Natural History Museum - Los Angeles

I set a goal to start writing at least once a week.  That was last week.  But the only thing that really happened this week is we had the stomach flu hit, and that pretty much was our week.  I did get the Styrofoam blocks down for a very fun afternoon, which I'm going to write about and will post pictures of when we get it finished.

HOWEVER, last week we took the kids to the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.  It was really a fabulous day out, and the first time we've escaped as a family in a long time.  The week before, we had planned on going.  Dave had made eggs for breakfast, with lots of cheese on top, and put it out for the kids to eat while we hurriedly got everyone ready.  And he asked Isaac to take one bite.

Needless to say, we learned our lesson the second time and didn't put him eating ANYTHING as a stipulation on family activities or rewards that we really, really, really want to enjoy with him from that moment on.  After two hours of determined non-compliance, we canceled our trip to Los Angeles.  Or rather postponed it a week.

The kids LOVED it!  There was some confusion over all the animals that weren't moving (I still don't think they got it, thankfully).  But they were in heaven time and time again as they looked at, sat in front of, tried to play with, and otherwise were just really excited about the day.  At one point, Isaac walked over to a bench, pulled it up to an exhibit, and just sat and studied it.  I went over and asked if I could sit by him and he said, "Sure, Mom," and then turned his attention right back to the beavers, as if I wasn't even there and he was watching the most interesting thing in the world.  So I started to talk to him about how amazing the beavers were and how they used their teeth and tails to build the dams.  That was just one of many such moments, and all in all it was just a perfect day!  My kids LOVE animals!  They are fascinated by them and ask so many grown-up questions it leaves me needing to know more just to keep up (like the argument that went on for I don't know how long about whether the Killer Whale is a Killer Whale or an Orca -- and Abby would NOT let up on the fact that it is an ORCA and NOT a Killer Whale "Right, Mom?"  I tried to say it was both, but that was not acceptable -- it just HAD to be one or the other, and it WAS an Orca!)

Brianna fell in love with this little turtle statue the kids could sit on.  She kept taking my hand and leading me back to it over and over again.  And when I was distracted by the kids and couldn't find Brianna anywhere -- I looked at the turtle and there she was, grinning proudly and waving at me!  We left the room it was in, but 30 minutes later when she saw we were nearing it again, she started crying again and pointing and pulling my hand back to the room where the turtle was!  It's the small things, right?

The other high point of that trip was the dinosaur show we had gone down there to see in the first place.  Two recordable moments happened during that show:

After about five minutes, Abby looked at me and said, with a VERY furrowed brow and confused expression,  "Mom - um I think that's actually NOT a dinosaur!" At almost the same moment, a terrified Isaac, who had been asking to leave from the moment we told him the dinosaurs were coming and literally cried in fright when the baby t-rex entered the stage, looked at Dave with an almost angry expression and said, "Dad!  That's not a dinosaur!  That's just a PEOPLE!"

A few minutes later, Abby asked me if she could PLEASE go and pet the baby dinosaur.  I told her that we had to sit where we were, we couldn't go and touch him.  Then the lady asked for a volunteer and picked an older girl in the front row.  Abby's eyes were literally dancing in anticipation as she watched the girl stand up to pet the baby T-Rex.  Then the host said to the volunteer, "Oh, I think he likes you!"  Abby turned to me, the biggest smile on her face, and said, "Mom, I think he would really like me, too!"  I smiled and said, "You're probably right, Ab!"  She got really serious and turned my face to her and said, "No, MOM!  He would REALLY LOVE ME!"

I don't think it's possible that a child could love animals more than these kids do! 

In the Still of the Night

It has been such a long - LONG - time since I wrote anything.  It all started with my mom, sister, and niece being here from Idaho! 

