Garden in the Rain

The Post-Christmas Cure: Portland

2012-02-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

Remember how I mentioned that after Christmas I couldn't shake the run-over, complete exhaustion that set in? Nick found a solution. I told you that he was the greatest.

We spent December 26th cleaning up a bit, assembling new toys, and organizing the chaos. Then, on the 27th, Grandma came over. And we left. Nick and I drove a couple hours to Portland, where we spent three days and two nights just the two of us. No kids. No mess. No cooking. No laundry. No guests. No to-do lists. No responsibility.

It was perfect. He even surprised me with a room at the Hilton. I'm sure I've never stayed there before. Thank you, kayak.com!

After a quick swim in the pool (because you can do whatever you want when there are no kids around!), we went to a little b-ball game at the Rose Garden. The Trail Blazers were playing the Sacramento Kings. This was a highly anticipated game for ~~Nick~~ us. You should know that the Kings recently acquired Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas, Nick's two favorite college players last year. ~~Nick~~ We have seen Isaiah play in person at the high school, college, and now NBA levels. And Jimmer was pretty much the best point guard that college has seen, not to mention that he played for my alma mater.

Here is the man (Jimmer) himself on the court. Even the local Portland crowd cheered for him because he was a national college sensation. My favorite crowd-sign from the night read, "Seriously, who names their kid Jimmer?"

The next day, we went to lunch with a friend, Sarah, who we both love dearly. She took us to Pok Pok, a fantastic Thai place. Trust the locals. I know nothing about Thai food, but everything we had seemed authentic and tasted wonderful. We shopped and wandered a bit, then had a nice Italian dinner at Pastini's downtown before going to Mission Impossible: 4 on an imax screen (one of Nick's favorite indulgences).

On day three, we went to Pine State Biscuits, a little joint we had seen featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network. The atmosphere was a bit cramped, but you can do that when you don't have kids in tow! The biscuit sandwiches were rich and filling and lived up to the hype.

After brunch, we did a drive-by temple visit to the Portland Temple. Isn't it beautiful? And this was even taken in the typical northwest rain.

I love these doors, with the raised stars on them.

Ahhhh. Peace. I felt completely cured from my post-Christmas fatigue. Nick is a genius. Let's do it again sometime. Soon.

Best Pregnancy Ever

2012-01-29T21:13:00.000-08:00

... for me. So, that's not saying much.

Nick bought me some beautiful flowers when I hit the half-way point in this 40 week endeavor. Look how the lily tried to open. That's a lily, right?

Nick has been the greatest husband ever through this battle, and I really think that his efforts have made the difference. For both of us, it has taken all of these pregnancies to learn how best to handle my various and extremes of symptoms, but I think that the very worst symptom of all, for me, is the mental hardship of not being able to act like myself. My family culture is one of hard work and accomplishment. Sitting on the couch doing nothing for months begins to erode my notion of who I am. This is not good.

Through all this, Nick has never made me feel like I am letting anyone down, by word or deed or careless, disappointed facial expression. Instead, he has found genuine ways to tell me how great I am and how much he loves and appreciates me. He not only tried to pick up my slack when he got home from work, he continues to find over-the-top ways to do little things for me. Things that I could have actually done for myself. His eagerness to serve me helps me feel so much better about needing him to do the dishes and all the other boring things that I was not able to do.

Nick has always been a naturally great husband, but even from there he has stepped it up through my struggles. When you add focused effort to natural talent, you get one fantastic man. Thank you, Nick. I love you!

Christmas Photo Shoot

2012-01-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

Nothing formal about the pictures. I just wanted to document how cute and festive we are together.

Can you tell how special they are just from the picture?

Look closely at the girls' dresses. I bought them in San Francisco at the Jessica McClintock factory outlet. It's one of the rare actual factory outlets - attached to the the factory itself. Anyway, these two dresses were junior sized and I tried them on myself, thinking they'd be pretty hip with jeans, before realizing that I would never be able to zip them up, even though they are size 7 and 12. So Curie got the 7 and Bethelle's is the 12. Weird. True, I did have to take out about three inches around each of them, but they were the perfect length.

Rigby looked so dapper. I wasn't sure how he would take to the bow tie...

... but he seemed to enjoy it.

I eat her regularly. If you're a mother, you understand.

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!

2012-01-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

Bethelle is in Girl Scouts this year for the first time and is loving it. She drools over any sort of organized, social activity, so this is really a perfect program for her.

It's cookie selling time, and I thought she could take advantage of the internet to get some of it done. If you'd like to order any boxes, she will personally deliver to our friends in Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, and our current city, and maybe the cities in between, as well as at Nick's work. If we get enough Bainbridge Island orders, we'll head out your way too. Friends from Nick's work can see him to order. Each box is four dollars and will be delivered in mid to late February.

Oh, she will only personally deliver if we know you.

Here are the flavors this year. I personally suggest the classics, like Samoas, Tagalongs, and Thin Mints.
Savannah Smiles (lemon with icing)
Trefoils (shortbread)
Do-Si-Dos (peanut butter sandwich cookies)
Samoas (vanilla with caramel, coconut, and chocolate drizzle)
Dulce de Leche (carmel chips)
Thank U Berry Much (cranberry and white fudge)
Tagalongs (cookie topped with peanut butter and dipped in chocolate)
Thin mints (choc/mint wafer coated in chocolate)

Orders must be made by this weekend! Leave me a comment including your full name and how many of each flavor you would like, or you can send me an email, call me, or order on my facebook page or by facebook message. Just hurry!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

2012-01-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

The holidays themselves finally came and went. Christmas is my favorite time of year, but it really did wear me out this year. Since last Christmas (yet another low-key event around our house), I have been determined that 2011 would be the year that Christmas returned. It's hard for me to turn back once I have committed myself to something. Not even pregnancy will stop me, though maybe it should.

Here is the house, decked out with Nick's hard work. There he goes again, turning my dreams and ideas into reality. That little patch of light that's out in the top left was a fluke, just for the picture. Thanks, lights.

Preeetty.

On my side of the family, Christmas Eve is the big event. Nick says this is unselfish of my mother, but that's just the way life has always been for us. Growing up, we went to Grandma's house on Christmas Eve. That grandma of mine could really cook. Christmas Eve will never be the same without her, but we still try.

This year, the event was at our home. All the local cousins came. They played and the adults ate. I guess the excitement of Christmas got the better of the children's appetites. Major props to my dad for coming over hours early to make the turkey, complete with stuffing and gravy. Hosting is much easier that way.

Here are all the kids, ready for a brief Christmas story and game before presents are passed out.

And here is the chaos, in all its glory.

Our house survived the event. We had never had so many people in our home and were pleased that we fit in fairly well.

Christmas morning. The greatest day in any kid's life, and the longest night in any parent's life. At least my kids have not figured out how to wake up at five am yet. But we did have to do Christmas, eat, and get everyone bathed and dressed in their Christmas best for 11 am church.

The present highlights were Curie's play kitchen,

Rigby's array of Star Wars spaceships and characters,

and Bethelle's longed-for sewing machine.

Church services were sweet and simple. And well attended. In our area, I saw notices in the paper and on signs outside churches that church would be on Saturday that weekend instead of on Christmas Sunday, due to the fact that very few people were planning to attend on Christmas morning. I am glad that they found a way to get people to church, but I don't understand going all year and then skipping on Christmas so that you can forget Jesus and open presents. Just my little rant. Sorry.

We spent the afternoon and evening at Nick's parents' home with all the siblings, cousins, and Aunt Violet and her family. It's so nice to see them and celebrate together.

Patsy's home always so beautiful at Christmas. She has an eye and a talent for detail.

More Star Wars for Rigby. He was easy to please this year.

This picture could be from any year, if it weren't for the kids growing.

Dinner was again fabulous and over too soon. At least I had a fridge full of leftovers from the previous night. That may be the best part of hosting.

Santa himself made a surprise appearance with a bag full of presents. No one seemed to mind that his mustache was hooked over his nose. Not even Bethelle. All the kids enjoyed the gifts, but I think Rigby's was the coolest: a husky in a can. Go Dawgs!

Phew! That's it! Jammies on, drive home, and Christmas was officially over. I told Nick that I felt like I had run a marathon and I could not catch my breath. And the next morning was not any better. I needed a vacation! Stay tuned for the next post...

A Little Goodbye

2012-01-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

Almost since our most recent move, Bethelle and Rigby have been attending gym classes at our local children's gym. It's been perfect. I love the skills they learn, the playing that they do, the fun that they have...

And I love that it is located so very close to Costco, the store where I spend pretty much all our money. I can drop Rigby off at gym class, which is during Bethelle's school day, and go have a nice hour of Mommy/Curie time at Costco.

Devastatingly, our beloved gym just closed its doors. No more weekly forward-rolls or golf-prep or assisted back-flips. And no more single-child Costco trips.

Here are some pictures of the last classes we attended. Breaking up is hard to do.

Curie is not officially a student, but she was allowed in with me on the last day of class. I know she's not really doing anything in this picture, but look at that perfect face!

If they gave out awards at the gym, Rigby would have received "Most Likely to Actually Be a Monkey." The little man weighs next to nothing, so he can/does pull himself up all over everything.

Curie on the (low) balance beam. Not bad for two.

Building bridges.

Look at that grace!

An attempted cartwheel on a balance beam. Pretty cool trick, even if she would have fallen hard without those supports on each side.

All lined up for stamps at the end of class. The very end of class. Sniff, sniff.

** According to Blogger, this is my 365th post. That's like one post per day for a year. I wrote my first post on January 4th, 2008, so this blog is just over four years old. Now, I only minored in math, so kiss me if I'm wrong, but that means I average one post every four days. That's more than I would have thought, but I'm in a maternity slump right now, so it's nice to know. It helps me remember that I am actually a blogger.

Four out of Four

2012-01-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

Man, I'm good at this stuff!

Yesterday was the big ultrasound appointment. We are having a boy!

Before Bethelle ever even showed up, my plan was to have four kids: girl, boy, girl, boy. Some girls just have all the luck. How is it that I have gotten what I wanted every time?

Nick and I did the math. We figured there was a 6.25% chance of getting the preferred gender four times in a row. Yes, I'm still a geek.

Let the planning and organizing begin!

Getting Ready for Christmas

2012-01-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

It's a bit ironic that I am blogging our Christmas prep on the same day that I am taking the last of the Christmas boxes back to the garage for storage. But c'est la vie these days.

I've been hanging onto about 20 boxes of these Christmas lights since I got them for 90% off at an after-Christmas sale three years ago. Nice to put them to use, finally.

Rigby was an excellent helper, except that he couldn't keep from walking on the strung out lights on the ground.

Curie couldn't avoid them, either. Apparently, that is asking too much of a two year-old.

Everybody took a stab at putting the star on top of the tree, but no matter how high Nick held them, they could not quite get it to that top branch. Somewhere between short arms and fear of reaching very far from Daddy, they all gave up.

And so the job fell to the man with the longest arms and the bravest heart in the family. Good to have you on the team, Nick.

Everyone was able to put up several dozen ornaments, so no hearts were permanently injured over the tree-topping matter.

Decorating a tree may seem a bit mundane to some of you, but here's a bit of perspective. For the previous two Christmases, we have been living in a frenzied state of storage and persistent moving, to the point that we did not decorate for Christmas! A travesty, I know. This means that the last time we had a full-blown tree with all the trimmings, Bethelle was only 3 and Rigby was barely 1. Bethelle has listed decorating the tree as her favorite part of Christmas. For us, there was nothing mundane about it.

