Nothing But Blue Skies

Yeah! The air quality is improving! There have been over a thousand fires up here in Northern California and we have seen the effects of it. Last week we were all advised to stay indoors as much as possible. It was so difficult to do this even with indoor playgroups. Kids need sunshine and need to be able to run and to yell and everything else that comes with playing outdoors (and so do their moms;) ). 

     Last week as the sun was setting it was always a bright red color. Leila commented one day, "Look at the sun Mom, it's red... I think it's probably sick." Kids say the most interesting things.

The Moon

 

Our girls constantly amaze me and make me laugh as well. Like after I told Leila that she was lucky to have touched a fighter jet because not too many people do that and then she asked if she had to wash her hands. There are so many every day and if I don't write them down then I forget them. Tonight I was quite impressed with Mia. Mind you, Mia has only been talking more fluently for four months now. We were in the car and Mia said, "The moon is following me!.... Silly Moon." This made me stop and reflect that that is something pretty complex  for a 2 1/2 year old to describe. I myself was pretty amazed as a kid to watch the moon from the car window and it too seemed to be following me. I thought that was pretty amazing. Kids are amazing! Absolutely amazing!

Bluegrass Band at Lake Tahoe

These girls love music. "We are at the beach. I watched music" -Leila

Lake Tahoe

We went camping at Lake Tahoe with 4 other families this weekend. Among all of us there were 12 kids and 1 on the way- the oldest being 7. The kids all got a long so well. I don't recall any fighting amongst the kids. Needless to say we all had a blast. It reminded me of one of my favorite childhood vacations of a camping trip to Door County with our good family friends, the Waddells. 

We stopped at this scenic spot on our way home. Lucy was in the car along with Mia, who was sleeping after a long, fun-filled weekend.

"I was sitting at rock beach. I liked throwing rocks in the water. I liked the beach." -Leila

"Mia was eating marshmallows off her hand. It was all melted." -Leila

"My Dad was taking a picture of me. My mommy was holding me. The island was pretty." -Leila

"I was just about to go for a ride in the Kayak. I liked in the kayak."-Leila

"Mia was eating a fig newton. Dad was holding Mia." -Leila

"I was gonna go in the ocean. I was kind of scared, but then my dad said, "Don't worry". I went in and then I swam."-Leila

"I was just about to go in the kayak with my dad"-Leila

Father's Day

We are thankful for Sam, he is a wonderful dad! This is one of the girls' favorite activities to do with Sam - Youtube Videos. 

Pops in the Park

Sacramento has a free summer concert series called Pops in the Park. We went with the girls' friend Claire and the girls had a great evening dancing to the music, eating ice cream and then playing at the playground.

When we first arrived it brought back memories of my good friend Sierra. Leila and Claire went straight to the stage and checked out the band and the set up. Sierra and I loved live music and would dance any chance we could get (and still would if we didn't live across the country from each other). Great times!

A Little Update

     Lucy is rolling over! I think she is going to fulfill my secret desire to be a really awesome breakdancer. She is already working on the "helicopter". At naptime she has a difficult time controlling her body- she just HAS to roll over. It's her new skill.  She is a strong little thing. Blowing bubbles and and making fart noises is also a favorite of hers as well as holding onto and playing with her feet. Her sisters are her favorite people. They always make her laugh and smile and babble. Lucy inspires me in that she loves every moment in life whether it is lying on a blanket in the shade at the park or riding in a grocery cart or getting attacked by a tickle monster. She loves it all.  

     Mia is our hyperactive little girl and lately has not been too happy (very whiney). So I am doing an experiment of not allowing her to watch TV (although she does not know this, I simply don't turn it on). So, far I have seen an amazing difference. She is still hyperactive, but she is happy and gets really into her play. She is a lot of fun to be around. Her current likes are digging in the dirt, goldfish, friends, the garbage truck, and "Mango" the letter carrier (or mail man and his actual name is Domingo, she used to just call him "Duh"). She and Leila also like to have her go behind the couch up against the window and pretend that is her house and that Leila is her Mom.

       Leila got a new bicycle and she would ride that thing all day long if she could. She goes super fast and loves looking at the map that came with it. She and her friends go on all kinds of adventures with it, like to save the world, things like that. Leila is really interested in reading and writing lately. It's exciting to see her confidence in sounding out words. Leila is very sweet and is always concerned about choosing the right. She is a very special little girl.