We went to the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park, an island near San Diego (Carlsbad?  I'll have to check - it was definitely unforgettable and worth recording), and Disneyland to celebrate the twins' THIRD birthday BEFORE they were actually three and we had to pay to celebrate it there with them. (Incidentally - if you ever go, check Craigslist for tickets!  We got two adult Park Hopper tickets for $100 - and an evening and night at Disneyland is TOTALLY worth $100. I mean, you'll pay $50 just for dinner for two at a fancy restaurant these days!!!  The parade and fireworks and night show on the lake, the Casey Junior ride with all the little model towns lit up, the night lights on the town and the gorgeous buildings -- all AMAZINGLY magical! And if you have a chance to go with someone who is handicapped, even better!  We got to go through a special line and rarely had to wait more than FIVE MINUTES for EVERY ride!  In fact, I don't think I'll ever go there again without my mom . . . . or I'll just rent a wheelchair and strap on my "boot" from my foot surgery and enjoy!  Just kidding . . . sort of! ;-D  But in all seriousness, hats off to Disneyland because it was such great fun watching my mom RIDE THE RIDES with my kids -- and that is something she would have NEVER been able to do if we'd had to fight through traffic and crowds with her!)

We made these AWESOME Family Home Evening boards.  I'll have to post pictures later, but since I've wanted a Family Home Evening Board for the last THREE YEARS, it was that much greater to put our noses to the grindstone and our pedals to the medal to drive around for FOUR days, through FOUR towns until we got JUST the right accessories to do everything JUST the way we wanted it.  (Incidentally, since you might not know what an FHE Board is: think job chart where you rotate assignments, except it's for fun things -- song, scripture, prayer, activity, treat -- these are the things we include in our once a week family night that is just that - a NIGHT set aside for the family to have some quality, focused, fun-filled time together!)  And since I have my other sister for Christmas - she got an early Christmas present and now has one as well!

A few days after my family went home, Dave's family flew/drove down to have a long weekend with us as well.  And what was supposed to be another fun-filled weekend turned into an IMMENSE tender mercy and testimony of how aware God is of the SMALLEST DETAILS of our lives, preparing the way even before we know a way needs prepared!  Isaac was sick, so I kept he and Brianna home with me while Dave drove down to pick his sister up at the airport to drive over and meet his brother and sister-in-law for dinner.  His sister-in-law had been in Los Angeles for the month to spend time with her family while her husband - Anson - was finishing his tour in Afghanistan.  WHILE THEY WERE EATING DINNER WITH MINIE, she got a Facebook message that said, "I heard about Anson - I am so sorry!  Let me know if you need anything."  She had NOT heard about Anson.  And when she made calls, she was told that there was an accident but he was fine - just a few minor scrapes and bruises.  So they continued to have a fun-filled night.  But when they got back to Lancaster, his sister said that she just didn't have a good feeling about it.  At 6:00 the next morning, we got a call from their mom that Anson had been hit by a grenade and was in a coma, on his way to a hospital in Germany.  And that news began an intensely emotional roller coaster of a weekend that ended with Anson being flown from Germany to Bethesda, MD to the Naval Hospital there.  It has been a long row to hoe.  Most of Dave's family has flown back there to see him.  Dave and I couldn't afford to fly there with the kids, so we took some time and went and spent a few days with Dave's dad while we all waited to see what would happen with him.  It soon became clear that he would be in a coma for a long time and there would be complications, infections, blood transfusions, etc. along the way that would and continues to make it a difficult journey. 

And through it all what continues to shine through is our faith!  And knowing that from the beginning (incidentally, the accident happened almost EXACTLY at the moment that Dave was picking his sister up from the airport to go over and have dinner with Minie - and Dave's other sister had decided the NIGHT BEFORE to also fly down and spend the weekend with us), God was in the details!  Dave's family NEVER gets together!  NE-VER!  And Anson's family lives in Louisiana.  So to have five out of the seven kids accounted for when he was injured was pretty miraculous!  The support, the love, the coming together, the laughter over tears, the tears over tears, the prayers as we knelt together, the fasting together that Sunday morning, the last-minute flights and travel plans, the offers to take care of their children while Minie was with him, just EVERY SINGLE DETAIL and EVERY MOMENT OF FAITH AND HOPE AND LOVE were obvious love notes from a very aware and loving Heavenly Father to His children.  As was the incredible blessing of modern technology as we were able to spread the news quickly to so many people and begin immediately to receive added prayers and support and love from friends and strangers alike!  It has been a MOST humbling experience!