This is Curie's "twinkle little star." It did not last long on the tree, as she wanted it with her at all times. She slept with it most nights this season.

These shots were taken at our church Christmas party. Santa had a line of elastic across his forehead. Bethelle was not pleased about this attempted deceit. I was surprised to see that we got one picture of her where her expression does not look like distain.

Rigby was too nervous to get closer than three feet away from him. He even tried to fake that he was sick just before the party in order to avoid this moment. But Curie loved him. As instructed, she told him that she wanted a kitchen for Christmas. Everything was wonderful, until we began to walk away from Santa and she still did not have a kitchen! She had understood that he would give her one if she was a good girl! Where was it?! After more explaining, I don't think that she fully understood how the system worked, but she seemed to understand that time might still bring the gift.

Bethelle performed the "Nativity Song" with other children from the primary. They each had a solo line and a picture to hold up. Bethelle sang about the stable. It was a short part, but her voice was clear and strong and we were so proud of her.

Nick and I also performed the Barenaked Ladies' (strange band name, I know) version of 'God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen' with one other man in the ward. I think it went well, though I joined the group about five minutes before the performance and can't really say.

All this was only the beginning of the greatest season of the year, which left me completely wiped out!

Thanksgiving

2012-01-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving exclusively with Nick's family this year, as my parents were visiting my brother in Phoenix. Everyone was there, including Casey who also lives in Phoenix and Kyle who is off to college in Idaho. Having everyone in the same room is a rare treat.

Here are the cook and the sous-cook. I was asked to bring the veggie tray and drinks. I think they must know that I am pregnant.

I had been looking forward to Thanksgiving all through the roughness of my morning sickness. The meal did not disappoint, and I was feeling almost well. Certainly well enough to appreciate the dinner.

Here's the whole spread...

... and the little ones who had to be far enough from the white carpet, but close enough to be seen by those of us who were trusted to sit over the carpet.

And the kiddie table.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Only a few months late, but I am catching up!

Halloween (I know...)

2012-01-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

I have a problem with Trunk-or-Treats. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is a little party we have at church around Halloween. We started with a chili cook-off and some cornbread. So far, so good. I even won third place for the chili, though I'm not overly proud of that because I liked most of the others much better than mine and was feeling a bit guilty about my less-than-overboard efforts. But, I was feeling smart about one aspect of the dinner. I brought a cupcake tin to eat out of. This way, Nick and I were able to sample 12 different entries. Everyone else ate in bowls. I guess I should have mentioned this trick to them earlier.

But I digress. My problem with truck-or-treat comes after dinner. The kids all go outside in their costumes, where the adults (myself included) decorate our open car trunks and pass out candy. This came in handy last year, when Halloween fell on a Sunday. We don't really consider door-to-door candy begging to be quite Sabbath appropriate, so a little trunk-or-treat party the night before meant that my kids didn't have to miss out on the occasion entirely. This year, though, Halloween was on a Saturday. I do not know why anyone would feel compelled to host a trunk-or-treat the night before, but I suppose that as I felt compelled to go (family pressure may be worse that peer pressure) and to host a trunk, I am not any better. My feeling is that one night of candy being freely dumped into a child's possession is enough for any year and any child. We finished the weekend with way too much candy.

Costumes are tons of fun, though, and this was an extra opportunity to don them. Here is Rigby, as a knight in shining armor.

Bethelle wanted to be Jessie from Toy Story. I made those chaps m'self!

And Curie picked out a Thomas costume.

We brought along some neighbor-friends to share in the indulgences of the evening.

Here are the troops on the actual night of revelries. Curie was much more excited by this time, as she had figured out the wear-this-get-candy process the night before.

Playing the part...

One more chance to check out those chaps!

A good night for all. Even for me. I stayed home, sitting just a couple feet from the door, and handed out candy to the knockers. My costume consisted of adding a witch hat to my usual attire. Standing up took a lot of effort at the time, so the hat was me really going the extra mile. Nick tells me that Rigby and Curie burned out from the exertion about 30 minutes into their ritualistic, candy-collecting walk, but as Bethelle would not be stopped, Nick spent the rest of the evening carrying two kids and two increasingly heavy buckets from door to door.

Rigby's Birthday

2011-12-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of catching up to do. That is because recently I have spent a lot of time looking like this.

Fortunately for Rigby, he did not have to wait a few months for his party. I am keeping up with some parts of life, even if this blog is not among them. At almost the last minute, Nick and I decided that we were not interested in hosting at our house, given my condition, so off we went to the local kids' gym.

It was wonderful! The whole place was reserved just for our group, and the workers took care of everything. We have never had such a kick-back, no stress, no clean-up party.

Here's the little super man himself!

He can walk his feet backwards up that wall until he's almost vertical.

Did I tell you that the workers did everything? When I showed up with naked cupcakes and two buckets of frosting, they even offered to frost them for me. I am too controlling of my projects to accept, but that was above and beyond of them, I say.

Here is the result. Rigby had asked for a light saber cake. This was so simple to do and he loved it!

Below, Curie is getting ready for a career in football by practicing her tackling. Look at the air she is catching as she runs to knock down the mat!

Presents and the table...

We had a great group of cousins and friends. The pizza arrived a couple minutes late, so they all ate up their veggies like such good kids! Maybe it was the workout that made them so hungry.

Here, I'm showing off the Stars Wars theme on the plates. I don't look too sick there, do I?

Which one is our cousin and which is our neighbor? Sometimes we have trouble telling them apart.

Even their smiles have the same number of teeth!

Happy birthday to my favorite Jedi! We love you, Rigby!

Twins!

2011-12-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

The twins referred to here are not actually human, but you were pretty excited to read this blog post, weren't you!?

The personal news here is that I've been feeling well enough lately to feed my family food that has not previously been frozen. Including the above egg.

Quick Update

2011-11-13T17:29:00.000-08:00

I have birthday parties and Halloween to catch up on, but I don't seem to be getting to those. So here's the quick story on the pregnancy.

I'll be 15 weeks tomorrow. This is quite significant, as I generally feel much better around 15 or 16 weeks.

This is my journal... my record of my life, so please don't read my list of symptoms as complaining. I want to chronicle how all of this goes for me.

Pregnancy number four has continued to be my best ever. I have rarely crossed the line from sickness to misery, though I have been pretty consistently sick. I have not thrown up much, which helps me a great deal mentally. Although I have lost six pounds due to lack of eating, I know that I eat consistently and that what I eat is healthy, so I'm confident of the nutrition that I am taking in. In past pregnancies, I have vomited to much, I often wondered how I could be nourishing either of us.

Food has no appeal to me. I eat only because I know that it's the right thing to do. Even my favorite foods are bland and unappealing. I especially recoil at anything sweet. I eat very little sugar. Nick sometimes says that he is jealous of this and that he could stand finding treats so repugnant. I have eaten just a couple Halloween candies, but only because I keep hoping that something will taste great. Can you imagine going for months without ever being pleased and satisfied by food? I am truly hoping that I will be over this in time for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner!

My days are pretty much the same. I get Bethelle to the bus, then do the minimal amount of work that I can get away with. I sit on the couch a lot and watch way more TV than usual. My energy level is very low. I am grateful, though, for the things that I can do. I can take care of the kids without much trouble. I can do the grocery shopping. I have gotten the kids all the places that they have needed to be, like soccer and girl scouts. I was even in a musical (post on that to come later). It was more than I had the energy to do, but I did it anyway. And I have done all of this more easily than in past pregnancies.

Like I said, I don't mean all this as complaints. I am blessed to be able to be pregnant whenever I want and to have had three healthy babies, with all signs of this baby also being healthy. Life is good, but I am looking forward to when life is a little better, and hoping that all these symptoms will be over soon.

My Bethelle

2011-10-20T14:26:00.001-07:00

Yesterday on the bus, Bethelle was faced with a decision. And she did the right thing, though it brought her to tears.

I love her so much. And I trust her. She's a brave, good girl.

What You Probably Already Know

2011-10-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

My posts have been few and out-dated lately.

That's because we're pregnant! Which means that I'm sick and lazy.

Rushton Number Four will arrive in May. We are very excited and I am pleased to report that although I feel pretty terrible most of the time, I am not half as sick as I have been with past pregnancies. When pregnant with Bethelle, I lost eleven pounds in the first trimester. I would cry just thinking about needing to eat food. With Curie, I remember laying in bed, hoping that the other two would play happily in the playroom for a long time. My worst moments in my misery were when they would tell me that they were hungry. My heart would drop. I had to feed them, but how was I going to manage to do it?

This time, I want to lay around all day, but I can do more than that, and I haven't been upset about anything. For the first time, Nick has been able to save up some days off of work to help me during my sickness. I keep waiting for that familiar misery to hit before I ask him to use them, but it just hasn't happened yet and I'm already ten weeks.

I'm not one of those who says, "I've never felt better/prettier/happier than when I was pregnant," but I'm pulling through, and I'll take it!

Nick's Birthday

2011-10-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

This post is way, way overdue. You can tell that I'm writing it in a hurry by the lack of any creativity whatsoever in the title.

For Nick's birthday, he wanted me to walk nine holes with him. Nick is a golfer, which makes me a golfer's wife, and somehow we have been married for eight years and this was my first time ever to walk that many holes with him. As this gift required some babysitting, it seems to me that it really became a gift from my mom, who drove out to our house with crafts and food, ready for some kid-time.

Look at this little ditty of Nick's dad. This is my new favorite picture of him. He is one of my most avid blog followers, and I'm sure checked the blog several times a day after this outing. I wonder if he ever gave up.

My birthday man, in his element.

Or maybe this is his element?

Being only two golfers, we were paired up with a couple, Dr. and Mrs. Kim. Their first names were so funny to us and quite easy to remember. She introduced herself as E.J. (my first and middle initial) and he is P.N. (both Nick and his father's first and middle initials... Nick is really his middle name). I'm sure these two go by something a little more foreign sounding back home in Korea.

The next day was the actual birthday, so we headed down to Nick's parents' for dinner. I was a little beyond wanting to entertain after Curie's big party, so I was glad that Patsy offered.

Trish made her famous potatoes, and you can tell that they were enjoyed. We also had pork roast and broccoli salad. Everything was soooo good.

This picture was supposed to be of her face, but this lady can turn quickly! Turns out, this side of her head is almost as pretty as the other side, I think.

Bethelle made these cupcakes all by herself! Well, OK, Rigby helped with the sprinkles. She was so proud of them.

Heat Wave

2011-09-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

The first week of school was a hot one around here. Considering that summer did not show itself until August this year, our September heatwave was welcomed.

The parks are considerably more quiet when school is in session, so the little ones and I gathered some friends and went to the lake. It's no Crissy Field (wow, I miss that place), but our little lake was a nice refreshment from the heat.

Rigby likes having a quick picture taken and requests it often. If it is my request that he smile, though, no guarantees.

These two are really getting to be best friends now that Bethelle is gone at school all day. I knew that would happen, but it is fun to see.

What a ham!

First Things

2011-09-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Last week was a week of firsts in our family.

1) Bethelle's FIRST time riding a bike without training wheels. She's six years old, so this has been a long time coming, but with all the moving and apartments of the last two years, we slacked on this. Just in time, I decided that our schoolgirl had better know how to ride.

Twenty minutes. That's all it took. Congrats, Bike Rider!

2) Bethelle's FIRST day of FIRST grade. This also means her FIRST day of school this calendar year (she didn't go in San Fran), and her FIRST day of full-day school, ever. All of this amounts to a big transition for me, but Bethelle could not have been more pleased or excited. She has been waiting for this moment for all six years of her life.

