE

We met up with our friends the Brooks at the Pioneer Park for a picnic dinner and water fun! Watch the video of Anjali. No matter how cold she got, she still had fun.

Hey Ma! Look What I Can Do!

Anjali the Climber! Anjali was so proud of herself everytime she climbed onto the little rocking chair. I kept telling myself that I would have to hide the rocking chair if she kept doing that. But she was so careful, I eventually forgot.

But after a few days of this, she started wedging her knees and legs in between the rails of the back. She would get stuck and whine and I'd have to maneuver her legs and push them back out. One time her knee was stuck so bad, I actually sprayed Pam all over her leg to grease it up. Needless to say, the rocking chair is now hidden in our garage.

As Laurie would say...

Anjali the Human Churro.

There's a Hippo in My Bathtub

This is Lacy's newest trick. She's singing of course. And for whatever reason, seeing her do this reminds Cliff of the song "There's a Hippo in My Bathtub" by Anne Murray. Cliff's mom used to play it on their old record player (I think). Does anyone know where we can get a copy of this song?

I HEART Fudge Shoppe

The OC Fair

We visited the OC Fair with my friend Laurie and her two boys--and my first thoughts walking in were "BLECH, it smells!" So we rushed through the animal exhibits and got all the pics we could handle. Washed our hands and followed that by loading up on hand sanitizer.
Next we checked out the food!...Glorious food...
We were not very ambitious. My favorite thing is roasted corn. So after a tasty bbq chicken dinner, I got my corn. The kids got cotton candy and Cliff got his cream puffs. We all shared some chocolate covered strawberries and licorice. And us grown-ups stared at the Fried Coke Stand trying to figure out what it was--but no one dared to try it (plus the line was really long).
We ended the night by going on the Goliath Slide. Lacy was ecstatic. Watch Video. Pics to follow!

Lacy and Goliath



Feeding the Llama

Sometimes they are so DARN CUTE!


My Girls with a Cow

Tag! You're It!--(Finally!)

I have been tagged...but this time is a little different. I am supposed to list 7 different facts about myself; funny, random, silly, whatever. Then I will choose 7 new people to tag. If you tagged, then please list the rules when you post.

1. I feel guilty forwarding jokes/emails/the like, so I'm usually pretty selective. If there's a 'curse' at the end, I'll delete it before I send it out. So thats why it took me so long to get around to doing this...and I'll be pleasantly surprised if anyone else continues with it!

2. I've recently started tutoring math (middle school and high school age) for some extra cash. Although, I do thoroughly enjoy teaching--and it's a nice break from taking care of the girls. The main reason I started was so I could pay someone to clean my house!

3. I love to peruse recipes. I'll spend hours going through cookbooks and looking up recipes on the internet. But when it comes time to cook --I always try to hint to Cliff I'd rather go out.

4. I must admit that I am a blog stalker. If I you are my friend, I read your blog. If you were once my friend but have lost touch, I read your blog. If I met you once, I read your blog. If I once lived near you, I read your blog. If I knew of you but didn't really know you, I read your blog. If you are a link on any of the above, I read your blog. Cliff will tell you that I waste many hours a week reading other peoples' blogs. Cliff always acts so surprised when I tell him that I've updated ours--because he knows I would rather be reading other peoples blogs.

5. I have played violin since I was about 4 years old. I love to play orchestral music. I was in youth orchestras from elementary school through high school. I was in the UCLA orchestra for a year. And I played in a local (amateur) community orchestra last year before we moved. But now I am really missing playing in orchestra--I can't find one close enough to me and works well with my availability. I sometimes wish that I had taken my lessons more seriously because I would love to perform in a famous orchestra (like the LA Phil or the Pacific Symphony) and get paid. How awesome would that be!?

6. I love to bake. But since all sweets are usually consumed within 24 hours of arriving in the kitchen AND I guess they're not good for you or something--Cliff takes my leftovers to work the next day. He has made many 'friends' this way.

7. I love being a mom. There are a lot of days when I'm exhausted, frustrated and want to scream and yell...but when they are sleeping and I have time to relax and breathe--I miss my girls and I can't wait for them to wake up. (Although, I do REALLY ENJOY NAP TIME!) Lacy and Anjali bring me greater joy than I've ever known. They've taught me patience and kindness. They make me laugh and cry. I GLOW with Pride when I see them being adorable in front of strangers. I can't wait to have more kids--because my love and joy has only grown with the addition of Anjali.

Now it's your turn… I pick whoever wants to do this! I am hoping to find out new interesting facts about each of you. I hope that you all learned something new about me.

Addendum For Cliff

Cliff didn't like the picture of him running from the 4th of July Post. So here's the one Cliff wants. He thinks it makes him look faster!
(He's so girly, haha!)

Look familiar?

Here's some pictures of Anjali at Granny's house last weekend.


Now click on this post I did about two years ago! Climbing on to Everything!

Gladys Knight at the Hollywood Bowl

We went to the Hollywood Bowl with my parents Saturday night. Both of my girls did really well, especially considering how late it was (the concert started at 8:30PM). Anjali even put on a show during the opening number. She started flapping her arms like she was conducting the music and started singing. Our whole section was whispering, "Look at that baby!" and of course I let her keep going, the proud parent that I am :) Unfortunately, I didn't get pics of that since it was too dark. But I'm sure you can imagine it. Lacy stayed quiet the whole time, playing with Halmony and eating fruit. She didn't fall asleep until just before the fireworks. Anjali on the other hand fell asleep just after the intermission.

Lacy on the shuttle to the Bowl.

Cousins, Cousins, and MORE Cousins

My Aunt Laura came into town from AZ with her 4 boys (and she's pregnant with her fifth!). We met up at Granny's house. Lacy loved playing with the boys. She became best buddies with Thomas (in the blue shirt). Lacy also took to the water like a fish! I think seeing all of those big kids playing in the pool gave her a boost of confidence. Here's some of her new tricks!





And in case you're still reading. This is why I'm slightly terrified of having boys!

Parachute Jump Training

This is my little brother Noah. He just completed his 'Jump Training.' He was supposed to count to 10 before he pulled his parachute open. The longest he waited was until 6.57 seconds. He jumped from 4500 feet! YIKES! I could never do that! YOU'RE AWESOME NOAH!
Jump #1




Jump #2




Jump #3




Jump #4




Jump #5

Pioneer Day

Our Stake put on quite a party for Pioneer Day. Lacy tried just about everything.

Horse Riding. Making a headdress. Face painting (or in Lacy's case her arm).

Playing in Teepees. Choking her friend Brent. Making a paper bag vest.

Archery. And Anjali's face painting. (Lacy can't have all the fun!)