Beach Blast!

It was a great Saturday! We headed over the Channel Islands Museum (the Channel Islands are made up of four islands just off our coast and are now a national monument--we go snorkeling there and Dad loves to dive in the kelpy waters). Then we headed to the beach to explore the tide pools--Rob searched for crabs the whole time and eventually got lucky, well, I guess it wasn't "lucky" that he got attacked by pinchers but still.... Came home. Napped. Went back in the afternoon to play in the water and capture little sand crabs. I felt like a kid all over again--it was wonderful!

These were just on the beach and the boys thought it was great fun to play in them.

Back to My Sweet Ventura

I'm home!!! I convinced Rob to do a rotation in Ventura this month, and it has been heaven. As we drove back to California, we were both shocked at how beautiful it was--oh how we'd forgotten! The boys are in sweet bliss. Everyday they have oranges, berries, loquats (different than kumquats), avocados, strawberries, and occasionally, they pick at the unripened apples. It's paradise! Rob comes home and we head to the beach or a park--always sunny; always perfect. We're so happy to be back (even if it's just for a month).

Nigh-Night Highlight: Grandpa's VERY animated stories: The 3 Little Pigs, The Princess Frog, and The One Legged Deer (I have no idea. . .). The boys LOVE it, which is great, since it is the only way we can get them into their jammies.

The boys are obsessed with the dogs, Ella and Hunter, but especially Ty who holds them and kisses them all day. Usually starving for attention, these dogs are now hiding from the boys when they come bounding out of their room.

During nap time I went to check on the boys and found Robbie had disappeared! Here's where I found him--perfectly self-tucked in to Grandma and Grandpa's bed.

Rob started picking the oranges off the tree the day we arrived. We started out juicing them, but now he simply peels the rind and throws the whole thing in the blender--a pulpy, gulpy "drink" that everyone loves.

Childrenisms

We tried out a new park this week, but poor Robbie was horrified when he saw a bunch of bees flying around, and then going into a hole in the equipment. He looks at me completely disgusted and says, "Mommy, why did Jesus make bees!!"

R: What's this, Mommy?
K: It's a nail file, but it also gets dirt from under your nails.
R: Will you show me?
I show him on me.
R: Can you do it to me?
I look. Miraculously the child has clean nails.
K: Robbie, your nails are clean.
R: Oh.
Two minutes later I see him crouched on the floor by our plants. He is shoveling dirt under his toenails.

Robbie loves watching me put on my make-up. The other day I found out why.
R: Mommy, I know why you put on make-up.
K: Oh yeah? Why?
R: So you can make your skin look brown like a black person.
Nice.

The animals involved fluctuate, but the game is always the same--wrestling. This is what happened yesterday.
R: Mommy, do you want to play mean dogs?
K: Sure.
R. Okay, I'm the big daddy one. You're just the baby.
I nod. I'm always the weakling. We start "fighting" and when the "baby" one gets a little two rough, Robbie has to remind me that he's supposed to win.
R. No, Mom. My claws are as sharp as tigers' teeth. You're dead.
Of course. Ty wants in, too, though.
K: Do you want to play?
T: Uh huh.
K: What animal do you want to be?
T: Owl.
K: Are you sure? An owl? Why don't you pick something else, okay?
T: Too-dow (turtle--he loves them because they "wim" or swim).
I laugh.
K: Okay.
We all get ready. Ty decides he's gonna take us all on, though, as a turtle. He crouches down and glares at me.
T: ROAR!!!!
I love little moments like this.

Eastertime

The pictures are backwards, but oh well.

Robbie with his spoils on Easter

Rob and I got food poisoning on Saturday, so the boys played with Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncles and Aunts all day. Dying eggs was one of their little adventures.

Family Bowling. Let's just say Rob and I are a perfect match; we equalize each other. He took us all. I was dead last. Yes, even behind Robbie. Rob actually asked the worker if he could get me bumpers; unfortunately, they are only for 12 and under.

Ty thinking hard about how to optimize his dad's genes. "Seriously, what are the chances of Mom getting another gutter ball? Oh, she proved me wrong . . . again."

The form

The lack of form

Robbie with the seven pounder

A few days before . . .

We foolishly went to a egg hunt in Salt Lake City with our friends, the Riters (from medical school), only to walk away after three hours with a few tootsie rolls. Lame. Still, we took the kids to Temple Square and they acted like they'd never been apart (we did too). So fun.

Ty and Robbie hiding under a sign. (Ty tried to copy Cohen--see below.)

Robbie and Cohen--Friends Forever

Salt Lake Temple

Farewell

Every day Rob comes home with some kind of "treat" for the kids--a Fig Newton, taffy, cracker--whatever was hanging out at work. The boys look forward to it so much and were just blown away when Daddy carried in a bag of four little goldfish. Robbie named them Fossy, Mossy, Dacey, and Kasey; Ty named all of them Dish. We were pretty excited when three days went by without any floaters. Day four came, though. Then day five. By day six our bowl was empty. Robbie was brave and scooped them out and flushed them. He prayed that they would go to heaven and come alive again. So sweet.

Weekend

I came home from Zumba Wednesday night to my entire downstairs filled with pink balloons and crepe paper. Rob surprised me by taking the day off, and we spent the entire day as a family. After celebrating my birthday on Thursday, we took a quick detour through Provo for a Tucanos run before heading up to Logan for the weekend.

Grandma Haas and I took Robbie skiing again up at Beaver Mountain. We stayed in the "Magic Carpet" section, but he had it mastered like a pro. He can turn, parallel, snowplow, and stop. The kid has some serious finesse.

Riding up the magic carpet

Grandma and Grandpa Haas surprised the boys with a Jolly Jump! They can't wait to go back to play on it!

My camera has a delayed flash. As a result, I have virtually no pictures of Ty smiling. I took almost 15 shots, and these were the best I got:

Ty thought Grandpa was just hilarious when he blew into his empty Coke bottle. He tried his best to imitate and thought that was just hilarious too.

Good Intentions

I can think of a million reasons for loving Rob; one of them is his sweet heart. We live up in the mountains, in a newly built area that was once the winter feeding grounds for deer, elk, and the like. As snow accumulated, Rob decided he was going to help out those starving animals by buying a 50 lb. bag of corn and dumping it outside our window (so the kids could see the gluttons). What happened? A mouse, living in the bag, got loose in our house--a real treasure to catch and clean up after. The feeding frenzy drew in magpies, bunnies, and coyotes--one deer came the entire winter and never returned. This is what was left when the snow melted: a stinky pile of moldy corn and heaps of poopy pellets. I was the lucky one who cleaned it up. Needless to say, we aren't doing this next year.