She has been there four days so far, and I am still skeptical of her "high-rated" school in this "high-rated" district. When I asked her what she learned today, she says, "Mom, we don't learn things every day."

"Well, What did your teacher teach?"

"Umm... she doesn't really teach."

Great.

3) Rigby's first day of soccer. I know he's only three, and that is a bit young for organized sports, but he'll be four very soon, and I have noticed lately that he is getting a bit cozy in Bethelle's shadow. Time for him to shine!

4) Bethelle just started soccer, too. But she played last year, so this may not technically be a FIRST.

Lulu's Island Get-Away

2011-09-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Nick and I were discussing planning Curie's second birthday party and, separately, that we need to get out to Anderson Island yet this summer. And a star was born: a birthday party on the island.

Anderson Island's naivety and serenity is preserved by the ferry passage required to get to her.

This mountain seems to follow me around. I am not complaining.

Check out the power in this picture! These cousins are so lucky to have each other.

Washington gets some of its best sunshine in September. Trish got her first sunburn of the season out here.

Dad relaxed a bit.

We went swimming and the water was truly WARM. Awesome.

Fresh crab, anyone?

This doesn't really show anything about the party, but it makes me swoon.

Present time! Alyse, a mother of three little boys, was worried that she didn't get a girlie gift for Curie. No worries there, Alyse. Curie likes Thomas the Train and dinosaurs, so that's what we got her. She has a boy for a best friend (Rigby), so I'm not sure girlie stuff is in her near future.

My mom has a tradition of giving each two year-old a homemade quilt. Curie's is so quilty and patchwork. I love it.

The kids set to playing with the presents pretty quickly.

How would you like a chef that looks this good? Sorry! Taken!

Happy Birthday, Curie! We love you so much!

Here are some clips from the party. It's like being there... for two minutes. It's worth watching just to hear Curie's cute voice.

Will someone please remind me to delegate next year?

Oh Sunny Day

2011-09-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

Check out what I have to look forward to! This is what we live for around here... but why did it take so long? We usually have amazing Septembers weather-wise. Remember when it hit 70 degrees in Western Washington in November last year? I could definitely go for an Indian Summer again.

Looks like we'll be at the beach this week.

Hair CHOP!

2011-09-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

Not long after her last haircut, Bethelle saw the movie Tangled for the first time. She then informed me that she would never cut her hair again. She wanted to be Rapunzel.

A few days ago, I suggested that it might be nice to have a fresh haircut for the new school year. Bethelle reminded me that she was never going to cut her hair again. So I reminded her how cute it was when it was a bit shorter and wouldn't it be nice to have a change. "OK," she said. Really? It was that easy? I held back my shock and escorted her to my bathroom/salon.

This blog is full of "before" shots, like here. So, without further ado, the "after":

Amazing how a little haircut can add five years. What is she, twelve?

School starts in just a couple days. She only went to kindergarten for the first four months, and she was home by eleven every day even then. I am now going through the whole grieving process all over again. Now she will be gone for seven hours every day. What will I ever do without her?

Rigby assures me regularly that he will take care of things when Bethelle is at school. And I must say, I am looking forward to his opportunity to be the leader around here. I can imagine him blossoming. In a manly way, of course. Do men "blossom"?

Anyway, I will do my best to get by. I'm going to get out of bed every morning; breathe in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breathe in and out. And then, after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it perfect for a while.

We'll miss you, Bethelle. I know you'll do great!

Hiking with Heart

2011-09-04T23:28:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, my dad informed me that he wanted to spend his 60th birthday at Big Heart Lake with his kids. To those of you who think this means a drive and some camping, let me assure you that it is not that simple. Ten miles up, and ten miles back down. I remember saying that it sounded like a great plan if I wasn't pregnant or nursing (which has made up most of the last seven years of my life). Dad replied, "That's why I'm telling you now." The man was serious.

The birthday arrived and so did the hike. These two fellas stuck with me, the slow-poke, for the whole hike. My sister-in-law, Alyse, also walked with us most of the way, until we caught up with my brother, Troy, and their son, Asher, who had gotten an early start the day previous. A great group.

I am not a very experienced hiker, but this is my dad's favorite hike, so I think I've done Big Heart at least four times now. At the point along the trail pictured below, we pause every time to look up the waterfall (that white stripe going up the middle) and say, "That's where we're headed." It always looks so high and far. Even more so than in the picture. And guess what? That's not even the end of the day's walk.

We cross over a few falls on our way. See that bridge behind my brother?

This is me on that same bridge.

And here's the view from it!

Isn't that beautiful? I think that landscapers try to recreate that kind of thing in unnatural places, but they will never pull off what I saw on the hike.

Here is a view of the valley we hiked through from the top. The car was way, way out there somewhere.

After arriving at the lake, we set up camp, ate, and went to sleep. Nick does not think much of hiking because he doesn't like sleeping on a skimpy pad on the ground in a tent. As I lay there trying to sleep and thinking that the pad I slept on reminded me very much of a rock, I realized that NO ONE likes sleeping on a skimpy pad on the ground. But we do it anyway. It's part of the cost that buys you the rest of the experience.

Here we all are, a little more chipper the next day. That's Asher on the far right. He is only five years old! What a champ to hike all the way up!

If you can overlook my lack of access to a shower and mirror, isn't this a beautiful picture? They call this area the Alpine Lakes, and for good reason. It reminds me very much of my travels through Switzerland eons ago. The weather was perfect, but getting in that water past my waist took more courage than I had that year. The top twelve inches were really cold and the rest of the lake was positively hypothermic. There are patches of snow all around the lake, keeping the fish happy, the water clear, and the people out.

On the second day, we always day-hike around the lake without our heavy packs. We like a particular trail (if it can really be called one) that takes you to your hands and knees, climbing and crawling up a rocky mountain face. As Jared, Dad, and I were struggling to determine the best route, I happened to look around and Asher had simply floated up to where we were. Kids.

You can't tell from this picture, but we're standing on a large rock far above Big Heart Lake, overhanging the water. It has been ten years since we were here last, but things really don't change much. This is one of the greatest view-spots I've seen.

In this picture, I am looking down at the lake from our camp. If you look very, very closely, you will see Alyse and Asher in the middle of the logs on their way back to camp.

I can see why this is my dad's favorite place. And I am resolved to get him to Switzerland.

The hike up had been laborious, but bearable. The hike down was soooo much easier. We woke with the sun (no one even had a watch), and made it to the car by 12:30. Upon seeing our escape vehicle, my brain must had told my muscles that they were done, as I was in quite a bit of pain before my dad had even found the key. Although I got through that within a few hours, my legs were pretty sore for the next three days.

Would I do it again? Already planning on it. See you in a couple years, Big Heart.

When Dad is also Mom

2011-08-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

I recently scored a few days off from my normal life to do something much easier. A spa retreat? A Caribbean cruise? No. A backpacking trip with my dad and brothers. More on that adventure soon.

Nick took a day off work and spent three solid days as both the dad and the mom. He even took pictures everywhere they went. If he had only blogged about it before I got home, his maternal coverage would have been complete.

They played at parks.

They caught reclining frogs.

They went out to eat.

They washed both of our cars.

They prepared for soccer season.

They played fetch with a random dog at a pond.

And they topped it all off at church.

Nice work, Daddy. Let's do it again some time. Some time soon!

Slip Slidin' Away

2011-08-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the relief from the rare moments of heat, Grandma!

Staycation 2011 - Chinook Pass

2011-08-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

Driving out to the pass, I took a little nap to recover from the 3 am games the night before. When I opened my eyes, this was the first thing I saw.

Definitely time to wake up! Check out the other scenes I captured as we drove.

See? I told you we were driving.

Trees. I know they'll never love me back, but I just can't help it!

This one does love me back, so it's all good. Not the mountain; the silhouette.

Does it look like we went to the beach up in the pass?

Nope. Not the beach. Have you ever been in the hot August snow?

You might not know it, but this was the hottest day of our summer so far. Rolling around in that snow seemed like it might be a good idea.

Sorry, Pabby, you're not to the top yet.

Trisha and family, looking good as usual.

The greens were even greener in person. And the blues... Oh, the blues!

Nick's 'rents and brother, Kyle. This whole outing was the brain-child of Patsy. Sweet idea, Grandma!

I'd want to live here if I was that pretty, too.

Rigby, looking a bit like Paul Bunyan next to that tree. For the first and last time.

Somebody told us that this part of the trail was "totally do-able" for the kids. That person has never met a kid. Curie rode in a pack on my back and basically screamed whenever I was on the snow. I think she felt the mortality of her life and her complete helplessness all in one.

But the hike was well worth these views. Seriously, don't you want to go?

I couldn't quite get the mountain to show up in the pictures, but it was incredible.

See how the mountain disappears? It's actually in that blank area between the trees. Oh well, the people are incredible, too.

Kyle, looking good. Who wants to bet that this will be his facebook profile pic in the next 24 hours?

Hiking up was tricky, but hiking down was impossible. Fortunately, the way out had already been blazed. I wasn't sure what Curie would think of our path, but when she saw the first person slide down, she exchanged the screams for, "I try? I try?"

Bethelle ran back up for a second go.

Grandmas can have fun too!

That's a picture of elation. Rigby has never been able to hide his.

At last, a picture of the whole crew.

Story Time with Darth

2011-08-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

(Spoiler alert. Then again, if you don't know what happens in Star Wars, you probably don't get out enough to be reading my blog.)

Nick puts the kids to bed. It's the rule. If Daddy is home, Mommy stays out of bedtime.

The kids like it because it's their special time with him and because he's just better at it anyway.

For the last week and a half, their bedtime story has been a thorough retelling of Star Wars, episodes 4, 5, and 6. Rigby has completely enjoyed the story, but Bethelle has eaten up every word out of Nick's mouth. Her life has been consumed by the characters. All day long, she asks me questions that I just cannot answer. In the evening or in the car, she begs Nick for the next installment.

Two nights ago, Nick finally told them the big finish. Bethelle cried when Darth Vader turned good and then the tears picked up the pace when he killed the Emperor and died. I love her pretty little heart.

Staycation 2011 - Green River Gorge

2011-08-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Staycations are becoming a regular family tradition around here. Maybe you remember last year's posts on Ocean Shores and the Seattle Center?

The tricks to a staycation are to block the time out completely (no jumping ship for a quick meeting or doctor appointment) and to do something that you would never do on a normal weekend. With these rules in mind, last Friday found our extended family at the Green River Gorge. Isn't it gorgeous?

We munched and played and swam in the river with cousins.

You really should click on this next picture to fully appreciate the cuteness of that face!

Cousin Allie on the rocks...

Pabby and his boys...

Nick and his brother, Kyle, with our girlies.

The river was expectedly cold at first, but ultimately felt great on the hot day.

Sending a big, "Thank you!" to Trish for sitting on the river bank with the littlest babies while I got to swim across and explore the other side with the three-and-up crowd. The rocks over there were pretty tough on my feet, but we found crawfish and a rope swing (semi-functional) and more than enough empty beer cans. ;(

Even drying off to head home can be cute.

This picture is missing someone. Next year, Case!

The whole crew then headed to our house, where we put four kids in one room for the night (good luck!) and then played a couple intense rounds of our favorite game, Bang!. These games may or may not have lasted until after 3 am. Warning: do not try this game if you value your sleep.

What if you were pregnant like a spaceship?

2011-08-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

Rigby was thinking about a friend of ours who is pregnant, than said:

"What if you had a person inside you that was big, like a Mommy! And then they went like a spaceship!"