The twins turned THREE on Monday!  Since we had already spent a lot of money on Disneyland, we had a simple birthday party here.  We got a discounted cheesecake sampler and the cheap a la cheap strawberry ice cream from WalMart.  And we picked up Dora and Diego toothbrushes so they would have something to open!  They were so thrilled!!!!  Then their nursery teacher, Sister Black, came over and brought them magnetic trains and coloring packets.  Nursery leaders are the BEST!!! You'd think she plays with them for two hours every Sunday and knows what they like or something!  Isaac didn't put that train down!  They even snuck it into the bathtub that night (and I learned why they had been playing so contently for over an hour and a half)!  And he sleeps with it and would eat with it if toys were allowed at the table!  It was great, great fun!  And I am amazed and humbled that they are getting SO BIG, SO FAST!!!  Tonight Abby asked me what I was looking at.  When I told her I was looking for recipes, she said, "You're looking at recipes?  Oh.  That's cool."  And when Isaac tells me, "Mommy - please don't spank my bottom.  That not very nice!  That make me sad!"  I realize over and over how GROWN up my kids are!  It's been fast and furious, but I really would not change a moment!  And I pray every night that I get to enjoy a lifetime more with them!

Also on Monday, my nephew Jared, who has had seizures for years, went through some pretty intense testing to see if they can do surgery to stop the seizures.  The family took turns sitting with him - he couldn't be left alone for a single minute for like three days of testing - and in the end, we are hopeful they were able to get some good information and a better solution for him and his family is very near!!!  I am amazed at the strength of his family and thankful that my family always pulls together, however they can!

We went to Dave's work for family day the Friday before the twins' birthday.  It is the only day you are allowed past the security gates and locks.  We got to see really cool airplanes, including the one Dave has been involved in testing.  And they had a barbeque and shaved ice and a giant blown-up trampoline with an attached slide!  The kids LOVED it!  And Dave said they ordered the 108 degree weather just for us to appreciate what they go through out there in the desert where it is ALWAYS hotter than we get here . . . in the desert! Whatever!  I know he planned it just to have something to complain about and try to get me to feel sorry for him.  Total manipulation at it's worst! ;-D

And yesterday we took the kids to the fair!  They actually handled it pretty well when we told them we didn't have money for the taunting rides and souvenirs.  But they didn't handle it so well when we pulled them away from the animals in the animal barns!  Abby had a meltdown every time!  They LOVED the goats and sheep and chickens and turkeys and chicks and ducks and rabbits and -- oh the excitement when Abby saw a "MAMA!  Mommy, Mommy, it's a MAMA" (llama) in the petting zoo!  She would NOT leave its side for more than a few seconds before she was looking everywhere to find where it had walked away to!  And by not leave its side, I mean she literally had her hand on its side, patting it reassuringly as she moved wherever it did!  Brianna would whip around me from side to side, eyes and mouth wide open when an animal would walk past us or try to eat my clothes in search of food!  Though she was never sure enough to pet them more than a few pats, she was still incredibly intrigued!  Isaac was equally intrigued but demonstrated it differently.  Like when he pulled the already angry turkey's tail feathers just minutes after I had pulled him AWAY from the practically hissing bird.  Or when he walked right up to the potbelly pigs in the petting zoo, contently sleeping lazily on the side of the fence, and pushed them so hard they actually started to ROLL OVER before I snatched him back (and the roley poley animals rolled right back to their original places)!  I managed to keep his fingers out of the bird cages, but it was incredibly hard when the ducks encouraged him by quacking BACK when he quacked in their faces!  They both wanted to jump on the goats' backs and ride them -- I mean, who wouldn't?  That's what you do, right?  And I was certain we were going to have a few toddlers overboard in the fountain/wishing well!  Add in the sheep roundup with the sheep dogs and I think you can begin to imagine how much FUN our night at the fair was!

Tonight we played a game of Dora the Explorer's Candy Land.  Abby is great at games!  It is so much fun!  Isaac doesn't have the same zeal/attention span for it! But it's still really fun to actually be SITTING DOWN TOGETHER as a family and playing games!  We also have a little hummingbird that has popped up in the last few weeks and likes to fly in front of my kitchen window!  I'll have to see if I can find a reasonably-priced feeder to bring it back!  That would be a fun thing to watch with the kids every day.