       Sam is out of Law School for the summer and we can not be more pleased. It is wonderful having his company, like right now he is in the other room strumming his guitar and singing some tunes. I love it. We have not had a "normal" life like this for a long time. I am soaking it all in. He is still working at the insurance company and knows it is a pretty good gig. 

       Erica is 30! When I woke up on my birthday, it was one of the first times that I actually felt different on the morning of my birthday. I felt really peaceful and content with my life. I felt grateful for the wonderful husband that I have who is always looking out for our family, and grateful for these three amazing girls. I love where we are in life. I absolutely love it. Lately I have been thinking a lot about free agency. And I feel like the Lord has had a huge hand in where I am today, but I also feel like I was able to exercise my agency in those decisions. Life is good.      And Sam and the girls totally pampered me on my birthday- they gave me a "stay-cation" and it worked. I won't give you the details, because I don't want any jealousy out there. 

      Life is wonderful.

Iowa Floods

                              

                                                    

                              

                              

                              

A flood could take it all. It has been flooding in the Midwest for days now. This event has humbled me. These particular photos have touched me. Photo #1 The top one is of a home that looks like it would be a dream home to me with the large porch and the older style. Too often in life I find myself thinking that I need my dream home to be comfortable, happy, stable... A house is a house and it can be taken just like this one was. In life, we need to remember where the ultimate comfort and peace comes from and not place so much emphasis on material things. Photo #2 I love because it shows humans being kind to one another. In the caption it had said that this man was helping a stranded resident into his boat. He had a boat and he used it to help others. There is a physical reliance on each other. Photo #3 is of neighbors giving hugs to each other after they both lost their homes. It shows an emotional reliance on each other.

Times of tragedy can be a humbling time for all of us, it is when we rely on each other and human connections are necessary  in order to survive and petty things are forgotten. 

Mia "Painting" Her Nails

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease? I don't know. I couldn't bear to stop her, she's just so creative and funny.

Working In the Garden

Lucy's First Solid Food

I'm so sad because I have the best video of Lucy eating her first cereal but for some reason every time I have tried to upload the video it hasn't worked, hence the gap in posts. I really wanted that video up. Oh well, the pics will have to do. She did so well with the cereal. She is the funniest thing because she watches her sisters like a hawk and just gets right in there as much as she can.

Curb Sitting

I am going to be posting some random childhood memories of mine, randomly. I hope to get Sam to do the same. I think that our kids would like to know about little bits of our childhood memories.

 

     It was in the summer before my 4th grade year that my parents were actively looking for a place to live in New York City. We had been living in Babylon, Long Island (N.Y) and it was not our kind of place.  The song with the lyrics "I gotta get out of this place, if it's the last thing I ever do" (song title and artist? I have no idea, maybe someone can help me out here- 80's) played over the radio and I recall my parents singing those lyrics extra loud when they came on. Possibly a theme song? The place was a tad bit funny- I remember the total confusion when someone asked me when I was getting new sneakers. I looked at my shoes and they were only about a month old. Sneakers had to be perfectly white and clean.(honestly, shoes are for playing in, not for style). I thought the kids were making a joke when they got all excited because "hamboogers" were on the lunch menu for the day. "Ha, Ha! Ham- Boogers!" Then I realized that they were not joking, that is really how they pronounced hamburgers. I knew it was time to move when a clown was visiting for an assembly and kept saying he "had an idear".I could not tell if it was part of his clown act or if that was how the word "idea" was really pronounced.  In my third grade brain I kept mulling over the words "idear" and "idea" and just could not get to a conclusion as to what was the correct pronunciation. 

But to do Babylon some justice, it was great because we had lots of friends on the street and we all rode our bikes all over the streets and played games like hide and seek. 

Ok, now back to the actual memory. My parents were looking for a place in the city. We were out waiting on the corner of Queens Boulevard and 77th Ave with the realtor. My legs were getting tired and so I decide to take a brake and sit on the curb. The realtor looks over in a panic. And my mom and dad tell me to get up. At the time I was confused. Now I look back and laugh! For those of you who don't know Queens Blvd it is a very busy street- 4 lanes each direction, with buses etc. Suburbanite? I think so, well up until that point in my childhood.