Huh?

Then he bent over, making a large ball with his body, and began counting backwards from ten (like a spaceship countdown) while attempting to shrink.

"And then they're born as just a baby. Wahhh, waaaah!"

Oh, the places his mind goes!

Curie Kickboxing

2011-08-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

I know you want to see a picture, but I didn't have a phone or camera with me, so you'll have to use your imagination until next time!

I took the kids to an informal kickboxing class with me in the church gym. The idea is that the kids run around in half of the gym while the moms workout in the other half. Bethelle, being the little-me that she is, joined me for some of the exercise. Curie, being the little-Bethelle that she is, joined her big sister. Let's remember that Curie is not quite two years old. That little toddler can hold her own on the kickboxing floor. Funny as it was to all, I was impressed by how well she watched and mimicked the teacher.

Her workout did not last long. I don't think she'll be sore tomorrow.

Mud Mountain Dam

2011-08-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

It was like a one-day vacation. The kind of vacation where you bring your three little kids but not your husband. So, it was like a vacation for the kids.

Some of my new friends and I packed our kids and too much stuff for a day at Mud Mountain Dam. Just to be clear, I never saw mud, a mountain, or a dam while I was there. What I did see was my kids enjoying themselves all day on these play structures and digging in this sand.

To the other side of our little encampment was this pool. That's Bethelle behind the falling water.

It was nice to acknowledge and celebrate a hot day here in western Washington. This has been one of the coldest summers ever. I know, I know, it beats the record heatwave in the rest of the country, but couldn't we all just get together and share? I'd be happy to take a few degrees from those of you with some to spare.

Raspberries

2011-08-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday found the kids and I at Remlinger Farms, picking raspberries. I'll admit that I was nervous about bringing Curie out in the fields and being able to keep tabs on her while accomplishing anything. However, I have a problem with feeling confined just because I am doing what I think is right for me (aka having babies), so between being stubborn and having an encouraging husband, I ended up with the above box of berries. At two bucks per pound, I would have loved to pick more, but the inevitable limit hit and we headed for the car. In all, we picked 7.5 pounds. Not bad. And I honestly think that Bethelle and Rigby picked almost half of them. They learned well and really enjoyed it.

But even better than picking berries is squishing berries. They had to really leverage their entire body weight to get the job done, but it's a squirty, squishy, bright red job, and somebody's got to do it. We made four batches of raspberry freezer jam and one of raspberry/peach, although that one is not setting up well and may be better used on pancakes and ice cream, but who's complaining?

Janae Day - Part I - Franklin Falls

2011-07-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a live-in photographer? One who followed you around on every outing, documenting all the way? Well, wonder no more.

My wonderful college roommate, Janae, doesn't make a habit of moving in with her photography subjects, but she made an exception in my case due, of course, to my charming personality.

First stop on the Janae train, Franklin Falls.

We hiked...

... along this ...

... to get to this.

Can you see interstate 90 in the top left of the picture above? You'd never know it while hiking, but the trail and falls are located somewhere between the east-bound and west-bound traffic. Seeing the highway was a dose of reality that shocks you right out of the enchanted forest.

There's Janae and the rest of my crew!

This is a common scene. It was, no doubt, followed by, "C'mon, Bethelle. Don't pick any flowers. Curie needs a diaper change. Let's get back." But look at those surroundings. I pinch myself when I think that I live here! Does it get any more beautiful?

When Janae found this pinecone, I thought it was a cute little anomaly. Apparently I had not been looking at the ground for the previous hour, as it was carpeted in them.

This one should be matted and framed, don't you think? No, even better, it should be made into a mural. Don't laugh at me! I'm measuring my walls right now.

When it's been 40 years...

2011-07-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

... there ought to be a party.

And there was.

I'm going to toot my own horn by saying how GREAT I was at getting my parents to their 40th anniversary party, dressed up and in complete ignorance of the occasion!

The event was simple and beautiful. There were daisies at the wedding, so there were daisies at this party.

My parents are classic introverts. They prefer the company of just a few close friends. The assembled well-wishers have been a part of my parents' lives for so long.

I arrived with cakes and all the last-minute organizing to do, so I was so grateful that Rigby and Bethelle adopted themselves out, getting comfortable with my brothers' families.

By the time the couple arrived, I was finally "at ease." Having the event at a restaurant really took the load off as a hostess.

My parents both turn/turned 60 this summer as well, so we added a bit of a birthday theme.

We even sang and blew out candles. Their birthdays are two months apart, so this is probably their first joint birthday party.

Jared gave a very nice speech about the great people who raised us. That Jared turns out to be pretty great himself. It's such a cozy feeling to just love your family.

Don't they look happy? They are.

Group hug!

Thank you to everyone who came and supported my parents. What a victory to be in love for 40 years.

And thank you to Mom and Dad for your example of family, love, work, compassion, and service. We could never show you enough appreciation, but once in a while we try.

Without Apologies

2011-07-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

More pictures of us! I love us!

Bethelle: she loves to please, never needs "alone time," and is constantly making something (art, food, or an experiment).

Rigby: struggling between the two worlds of being a baby and being a man, inventive, confident, and obedient.

Curie: loud, comedienne, loving, and learning.

The lovebirds!

And the main d'oeuvre. This was so difficult to get. You'd think that happy, older kids would look at the camera and smile. Yeah, you'd think...

A big shout-out to Janae for the pictures! More on my weekend with my old roommate to come!

When Cousins are Two of a Kind

2011-07-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

They may not be identical, but these girls have oodles of cousin-love.

I took them out for this little photo shoot, and discovered that I am no photographer. I asked them to "stand there and smile" and then I was out of tricks and ideas.

Fortunately, being pretty comes easily to these little ladies, so they found a few natural poses.

Look at that glow on her face!

A Week's Worth

2011-07-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

We've spent the last four Fourth of July weeks at Lake Chelan with my family. We had a great time again, but there was a general feeling of finding something new to do next summer.

This year, Holly and Charlotte joined our crew for the drive. Don't they all look chipper and ready to go?

We got there quickly and safely. The only major event along the way was finding that Burger King kids meals are only $1.99 in Cle Elum. That pleased everyone.

There was a lot of story time in Chelan.

Books were read by Grandpa.

Books were read by Grandma.

Books were read by the Story Time lady at the farmers' market.

And books were read by the pool.

The kids were in the water everyday, if not multiple times each day.

If they were lucky, Grandpa joined them. Ellana had star-power, even in the pool.

Bethelle really got comfortable with the pool in San Francisco, so she put that new comfort to good use in Chelan. You could have mistaken her for a fish. I'm very proud. There was a time when she was the kid in swimming lessons who was throwing a fit.

Babies and Mamas were everywhere.

The family that swims together...

No one was a better swimmer than three year-old Charlotte. Holly is a private swim instructor, so Charlotte has been well trained. She jumps in, swims to her mom, rolls over to take a breath, and swims again. After some mommy-time, she swims solo to the steps, rolling over for breaths along the way. So impressive!

Nick had a lot of work to do, so he was only there for half of the week, but everybody was happier when he was around. Everybody.

He never misses a chance to flip or banana-boat into the pool. Can you make out his face in this picture?

Curie was a total water-baby, but she got pretty chilly after a while, so I got some great snuggle time with her every day.

Self portrait!

Troy. 'Nuf said.

Past years, we have seen small, local parades. None were scheduled this year, but that's no reason not to have one!

We all donned our Fourth of July best and made our own parade around the pool. We even invited a neighbor.

Mom brought this craft project for the kids.

Grandpa forgot the visor part and put the stickers directly on his head.

Look at all those bowling shoes and bowling smiles!

Good form, Asher.

Nice, Grandma!

Who out there has not cocked there head like this while watching their ball travel down the lane?

We made a couple trips to the park. This one is just outside our front door.

And this one was a favorite spot for para-gliders and hang-gliders to land.

Let's all pause for a moment to appreciate just how cute this picture is. It's a miracle that I have not eaten those cheeks right off!

The lake was ice cold due to the long, cold, wet spring, but that did not affect the fun.

The petting zoo...

The house has a great deck. Although a house across the way blocks the view of the lake, the fireworks are fantastic from here. This year, we opted to venture our little family down to the water for the show. Rigby and Bethelle were a little scared because the bursts seemed to be right over our heads.

Here we are before watching Cars 2 in the so-cute old-style theater. The movie was disappointing.

We wrapped up the Fourth with a reenactment of the Revolutionary War. Those are the Americans in the front, beating up a redcoat. King George is standing in the back with the crown and pool noodle(?) and I'm narrating on the right.

All in all, a great week and an even better crew.

Does anyone have an idea for us for next summer? It should be drive-able from western Washington and accommodate 20 people for a reasonable price. I'm all ears.

Santa Cruz II

2011-07-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

This is my final Cali post, really!

Just before leaving for home, I took the kids one last time to Santa Cruz. We met up with my sis-in-law, Holly, and her little Charlotte. This time, we spent most of the day on the beach.

Ocean frolicking!

That Curie of mine grins with every tooth.

At one point, Curie misjudged just how far onto the otherwise dry sand a wave can really come. No worries, there were three moms there to catch her (including me) just as the wave nearly knocked her down. Good thing I brought a couple changes of clothes.

Holly is several months pregnant and wasn't sure if she would make it at first, but we were so glad that they braved the adventure with us.

Nick doesn't get this picture, but I love it.

On our way to catch a couple rides, we saw Cirque Polynesian practicing their show. Some costumes and lighting were missing, but you can't beat free!

Charlotte waited so beautifully for the rides.

We opted for just the merry-go-round...

... and the race cars. Curie saw other kids putting their hands up for the fast part and did not want to be left out.

Most excessively fun days wrap-up with ice cream. If you're lucky, you get to choose your color.

All in all, a lucky day.

Leftovers

2011-07-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have a few dangling pictures from San Francisco that need to be shared here so that I can move on once and for all.

I no longer make Rigby take naps. But when he gets very bored, he likes to find a cozy place and rest.

Can you say, Abbey Road?

Fountains very near our apartment. We passed them almost daily. Their sound is an excellent buffer to the city traffic.

Another daily vision.

I just love this building. That's the famous TransAmerica Tower on the left.

A windmill in the city. Ok, in the park, in the city. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but it's HUGE.

Won't That Be Nice

2011-06-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

(10 points for naming the movie)

Last night while browsing Tuesday's junk mail, I came across this little beauty.

It was on an ad for closet packages. There was a woman reclining in her perfectly groomed, massive closet, closing her eyes, breathing deeply, and half-smiling.

I cut it right out and taped it to the side of my fridge.

Having moved six times in the last 18 months, you would think I was a pro at this unpacking-stuff. Well, I only ever moved with about a third of what we own and we just apartment-hopped. Now we live in a larger house. With all our stuff. Sometimes I think that you have to know how to swim to get around in here.

But I've been working hard. The kitchen was first, because man cannot live on McDonald's alone. The playroom has been haunting me most, and I've given it all of yesterday and today. We can move around now. No swimming required. The kids are finding joy in toys that they haven't seen in years.

Some day I will be the woman in that ad, except a recliner won't fit in my closet. And the perfection won't last more than 20 minutes. But those will be some nice minutes while they last.

Name Change

2011-06-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

I originally named this blog "A Garden of Spice" after a line from my favorite poet, Tennyson. I thought of our family, or at least the kids, as the garden. Maybe Nick and I are gardeners. I'll leave that up to interpretation.