In the meantime, Brianna is literally walking CIRCLES around everything and every room!  Seriously she is so proud that she can walk that every time we applaud her - still a bit surprised to see her everywhere and into everything - she gets a proud smile and starts walking in circles, like she's showing off on just how WELL she really IS doing!  She loves it!  And tonight she sat at the table with ALL of us for dinner - no tray between her and the family!  She is saying a few words very clearly, like when she calls for Daddy ("DA!") or shouts "HI!" as she waves to anyone lucky enough to be within range!  Of course she says "Ma-muh - Ma-muh!" and tonight even started saying, "Na-nuh" for night-night!  She has two front teeth and is incredibly adventurous!  And more than once we caught her dancing away on top of Dave's shoulders as we heard music while walking around the fair.  I've just started weaning her, and she loves to drink water from her cup (we're still working on milk -- the weaning from mom process has been a little hard for her, for both of us really as it has gone a lot more quickly than I intended because my milk took the first cue and headed south for the winter).  And she is really the sweetest little angel with the most amazing laugh and contagious smile!  She also sings a LOT!  The most recognizable is "E-I-E-I-O!"  And she LOVES to play with and around the kids.  Tonight Isaac was tackling her and pulling her and patting her head and even trying to ride her!  And through it all, she was as gleeful and giggly as could be!

As for Dave and I -- the other night he told me how much he has realized in the last few weeks that he REALLY WANTS TO DATE ME!  So I guess you could say we're doing pretty good! ;-D  With Brianna weaning from me and this sudden realization after three and a half years that we like each other enough to "date" - life is great! :-)

It is late, but I couldn't let another week go by without updating.  It has been a fast and furious few months.  But life is too short to let those moments go by as just moments!  And if anything were to happen to any of us, we would ALL treasure more than anything the fact that we have even these vague notes to go back to and learn and grow and remember!  And that is priceless!

And if you've stayed with me to the end of this update from the last few months, you get a gold medal!!!  Or at least a gold star of appreciation.  I mean, THAT is true friendship! :-)  And you can never have enough such friends!  Thank you!

San Diego . . . .

I really want to write an entire blog about our awesome trip to San Diego . . . about the craziness that it is trying to get four adults and six children on the same page and ON THE ROAD for a family vacation; about all the things I loved when I FINALLY got to go to Sea World (and the commercialized things I didn't care for much); about the crazy-corny costumes and "trainer"/acrobat/dancers that we saw there; about Abby's HORRIBLY loopy day (I really felt like she had somehow o.d.'d on drugs -- no, for real); about our quality hotel . . . and why it is important to keep smoking and NON-smoking rooms SEPARATE -- UNEQUAL -- AWAY FROM EACH OTHER -- always; about how much Isaac LOVED the fish in the "aquarium" and Abby LOVED the dolphins and dancers; about the awful food prices and the need for some culinary attention at almost every place we ate; about our midnight trip to the store to take care of Abby a little more (third time's a charm, right?).

Yes, and I would LOVE to write a whole blog post about the San Diego Zoo -- about how Dave seemed to have more fun than the kids; about Isaac trying to climb in the exhibits to pet the elephants; about the awesome "sky car" system they have there; about choosing souvenirs for the kids, and . . . finally . . . about our car being broken into, with almost $3,000 in things stolen and my subsequent breakdown when Dave mentioned that we shouldn't judge California by this one incident or even started to hint at us staying here long term . . .

Yes, I would love to write about ALL OF THAT . . . with lots and lots of amazingly cute pictures to back it all up.

But right now, I'm exhausted!  My feet feel like they are carrying three days of water around with them!  My kids, Dave, and Lisa are all asleep.  And if Nique and I don't go to bed soon, we're going to have a beastly day with the SIX KIDS, ages four and under, that we need to keep up with.

So, I won't write about all of that tonight.  I'll just sign off and let your imaginations flow . . . for a little while! ;-D