Since then, it has bothered me that I don't read much poetry, and I can't remember what that particular poem is about. But I spend a lot of time with my sweet jazz vocalists. So I've been on a subtle prowl to find the right jazz lyric for a new title.

I've found it. And I think our exodus from San Francisco and our entre-dus to the northwest is a perfect time to turn this Garden of Spice into a Garden in the Rain. I like the double meaning, too, when you think of the word garden as a verb. Even when life is raining, keep on gardening. "And then the sun came out again... and sent us happily on our way."

No worries, the blog will still publish at the same address, elkesgarden.blogspot.com.

Fathers' Day

2011-06-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers' Day to my own dad, the man who set the precedent, to Nick, the man who lives up to it, and to Paul, who taught Nick everything he knows about people and being happy. I am so grateful for all three.

The big kids and I got up early to make a surprise breakfast for Nick. We made Monkey Bread with butterscotch pudding mix and a new (to me) kind of an omelet. I cooked a thin sheet of scrambled eggs on our large griddle, never flipping it, then layered on toppings (Jack cheese and sausage this time) and rolled it all up like a jelly roll. Yum!

The rest of Fathers' Day was a yo-yo. Church with Nick's parents. Church with my parents. Hanging out at Nick's parents' home. Dinner at my parents' home. Wrap-up the day at Nick's grandpa's house with his parents. Whew! At least everyone lives close.

It's nice to take some special time to think about all that Nick does for this family. I heard a quote in church that goes something like, "It is the father's responsibility to provide the conditions for the mother to complete her role." Without Nick's hard work, I couldn't care for the kids the way that I am free to do, and I am so grateful for that. We love you, Daddy!

Best Dinner I Ever Made. Ever.

2011-06-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Four months ago while in L.A., I had a most amazing salmon while sitting across a table from a most amazing friend at Cheesecake Factory. I've been dreaming about that salmon ever since. I wanted to recreate it, but didn't even bother while living in our little SF apartment.

Today, I bothered.

I've never seen such an exuberant reaction from my husband or my kids over dinner. I could not keep those little plastic, Ikea plates full. They inhaled it. The house still smells wonderful. Not the fishy, stale smell that sometimes lingers after salmon. No, the house smells, as Bethelle put it, like apple pie. No joke. But there's no sugar in the recipe. Just a whole lotta' yummy goodness.

Here's the link to the recipe I used, but I'm going to paste the whole thing here so I can add my edits in italics.

Cheesecake Factory Herb Crusted Salmon

4 (5 ounce) salmon fillets
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
10 tablespoons butter, divided
1 shallot, minced (food processor is awesome here)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
5 tablespoons white wine (I used chicken broth), divided
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon parsley (I used 1 tablespoon fresh parsley)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (I used 1 tablespoon fresh thyme)
salt and white pepper to taste

Place salmon in a shallow dish, and rub with 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Season with lemon pepper. Cover, and allow to stand 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and saute shallot 2 minutes, until tender. Mix in remaining lemon juice, vinegar, and ¼ cup wine. Simmer until reduced by at least ½. Stir in cream and milk. In a small bowl, mix parsley and thyme. Season the salmon (not the sauce) with parsley, thyme, salt, and white pepper (I skipped the white pepper due to the earlier lemon pepper). Cook and stir sauce until thickened. Whisk in ¼ cup butter. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat remaining ¼ cup butter in a skillet over medium heat. Place salmon in the skillet, skin side up, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until seared. Set salmon aside. Deglaze the skillet with remaining 1 tablespoon wine, then mix that liquid into the cream sauce in the saucepan. Return salmon to the skillet, and cook 8 minutes in the sauce (crank up the heat here and it takes a bit longer if you like it cooked through), or until easily flaked with a fork. Serve with the sauce.

At the Cheesecake Factory, this is served with roasted asparagus (toss in oil, salt, and pepper, spread in one layer in a roasting pan, 400 degrees for about 20 minutes) and special mashed potatoes, which are both excellent with the sauce from this recipe.

I hope you make it. And then tell me if your family loved it!

Tryptic

2011-06-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

At St. Patrick's Cathedral, a fancy little chapel in the middle of otherwise bustling, sky-rising, San Francisco. This place is nothing if not contrast.

Love those doors. And those kids.

Lesson Learned

2011-06-10T10:58:00.001-07:00

When Curie asks you to help her wash her hands, do it.

Because if you don't, she will do it herself, proudly.

In a sink that she can reach.

The Final Move

2011-06-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

In the last 18 months, we have moved five times. FIVE TIMES! That is insanity.

But here we are, in a new (to us) home. Finally settling. We have a little fenced yard for the kids. We are on a dead-end street. The neighbors are fantastic. I have a BEDROOM (not the case in San Francisco). We even have a surprise peak-a-boo view of Mt. Rainier from a couple windows upstairs.

I am so happy to be here. It has been a long, eventful journey. We have been planning for a long time in anticipation of this (relatively) last move. A lot of questions have recently been settled, prayers answered, and dreams realized.

So, as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider could tell you, it's time for a new dream. What to do next? I think I'll start by changing the world. A little.

A Positive Vibe

2011-05-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm considering creating some wall-art for my new house of positive words that we, as a family, believe in a strive for. What do you think of my list? What would you add?

honesty truth benevolence virtue respect believe hopeful hope enduring lovely praise work grace graceful generosity devotion giving give patriotism thankful charity love goodness motivated honor courage enlightenment education vigorous cherish true listen conscientious sensible prepared caring responsible dependable creative balance diligence faithful faith resourceful resilient duty happy happiness eternal loving teach family help strength friend kindness kind clean reverence industrious determined integrity cheerful humility learn practice health patience

Some of the words have multiple forms, but pithiness is not a virtue in this case.

What am I missing? What words do you strive to do and teach?

Ninah Mae

2011-05-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

In my husband's grandpa's family, there was a semi-famous cow (yes, cow) (OK, only famous to the family) who will be annually remembered and celebrated by yours truly, because she was born on, and named after, the date that was to become my anniversary. Now, I don't know if her name was spelled "Ninah Mae," or if it was ever even written down, but I think that spelling suits a cow. Don't you?

Although we managed to get a babysitter and to get away from the kids for an hour or two, young parents never truly escape the toddler influence. Our restaurant of choice this year was LuLu, which is what we often call Curie (her middle name is Louise, just in case you think I'm crazy). (I am certainly over-using parenthetical phrases in this post.)

I have never had such attentive service. Not even close. Nick had mentioned our anniversary when he made the reservation. When we arrived, everyone in the place knew about it and congratulated us. As we were seated, they brought us complimentary champagne to celebrate (awkward! ... we don't drink). The bus boy (man?) circled like a vulture waiting for us to finish anything. Between each course, he would clear absolutely everything off of the table, wipe up, and bring out all new place settings, silverware, salt & pepper, etc. Now, maybe this is generally done and I just don't get out much, but I hadn't seen that before.

The food was awesome. This is officially Nick's favorite place we have eaten here. The hostess came by to chat about our anniversary and to put us in a good tipping-mood by telling us how young we look for being married so long. Nick told her that we have a daughter that we call LuLu, so she promptly got a souvenir menu and a copy of the restaurant's cookbook for us to take home. See what I mean about the attentive service?

Just after that little convo, we ordered the beignets for dessert. Not only did they throw in an extra serving of panna cotta (which was amazing), our beignets came with a tall candle and a little "8" lemon rind inscription! That little hostess told our secrets!

Hold on! It just occurred to me why we got the star treatment. They must follow my blog and wanted a post! I am like a celebrity food critic!

Riiiiiiiight...

Happy Anniversary, Nick. And happy post-mortem birthday, Ninah Mae.

Alamo Square

2011-05-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

I'm running out of time! Last weekend we made it out to Alamo Square, a large block park in the heart of residential San Francisco. Alamo's claim to fame is bordering some of the city's most iconic homes, the Painted Ladies. Can't you just hear the Full House theme song running through your head?

We promised the kids a chance at the playground after a few quick pictures with the houses. Sometimes adults make no sense to kids, but they put up with us.

As detailed as this house may look, the camera really did not capture half of it.

Off to the playground. What a fun surprise! The toys matched the houses.

When the kids had run themselves quite ragged, we explored the trails of the park, one of Bethelle's favorite activities. And we stumbled across a gem. A garden of shoes.

Only in San Francisco would something like this evolve.

The shoes were old and dirty, but some of them had a lot of style. How does something like that begin? Should I have a shoe garden at my house?

Looks like Curie may have made a small contribution to the garden herself.

Mothers' Day

2011-05-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic Sunday. Nick made sure that the kids kept me in the forefront of their minds all day. It began with "sleeping in" while Nick and the kids made french toast. I say use quotes because in this one-bedroom apartment, my bed is roughly 18 inches from the table where they worked. What is even better than sleeping in while your kids cook? Pretending to sleep in while you watch your three year-old learn to crack eggs and sprinkle cinnamon and try to remember to whisper.

My other surprises included these little pretties.

And a shine on my "second home," inside and out.

It was a lovely day. But I will say without fear of those who may not always feel the same, it wasn't too different from every day that Nick is around. He is so good at teaching our kids to respect and love me. Thank you, my little ones and my husband! It's not all sunshine and roses, but I am so glad to be a mother.

I Just Think She's So Pretty

2011-05-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

I guess I might as well say it.

Wells Fargo Museum

2011-05-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

We're here in San Fran because of Wells Fargo, and we're hitting as many museums as we can, so it was only a matter of time before we made it to the Wells Fargo Museum. We planned ahead and came on "Take Your Kids to Work" day. Of course, Nick was working, so for us it was "Take Your Kids to Your Husband's Work" day.

There was a little something for everybody. Curie and Rigby like the coloring and riding this horse-drawn wagon.

Bethelle liked those, but she also got into using this olde timey telephone.

The museum had a saddle to mount in front of a large screen which played a scene of riding down a bumpy trail, old historical telegraphs (WF has been around for a looong time), a telegraph machine to learn Morse code on, gold to weigh on a balance, and a carriage that jostled to ride in.

As there is an "Old West" theme to the museum, I let the kids each bring a Toy Story toy. Rigby brought his Woody cowboy hat, Curie brought Bullseye, the horse, and Bethelle brought the cowgirl doll, Jessie. We crossed Jessie street on our way back from the museum and had to snap this shot.

This is how you know you're on gov't property

2011-05-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

Puh-lease!

John (9)

2011-05-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

I could write about Mothers' Day, or I could show you the so-cute pictures that I took of Curie last week. And I probably will, but not now.

First I want to tell you about what I learned today in Sunday school. Our text was John, chapter 9. In this part of the New Testament, Christ comes across a man who was blind from birth. His disciples inquire who caused this punishment on the man. Was it due to the sins of himself or his parents? Jesus teaches them that we are not given our trials due to our sins, "but that the works of God should be made manifest" in us through our trials.

Christ then heals the man of his blindness in front of witnesses. When later pressed, the man and the witnesses cannot refuse that a miracle occurred and that Christ must be what he says he is.

I've had this lesson many times before. But this time was different when a man in class, John, commented. John is himself blind. He has the white-tipped cane, the sunglasses, the whole bit. He became that way at 40 and said that he went through a period of suffering and blame and depression. Then one day he decided that he didn't want his condition to make him that kind of a person and to ruin his life. He said that he pulled himself out of his misery through prayers and the scriptures. I've only known John for four months, but he is absolutely amazing. He's bright and considerate and motivated. I would never have thought that he went through such a dark time. He just seems too strong. Miraculous as the healing of the blind man in the New Testament was, I think that John's spiritual and mental healing was even more vital and miraculous, more essential to who John really could become. And there he was, a "manifestation" of God's power and goodness, right there in the room as we marveled over the example in the scriptures.

Wave Organ

2011-05-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

My blog has turned into a San Francisco travel guide. There is just so much to do here. For our next adventure, we visited the Wave Organ at the San Francisco Marina.

It is a happy little place built on the ruins of some tiny little building at the end of a skinny jetty. Pipes come up from the surface of the water...

...and end in little listening ports where you can sit and listen to the music made by the crashing waves.

Isn't that a beautiful concept? Nature creates the music. That reminds me of the bridge at the SFMOMA that I wrote about earlier in this post.

I had this crazy idea that we would take some great family pictures while we were there. While this did turn out to be one of our favorite places in the city, pictures don't work so well here.

The wind was whipping!

And the sun was so bright!

Most of our pictures have hair in faces, or a mass of squinting eyes. We did get a few nice ones, though. Just look at my favorite little man. He found a hole to crawl in that was just his size.

Bethelle would rarely stop exploring the endless crannies of the sculpted ruins to smile for the camera.

And Curie. Well, she's a bit of a pill lately. She is a D.I.V.A. We are trying to break this. Really, we are. But for now she does just what she wants to do. The trick then becomes to manipulate her into wanting to do something cute. Something photogenic.

The holes in the wall behind the kids are more listening ports. At adult height, they surround your ears. This is one of the best places to sit at the wave organ and has a beautiful view just to ice the cake.

Nick seemed to enjoy himself.

You can see how long and skinny this jetty is. It is a bit of a walk from the closest parking lot. But city life accustoms your legs to walking.

I hope that we will make it out to the wave organ one more time before we leave our little big city.

Santa Cruz

2011-05-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, we all went to Santa Cruz, a beach town with a boardwalk carnival. I realize that our life lately is not normal. We are spoiling ourselves and our kids. My rationale is that I am the kind of person who will live in one place forever, if I have my way. This trip is a rare chance to live somewhere else for a short while. So live we will! I'll be a California girl, through and through, for five short months!

We rode the ferris wheel.

We flew in airplanes.

And we swam on the backs of orcas.

We went on this kiddie coaster three times. In a row. There was no line.

While the big kids coastered, Curie drove a truck around the park. Also three times. Maybe four. Then Bethelle and Nick went on the spinning room ride in the background of this picture. It's the one where you spin so fast, gravity gets all messed up and then they tip you 90 degrees. Both of them agreed that it was nauseous torture.

See that beach right by the rides? This is why people love California.

My favorite people!

This ride was more fun than I remembered.

And this one made me nervous. It was very high and lasted seven minutes, carrying us across the park in open, ski lift-like cars. Hold on to your babies! But Nick was sitting in his lucky number 11, so we made it out OK.

The rides close at six (so get there early). This gave us an evening on the beach. I must mention with this picture that an era has ended. I knew it would someday. Having Nick with us for eight straight days made the difference. He is now Curie's favorite. And Bethelle and Rigby's, for that matter. I get a short year and a half or so out of each baby. That's what all my efforts buy me. Then they switch to him. I may sound like I am griping, but it's sarcasm. I really appreciate that I married the kind of Daddy who can be the favorite.

Nick says the water is practically as cold here as in the northwest, but it seems a lot warmer to me.

Did I make you want to see Santa Cruz? Good. But visit soon, so that we can go with you.

On the Sixth Day of Daddy...

2011-05-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that Nick recently had a few days off. Well, including the weekend, it was actually eight days off! Many of his coworkers needed the time to fly around the country for interviews, but since our job is already lined up, we made a local vacation out of the time.

I am working on a checklist of things that we want to do and see before we leave. These eight days were the perfect time to get to the rest of those items. I've already blogged about many that we did (Ghirardelli, sourdough, Chinatown, taking the kids to the temple, the lighthouse...), but here's the mish-mash that we did on our sixth day with Nick.

We live "next door" to a lot of great places. One that we hadn't been to yet is an IMAX theater, one of Nick's favorite weaknesses. We started our day by seeing "Born to be Wild," a 3D IMAX film about women who rescue wild, orphaned orangoutangs and elephants, raise them, teach them to survive in the wild, and release them when they are able. I was touched to see that they try to imitate the animals' mothers by staying with them all day, everyday. They even sleep with the animals. The woman who raise the orangoutangs said that more than any particular skill, they need to feel loved and secure. That is what I have always thought about my own children. That more than anything, they need to feel loved and secure. That is why I choose to stay home with them. And that is why this woman stays "home" with her monkeys. Hmm.

We then crossed a few streets to the Westin, a fancy hotel with a fancy elevator. It is glass-walled and ascends 32 stories, right in the heart of the San Francisco skyline. We rode it a few times like it was a roller coaster. It was nap time for the younger two kids, so Nick took them home and I took Bethelle ice skating! The local rink is another "next door" attraction. When we go to our nearest park, we always walk past the windows and see the ice dancers or hockey players at work. Bethelle has been patiently wanting to have a crack at some skates since we arrived. I couldn't imagine taking all of the kids, with or without Nick, so this was our chance to try it out and to have some girl time.

Bethelle thought that she would be really good at ice skating. She can be very optimistic. I was nervous that when reality set in, it would upset her. But she was awesome! Even when just propelling forward was hard to do, she was trying to do twists and turns like the pros in the center of the rink. We had a great time.

Nick took the kids out to the pool that night to close out the day.

Easter 2011

2011-05-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm only one week behind in my blogs. Subconsciously, I think I kept the kids in all day yesterday on purpose so that I would not accrue any more occasions to be blogged until I catch up.

We didn't take many pictures on Easter because we were so busy filming. The bunny did come...

And we had a sweet, simple church service.

Also a great Easter egg hunt.

The Second Foggiest Place in North America

2011-04-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

Now there's a destination worth seeing! Bring the camera!

Last Saturday we attempted to take the kids to the Point Reyes Lighthouse. We were pushing the time a little so that two of them would sleep in the car for the one hour drive. But when we got to the car, it wouldn't start. The fan had run into the night, depleting every spare drop of power out of the battery. By the time we found a jump and got on the road, we were pushing making it there in time to see the lighthouse before it closed.

What I didn't know was that once you get "there" (being the ranger station), it is still a 45 minute drive to the actual point, followed by a 10 minute hike to the lighthouse. Disappointment set in, but it was sunny and beautiful at the ranger station, so we figured we'd make the drive and the hike and get a view of the lighthouse that we had been touting to the kids for the last three hours.

This is what we expected to see. I knew the thirty flights of stairs down would be closed off.

This is what we saw.

We had spent two hours in the car driving to the second foggiest location in North America expecting to see something. Well, we did see something. We saw the fog. I would not say it was raining there, but as we closed in on Point Reyes, the fog lay so thick on the car, we needed the wipers. When we stepped out into it, we were just wet. Not rain on the tops of our heads, but a more uniform layer of wet all over. I should also mention that this is the windiest place on the west coast. Bethelle and Rigby spent our adventure curled up in the double stroller to maximize their misery. Curie seemed to enjoy herself as long as she wasn't being told where to go and what to do and what she couldn't eat.

We did finally talk the hermits out of their shell to climb on some rocks.

On the way home, we said, "Wasn't that great! What was your favorite part?"

Oddly enough, they answered, "YES!" and told how fun it was to climb on those rocks.

Half way back to the ranger station, we diverted to this beautiful ocean beach for a few minutes.

And just before leaving the large national park, we saw this sign.

Did you know that the White House pool has public access? Just watch the overnight parking. Here is the White House pool, in all its glory.

Maybe being president isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Temple Hill

2011-04-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

LDS temples have a reputation for some of the best locations. They are gorgeous and illuminated. When people find out that we are LDS, I often hear the comment, "There is a big Mormon church where I'm from. It is the most beautiful building around. You can see it all over the city and everyone loves it."

The local temple here is in Oakland, across the Bay Bridge from us. It is up in the hill that parallels the city and can be seen from everywhere.

The Oakland Temple is an especially nice one to visit because it has beautiful gardens and water features to roam around and contemplate. There is even a garden terrace that wraps the whole temple where visitors can meander on the roof (see the trees growing out of the middle of the temple?). Being on the hill, from the parking lot you can see all of Oakland and both of the San Fran bridges.

The kids frolicked on the temple grounds. How long has it beed since you frolicked?

It is also a great destination because of the large visitors' center on the grounds. It has many of the same displays as the Salt Lake visitors' center as well as some that are California specific. In general, only temples in historically significant locations have visitors' centers. The bay area is special in Mormon history because during the early days of the church when persecution was at its worst and Joseph Smith had been martyred, the members were motivated to move west. The stories that we most often hear are of the pioneers who crossed the plains with or without covered wagons. But 240 Mormons boarded the ship "The Brooklyn" in New York and made the six month journey around the cape and north to California, doubling the population of the village of San Francisco.

While at the visitors' center, we watched a short movie about this journey. It told of a storm that they encountered. The women and children were tied to the bunks to keep them from being slammed about the boat. At some times, the boat was completely under the sea. At other times, it was on the top of 60 foot swells. It was the worst storm that the captain had seen. At one point, he went down into the interior of the boat to tell his passengers that it was time to prepare to meet their maker. Though all but two of the passengers were Mormon, he and the crew were not. He recorded in his log that when he went below, he found the people reading and singing hymns. They told him that they were not worried; that God would get them there safely or he would not, but that His will would rule the waves. The captain returned to his crew and told them that these people where either the biggest fools he had ever met or they knew something that he did not. At this point in the movie, Bethelle was engrossed. She turned to me and whispered, "They had great faith."

I think that Bethelle also knows something that the captain did not.

Coit Tower

2011-04-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

Coit Tower is a stand-out landmark on top of Telegraph Hill (there are a lot of hills around here) in San Francisco. It was built at the direction of a rich little lady a hundred years ago to honor her father, a firefighter. Some think it resembles a fire hose. The views from here are crazy. You can see the whole city and then some.

Nick and I left the kids at his aunt's house and came here as just a duet. As we looked out each window, we realized just how well we have come to know our host city. Every neighborhood and landmark is visible and means something special to us. The buildings we saw were not just masses, but characters in our recent life history. I knew the streets and the personalities. I have an idea of where to go and where to avoid. I have my favorites and my not-so's.

The inside is an open-topped, empty shell. When the tower was new, elaborate (small) parties were hosted here, or so I was told. That. Sounds. Fun.

The lower windows we covered in plexiglass on one side, while the higher ones are just open air. It seems a resistless challenge to get some coins through the small opening and onto the ledge. Every window looked like this.

Here's your private tour of the whole city:

I must mention that before going to Coit Tower, I had the best breakfast of my life. I may have waited in line for almost an hour to get it, but the company was pleasant and the food was amazing. I almost typed "to die for," but I know that would make my mother recoil. Between the two of us, we ordered three plates, a side of bacon, and a pastry in a take-home box. With every new bite, we just looked up and each other and half-laughed in amazement. I had the french toaster sampler. It has banana bread, cran-orange bread, and chocolate cinnamon bread dipped in egg and fried. Outstanding. I will be spending the rest of my life perfecting these recipes. C'mon over for breakfast in about 40 years. It will be awesome. In the meantime, plan a trip to San Francisco and go to Mama's for breakfast. You can walk up the 200 plus steps to nearby Coit Tower to work it off.

Guests!

2011-04-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Something about having guests come see us here in SF validates our stay. Last week, Nick's brother and sister came and spent a couple days seeing San Francisco with us. Trish brought her three kids, who are all the same ages and genders as my kids. We looooove them.

I admit that I was excited to share our little space with them. Ten people in this apartment means that everyone gets 64 square feet. That's an eight foot by eight foot square. You can imagine the sleeping arrangements with six children, six years and under! Coming from Arizona, they arrived at three in the morning. We tried to sneak the kids into bed. Allie (the baby) slept in the bathroom and the two bigger kids were to sleep with Bethelle and Rigby in the bedroom. Despite our good intentions, the kids woke up and started to party. Then they had to go to the bathroom, so Nick took everybody downstairs and across the courtyard to the workout room and bathrooms, so that Allie could sleep. What must onlookers have thought to see four tiny kids chatting excitedly and loudly on their way to workout at three a.m.?

For the first time since we've been here, Nick had a few days off! Good timing for a visit, guys. The next morning (OK, it was actually later that day, but that's just technical), we took the crew to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. Can you believe we hadn't been there yet? The weather left something to be desired, but that's all part of the SF experience. We saw the ships and the wharf and bought clam chowder in a SF sourdough bread bowl at the site of the invention of clam chowder. Oh, Boudin Bakery. Love.

I'm not sure about the black border around this picture...

This is where dreams are made. My particular dream was of the peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla ice cream variety.

On the way back to our place, our guests got to experience just how bad SF traffic can be. Not only was it the end of a work day, Obama was in town. Fundraising. On my dime again. There were police everywhere, street blockages, helicopters. I don't have a better idea, but reality bothers me.

When the kids were back in the safe confines of their 64 square feet, Trish and I went out. I live near the best retail shopping in SF, so it was ladies' night until the stores closed, followed by a rough night of sleeping, not sleeping, and more midnight "workouts" for the kids.

The next morning we washed down our chocolate Cheerios with a walk to and through Chinatown. Pictured below are the lanterns strung across the streets and some cute girls.

This is the fortune cookie factory on Ross Alley. The man in stripes sits at a hot, cast iron machine that spits out little pancakes that he pinches and folds over a rod, forming perfect fortune cookies. We got some hot samples. When I asked if I could take a picture, the reply was "Feefty cent fo peek-cha." That's how you know you are really in Chinatown.

We bought a mixed bag of cookies. I'm not a big fan of the strawberry, but chocolate fortune cookies are awesome. As are chocolate anything.

Our walk back home.

Thanks for the visit!

Muir Woods

2011-04-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Muir Woods is yet another "must see" in the bay area. I've been intending to get there for some time now. I finally packed up the kids on a sunny Monday morning and headed out.

I should have checked the weather online, not just out the window. The closer I got to Muir, the cloudier the sky became. And then the fog hit. And the rain.

But packing up three kids and all their stuff and then crossing a toll bridge gives one the feeling of commitment to the project. So we kept driving. By the time we arrived, I wasn't sure how long we would last. It was very, very cold and the wind and rain were more than the little sweaters I had brought could handle. But I was determined to try. I searched the van, finding two extra hats, and I figured they would do the trick.

By the time we entered the park (which was a very healthy walk from the car), the rain had let up and the sun was peeking through where the trees would allow.

Oh, the trees! The little hike is up one side of a creek and back the other side through a forest of very old redwoods. At one point they had a display of a cross section of a tree that had fallen about 20 years ago. The rings had been counted and marked with significant dates in history: the Berlin wall, Columbus, the birth on Christ. The tree was almost 3000 years old! What a life.

This tree was huge and picture-worthy, but the snapshot just doesn't capture the size and depth somehow.

A group shot at a bridge.

This little amusement had a line of kids. Simple pleasures.

Getting back into a forest was a nice break for this northwest girl. Though the trees were different, it felt like home. I am almost done with my checklist of San Francisco sights and Nick is almost finished with his training. We are about to close on our new house. All of this means I am getting trunky. I have had a fabulous time here, but I am ready to come home. Home to my forests.

Thirty-One

2011-04-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

I think that I will one day be one of the older ladies at church who tells you three times in the lesson they teach, "I'm 86 and a half and I...". But I will not own a cat. That will be my unique touch.

I'm a good third of the way there. And the occasion was marked by a big, surprise birthday celebration. No, not a party. I had thought that Nick would be working all day (Saturday, sigh...) and that I would spend my special day changing diapers, vacuuming, and acting as chauffeur for art class (I'll post that later).

Not so!

In the morning, we had a nice family breakfast, followed by an hour to myself to walk around the city. I came home to presents and a special little Miette cake.

Bethelle made me some pretty purple earrings from a kit she had received for her birthday.

She also drew the picture below for me. It is the two of us holding hands. And do you see the brown, jeweled pony on the table by her elbow? That's a little cardboard statuette for me. I got the flowers on the right from Rigby and those on the left from Bethelle. Curie got me a pretty bracelet that I'm wearing (just imagine it). And... here's the big reveal... I GOT A HOUSE! That's the flyer behind the little cake. Oh, my dear Bainbridge and friends there; how I will miss you. But I am excited about having twice the house that I could've bought on the island.

Nick did work a little while the kids napped, but then he came with me to drop the big kids off at art class on Potrero Hill and we went to dinner at Chez Maman across the street and for a walk around the lovely SF neighborhood. It was sunny and beautiful and every corner had a pretty view.

The San Fran skyline. We live a bit to the right in that picture.

The street we walked up had such cute little houses. Look at that facade!

And you can see a bridge or two from everywhere.

Our little art class date felt like five years ago when we just had one little baby girl tagging around. It was refreshing. I felt younger instead of older.

The big kids were disappointed that they had missed the dinner "party," so Nick took us all straight from art class to our favorite gelato and frozen yogurt shop. That was dessert for us, but dinner for the kids.

Quite the day! No vacuuming whatsoever! Thank you, my sweet family!

Lombard and Side Streets

2011-04-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

You knew it was only a matter of time until this street appeared on my blog, right?

Lombard is dubbed the "crookedest street in the world" and I wouldn't doubt it.

Last weekend, we took a little Sunday drive down its switchbacks. All eight of them. I expected the scale and steepness. What I did not expect was the line to get on. It was like a roller coaster for cars. Not only did we wait in line for our turn, we began by leaning back and inching up, up, up to the precipice of Russian Hill. I half expected to scream and throw my arms up at the top.

Side note #1:
This really doesn't need its own post, but I wanted to document that Nick and I went to a Madeleine Peyroux concert as an early birthday-date. She was great, but seemed disappointed in our reactions and lack-luster applause. I attribute this to the impersonal venue and her moody blues choice of songs. If singing the blues does what is intended, the audience will be in no mood to scream cheers at the end of the number. A meager show of appreciation should do until the next swing number.

Side note #2:
This is getting ridiculous. Fortunately, I don't drive far or often. Do you?

Side note #3:

This blog just reached 30,000 hits! In reality, several dozen (wink) of those hits are mine... but THANK YOU readers... for caring!

SF Zoo

2011-04-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

Another checklist item complete! You can't very well visit a big city with kids for five months and skip the zoo.

Bethelle seemed intent on mimicry.

There is a lion or two way, way back in this picture. And one up front, apparently.

This one is self explanatory.

Rigby enjoyed the rhino, and was moved by the removal of its horn. Really, that must be humiliating for a rhinoceros. Like cutting off your one true beauty (10 points for catching the reference here).

Half way around the zoo, Rigby announced that he had found the thief of the rhino's horn: the giant eland. Apparently that guy has one more horn than Rigby thinks he needs.

Curie's biggest reactions were to the grizzly bears and the goats in the petting zoo (to clarify, the grizzlies were not in the petting zoo). The grizzlies put on quite a show, right in front of us. At times, they were only inches away on the other side of the glass. We enjoyed it, but when walking away I began thinking how crazy it was to be safely within inches of a grizzly. And to have my children in that position.

My camera battery died after this picture, so I didn't get one of her out of the stroller with the goats, but Curie LOVED them. I think she wants to get one. She was quite brave and affectionate with them.

The zoo has this great train around a small track in the park. It is miniature, but actually runs on steam! It was built in 1925 and still runs.

And here we are on the train, though it's hard to tell.

A Lovely Day

2011-04-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, Bethelle found a penny and asked if she could keep it. I told her to find a special place for it. Twenty minutes later, Rigby found the same penny, casually placed, and asked if he could keep it. I told him he could. After all, if Bethelle had done as she was told and took care of her money, then this was a different penny. In his excitement over the acquisition, Rigby ran to Bethelle, exclaiming his good fortune. Bethelle said that the penny was hers. You can imagine the fight that ensued. But it didn't. They calmly worked out that they would share the penny. We're talking about a three year-old and a six year-old.

Fast forward to church. In Bethelle's primary (Sunday school for kids) class, the teacher brings a small treat. Kids who are wearing the "Choose the Right" bracelet that she previously gave them get a double treat. After class, I rounded up the kids, getting Bethelle last. She came out just finishing up a fruit roll and had one in her hand. She promptly handed it to Rigby, saying, "Here, Rigs! It's a treat you've never had before!"

Rigby is nothing if not sincere in gratitude. If you know him, you know what I mean. He said, "Thank you, Bethelle!" (or, "Sank you, Beffelle!") "Wow! Bethelle, thank you!" Then he reached into his little pin-striped pocket, pulled out the morning's penny, and told Bethelle that she could have it.

After church, I found the picture that Bethelle had drawn during sacrament meeting. It was of a little girl in a purple dress. Written above it were the words "I {heart} my brother."

For a mommy like me, it was a lovely day.

Ocean Beach

2011-04-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday of last week found Nick with no homework, so we took the kids to the long-promised carousel at Golden Gate Park and played a while at the playground. I never take them there by myself, so it is a treat for them. The playground is just too big for me to be sure that I'll make it out of there with all three kids in tow if I go on my own.

It's hard to tell, but she loved this spinning, off-kilter chair.

In the past, we've only been to bay beaches around here. The waves there are more tame and the wind less fierce. But this great city is right on the Pacific Ocean, and it's worth a visit. Curie fell asleep during the three minute drive from the park to the beach, so I enjoyed the view from the car while Nick and the kids played.

Little Paris - The Legion of Honor

2011-04-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the first Tuesday of the month, which means free museums. Next up for us was the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park.

The museum is perched on a hilltop. To the north is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. To the east is China Beach and a beautiful golf course, and looking south I could see the city.

The museum has an obvious European feel and the exhibits were of the same style as you'd see in a European museum, but some particular aspects were uniquely familiar, though much smaller scale than their French counterparts. Here is the entrance to the Legion of Honor, with a glass pyramid right in front.

And the entrance to France's most famous museum, the Louvre with its glass pyramid.

The arch-entrance to the museum's courtyard:

L'arc de Triumph in Paris:

A statue of some kind of mounted soldier in the front yard area of the Legion of Honor:

And Jeanne D'arc in Paris.

We only got to see about half of the interior. Rigby was still pretty worked up about his knee (see previous post) and Curie has figured out just how noisy she has to be to get out of quiet places. She mastered that one in Sunday School. I'm no art major, and I did not recognize any of the paintings that I saw, but the exhibits were nice and I think that Bethelle really enjoyed this taste of the renaissance.

Conservatory of Flowers

2011-04-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today's adventure was to take my little flowers to the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park (SF's version of Central Park).

The whole white building pictured above is essentially one huge greenhouse, separated into four or five sections, each one more muggy than the one before.

Bethelle was particularly taken by the many orchids.

But when she saw a flower on a real lily pad, she had another "dream come true moment." Don't just take my word for it; that's how she puts it.

She called this the "bayou." I'm pretty sure she was trying to live out The Princess and the Frog.

This girl is as pretty as any flower in the conservatory, if you ask me. I would love to have a painting of that expression. Don't you love her? You must.

As we walked away from the conservatory, Rigby slipped and skinned his knees. One bled. This induced about an hour of crying hard and loud. He finally cried himself to sleep in the car, poor little man. He is now taking very good care of those knees, babying them as much as possible.

A Sunday Walk

2011-04-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

We have been here in San Francisco for three months already and have less than two to go. Time to check more SF moments off the list!

Sunday evening found us walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. The kids and I have traversed it by car a few times, but Nick's first crossing was this on-foot venture.

Here we are, ready to go.

Pretty girls. Check out those Curie pigtails! That's a first for her. Just another miserable sign that she is growing up. Sometimes I comfort myself by going through a mental list of reasons that I can still consider her to be a baby. Diapers, babbling, binkie, waddle, chubby cheeks, bibs, high chair...

Curie knew she looked good when she sat down here. After a few "oooh, cute!"s and some pictures, she got up, walked about five feet, and sat down hoping for the same reaction. She did this about four times. Even today (two days later), she tried to repeat the process a few times while we were out, looking for places to sit and be cute.

The whole structure is just mammoth. So impressive.

You can see everything SF from the bridge: the Bay Bridge, Twin Peaks, Crissy Field, the Palace of Fine Arts (we're headed there this weekend!), the Presidio (behind Nick in the above picture), Fisherman's Wharf, and so much more. The skyline below is the financial district, near where we live.

That's our city. We really do love San Francisco. More every day.

Golden Gate Bridge

2011-04-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

This shows just how big those cables really are.

The big cable is filled with hundreds of tiny cables.

Family legend has it that my maternal grandfather walked all the way up those cables on our local suspension bridge, the Narrows Bridge. Maybe my mom can fill in the details in a comment...

We caught a beautiful sunset over the ocean on our way back to the San Francisco side.

Good night, Goldie.

Crissy Field Again

2011-04-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

I guess we've been here long enough when we make repeat outings. But I love Crissy Field.

As I sat on the beach, it was hard to believe that I live so close to this. It feels like vacation! How does one just decide on a whim to pack up, drive four miles, and end up here?

We almost did not stay. When we arrived on the scene, there were at least 25 dogs running around on the beach. Animals are great in their place, but I just don't do dogs. And especially not 25 dogs. Where were all the owners? Just as we were about to turn around, the ONE owner (or dog-watcher) whistled and they all came running. And left. Phew.

There are at least 30 pictures that I want to put on this blog post, but Nick helped me cut them down to nine. Each picture I cut broke my heart just a little, but I think I have preserved the best of them for you.

We began by playing just in the sand, but when the kids ventured down to the water, they had found a new home. I love watching them creeeeep hesitantly out, then scream and run in when a wave threatens, just to do it all over again like they don't expect that wave this time.

Nick says Curie looks like a news reporter doing a story about changing tides.

Just before it was time to leave, Bethelle was struck with inspiration to run to the water, get as wet as possible, then run back up and roll in the dry sand. Being a kid has a lovely way of making that seem like a good idea.

We missed having Nick with us...

THE END.

Sun Bells

2011-04-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Thinking we should be outside when the sun shines, I packed up the kids for a walk around the city and a picnic at Union Square.

Was I crazy? The heat was intense like the hills of San Francisco and the weight of my three kids in a double stroller. I should not have worn jeans.

Our lunch break was nice. Just look at these beautiful trees that we ate under.

Can these things grow in western Washington? I want some.

For now, I'll just be happy with some of these:

The Sun Came Out

2011-04-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

And so did we.

I have realized recently that I do not blog as often when it rains. This is because we don't go looking for fun as often in the rain. And I will be moving back to the pacific northwest in two months. I will have to get to the bottom of this problem...

Another day.

For now, the weather is fine! We jumped from weeks of downpour to a record-matching heatwave. I'll take it.

Tuesday, we met up with friends at the Academy of Sciences. We had been there before, but not only was it fabulous, it has now been re-worked for spring.

Look at the baby chicks!

These chicks were each just a day or two old. Their abandoned shells were still in the little chick-room next to this one. Some of their fluff was still matted down from the journey. Curie generally gets very excited about "birdies" and "quack-quacks." She went absolutely nuts about these guys.

We didn't make it to the playroom last time, so getting there was a treat. If I lived here permanently in a tiny apartment, I would get a membership here just for the room to breathe and stretch and play.

In the hot, sweaty rainforest (seriously, I can't stay in this magical bubble too long), I caught Bethelle standing like this for a long time (in kindergarten years), not moving a muscle. She was trying to coax a butterfly to land on her.

Ultimately, it was out friend, Mattingly, who looked the most like nectar to this insect.

Don't these zebras look real? They are. And they're stuffed. Rigby finds taxidermy fascinating. By the way, zebras are not black and white. They are definitely brown and white.

Post-Party

2011-04-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Bethelle's birthday lasted a long time. The actual date was Friday, the party was Saturday, and on Sunday, the kids at church sang to her, followed by a visit from Jen, her baby-sitter, with presents!

Jen brought a bead set for Bethelle, the crafter, and even a little gift for Rigby. The little guy went crazy when he opened the little Buzz Lightyear toy pictured below. He had just finished telling Jen that Bethelle had gotten a Toy Story Action Set for her birthday, which came with the little Woody toy he is holding but that there was no Buzz, and that's OK. Maybe we can get him later. Now imagine Rigby's big eyes and huge mouth when he opened the perfect little Buzz to go with the set.

Since Buzz's arrival in the family, Rigby has rarely put him down.

I gave Bethelle her first chapter book for her birthday. She fell asleep reading it the next night. In all, she completed all 134 pages in 48 hours! I guess I know what I need to be buying.

One more night of the birthday tonight. We gave her the new Disney movie, Tangled, for her birthday, but it just arrived in the mail today, due to the release date. We haven't seen it yet, so we're all pretty excited to watch it with Daddy tonight.

Six Now and Forever

2011-03-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

{A big "What, What?" to Tiffny for the poem and to Jill for the picture.}

It's now official. She is six. And we partied hard.

We played Stick the Badge on Woody. Bethelle's was perfectly in place, even to being turned to exactly line up with the outline on the poster. Umm-hmm. I think so too.

Everyone made a horse visor.

They didn't stay on heads very well, but they were fun to create.

How about that cake? Costco wouldn't do it for me, so I just ordered it plain white and worked a little Elke magic on it. That belt is a Hershey's Bar. Hey, it was cheaper than buying chocolate frosting!

We invited Nick's friends from work to join us for cake and ice cream.

This is the other LDS family that is in Nick's group. They live in our complex and give the kids a much needed excuse to get out of the house and play with a different set of toys. What a blessing to have them here with us!

There were gifts, of course. The big one was Jessie...

Curie enjoyed the chocolate eggs served at the end.

Happy birthday, Bethelle! Oh... I love you!

Jane Monheit

2011-03-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

Nick occasionally takes the time to golf or go to a football game with a friend. Sometimes he even takes a half day off of work to do it. And I think to myself: I never do that. I would never do that. And then I say that out loud to Nick, as though it's not fair. So Nick replies, "Then do it."

I finally did it.

I bought myself a concert ticket. Just one. I went by myself to see Jane Monheit and Nick stayed home to put the kids to bed and do his homework at the kitchen table.

I had a balcony ticket. The auditorium at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music is boxy and gilded and ornate. And the balcony is on the stage. Practically. Imagine Gladys Knight performing in a fancy frou-frou dress with an orchestra around her and a gospel choir above and behind her. Now replace Gladys with Jane Monheit (pictured below), replace the orchestra with a jazz trio, and replace the choir with me.

I had an excellent view of the pianist's face. If Jane had a bald spot, I would know all about it. She does not.

In my limited singing, I know what the rules are. I pronounce sounds as they should be sung. I hold out the vowels and watch my breathing. I lift my soft palate and project out of my forehead.

Jane also knows the rules, I am sure, but she breaks them just so. And it's perfect. So the rule breaking changes from lazy and uneducated to artful and stunning.

It is common in scatting to vocally imitate an instrument. Often a saxophone or a horn. In one song, Jane scatted as a river. I've never heard of such a thing. She has this way of doing things with her voice that anyone else would be embarrassed to try, but she tries it and then perfects it and then performs it.

I wish I could tell you how I feel as I listen to live jazz. I sit on the edge of my seat and stare. It's like when you're anxiously waiting for something and don't quite know when it will happen, but it's all you can think about.

So sit on the edge of your seat and breathe this.

Farewell to Five

2011-03-23T01:49:00.000-07:00

Five is almost over. She is getting so much older. What is a mom to do? I can't seem to slow her down. Being six means first grade. FULL DAY! I don't know if I can live without her like that. But she has earned it. She can swim a bit without arm floaties and she occasionally cleans her room without me asking. It doesn't get much better!

What do you think of this hair? Too weird?

I walked into the room and found her just like this. She looks 11 to me. It's all happening too fast.

This video is just of Bethelle washing her face, but there's a priceless moment about 40 seconds in. It's worth watching. If you're like me, you'll watch those couple seconds about a thousand times. They are classic, lovable Bethelle seconds.

Parks and Rec

2011-03-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

The rain has finally caught up with us here in San Francisco, so I thought we haven't been doing anything. Then I uploaded my pictures and remembered that we do get out whenever there is a break in the clouds.

We spent a Friday morning with some friends in Tiburon and Belvedere. Wow, does anyone else remember that show?

This was a great park. They don't make this kind of space in the city.

Although we did find this cute toddler park right next to the Giants' Stadium.

Always a bridge view, but this time it's the Bay Bridge.

She's so good for the camera.

All the playing will really knock a kid out for the night. For the record, they each have their own little mattress on a common box springs. But they seem to ignore the social norm of sleeping on your mattress. For a week or two they were sleeping half on the slats of the box springs. Lately, they are completely off their mattresses. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that must be.

One other "rec" activity was to go see a college roommate of mine, Andrea. I hadn't seen her since my wedding! She is fabulous as ever and has turned into quite the gourmet cook. Thanks, Andrea! We're already planning a couple more SF activities to do together. Next time, I'll take my camera.

Super Diamond

2011-03-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

I grew up with a dad who loved the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and the Doors. Nick's dad played Neil Diamond. Nick went to his first Neil Diamond concert when he was five years-old. He took me to his concert when we were 16. I played it cool at the time, but I really hadn't heard many of his songs before that concert.

Well, Neil is still making music, but his age is showing in his singing, so what's a fan to do? Enter Silver Diamond, a cover-singing, country-touring, Letterman-performing tribute band.

We took the kids to Nick's aunt's house for the night. She's only an hour away from us, but we hadn't been out to see her yet since living here. Curie did very well away from us. She didn't cry when we left and she slept well in a travel crib in the bathroom. The big kids lived it up! The stayed up late watching cartoons and then finally fell asleep in a bed with four kids and a chihuahua. Bethelle is in love with that dog. It begins.

I liked the concert a lot. Nick loved it. That's OK, right? His opening band was a Beatles cover, which was fun for me. The Diamond singer sounded exactly like a young Neil Diamond. Exactly. Nick was in heaven dancing and singing along. We met up with six of Nick's coworkers. They were pretty impressed/confused that Nick knew every word to every song.

Super Diamond's final words, and the moral of this post:
Never let anyone ever tell you that Neil Diamond doesn't rock!! (And the crowd goes wild...)