Category: Uncategorized

Mr. Holmes

Today was the last day of swimming lessons for the girls. Of course I forgot to take a picture. Their fourteen-year old teacher was so cute. She made them little goody bags and wrote all of her students personal notes. I am pretty sure my kids were her only students who didn’t progress at all. In fact, now they both cry at the thought of swimming, but we’ll keep forging ahead…next summer.

Then I took them to the Provo Rec Center while I went swimming, and tonight Abe and I went to the movie Mr. Holmes. It was delightful. Mom and Grandma, I am sure you would love it.

While we were at the movie, Lexi and the girls played hide and seek outside, Simon Says, some hamburger game, colored, and when we came home Lexi was telling the girls stories. Abe peeked in to tell them we were home and Lydia said, “Daddy, go away.” I think they had a good time.

Lexi dressed the girls up before we left for our movie.
Lexi dressed the girls up before we left for our movie.
Penitence. Andrea is going to lend me her glucose monitor tomorrow or Sunday, and so I am cutting out sugar and eating like this so that my tests come out okay.
Penitence. Andrea is going to lend me her glucose monitor tomorrow or Sunday, and so I am cutting out sugar and eating like this so that my tests come out okay.

play date reassurance

I forgot to take pictures again today, and I don’t have a backlog of trip pictures to save me this time. Oh, well. Today we had a play date with Andrea and her son, James. Andrea is living with her in-laws here in Orem while her husband serves in the army for a year. She is due in September with a second baby boy. Even with all that going on, she doesn’t stop smiling and is so cheerful. I admire her a lot.

Also, her glucose test came back high–just like mine! I have been so upset about my test, but she gave me lots of great advice, and I feel very comforted and reassured that it’s all going to turn out okay.

Isabella’s pictures from the trip

Today the girls played in the house all day while I did post-trip clean-up. Even though I didn’t take any pictures today, Isabella sent us a lot of the pictures from the trip that she took. Thanks, Isabella! You saved the blog today!! 🙂

My computer is about to die, so the pictures aren’t organized. They capture the hotel, the girls playing before their day trip to the beach, Santa Cruz’s beach, and the Golden Gate bridge.

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Mary called these "mowsters" (monsters). She loves monsters.
Mary called these “mowsters” (monsters). She loves monsters.

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Muir Woods National Monument

Yesterday we went to Jere’s ward and heard some amazing Sacrament talks. The third one had a phrase I don’t want to forget. He talked about how the walk of faith is a sharp mountain ridge between two steep cliffs: On the one side we have a 20,000 foot drop off of unbelief, agnosticism, atheism, and even anti-theism, and on the other we have religious superstition, magical thinking, and pharisaical practices. In the middle is the sharp, dynamic, faithful walk of the believer. Abe commented as we left, “The Church is true in Palo Alto!”

Then we went with Abe’s family to lunch. They all just happened to be in town visiting Jere at the same time we came!

IMG_2614Then we went to Muir Woods National Monument. It was incredibly beautiful.

On the way, we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge.
On the way, we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge.
With the trunk of a redwood tree.
With the trunk of a redwood tree.

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Mary found a leaf.
Mary found a leaf.

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Lydia got mad because we took away her walking stick. Mary was happy, as usual.
Lydia got mad because we took away her walking stick. Mary was happy, as usual.
Lydia is cheered by the fairy tree door.
Lydia is cheered by the fairy tree door.

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On the way back, we went to this scenic look-out.
On the way back, we went to this scenic look-out.
Jere is an artist and great picture taker. You can see the difference in the pictures he took and the one I took.
Jere is an artist and great picture taker. You can see the difference in the pictures he took and the one I took.
This is the one I took.
This is the one I took.
This is Jere's.
This is Jere’s.

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It was windy and cold.
It was windy and cold.

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Mary "reading" the menu at dinner.
Mary “reading” the menu at dinner.
After dinner, Jere took us for a tour of his work at Tableau. It was fun, but it reinforced the girls' understanding that work means treats. Tableau is a tech company that has candy bars and food bars just like Qualtrics. At the end, Suzanne joked that the girls couldn't visit her work because they wouldn't understand a work environment without treats. Then I remembered that they had visited Suzanne at her work before--on Halloween. If they ever take a job at a place without treats, their world vision might just shatter.
After dinner, Jere took us for a tour of his work at Tableau. It was fun, but it reinforced the girls’ understanding that work means treats. Tableau is a tech company that has candy bars and food bars just like Qualtrics. At the end, Suzanne joked that the girls couldn’t visit her work because they wouldn’t understand a work environment without treats. Then I remembered that they had visited Suzanne at her work before–on Halloween. If they ever take a job at a place without treats, their world vision might just shatter.

San Francisco

We started our road trip on Friday by picking Isabella up from Salt Lake. Between the storm and traffic from the Tour of Utah bike race, that forty-five minute detour took three hours! But the delay spared us from terrible storm conditions on the I80, so we figured it was a blessing.

The storm rolling in.
The storm rolling in.

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Beautiful Utah after the storm.
Beautiful Utah after the storm.
On our road trip yesterday.
On our road trip yesterday.

We spent Friday night in Winnemucca, and we got to San Francisco yesterday at 3:30 pm. Once we arrived, we went straight to Pier 39, ate sourdough bread at Boudin’s, took a bay sunset cruise that went around the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz, and finished up with hot chocolate and ice cream at Ghiradelli square.

The sea lions by Pier 39.
The sea lions by Pier 39.

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The girls at the pier.
The girls at the pier.

Mary

The girls and Abe rode the carousel on the pier.
The girls and Abe rode the carousel on the pier.
The girls had pizza at Boudin. Abe and I had a bread bowl and sandwich.
The girls had pizza at Boudin. Abe and I had a bread bowl and sandwich.

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Lydia got cold and demanded to wear Abe's sweatshirt.
Lydia got cold and demanded to wear Abe’s sweatshirt.
He took his sweatshirt back on the boat.
He took his sweatshirt back on the boat.

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Somehow this picture shaved off twenty pounds of me. I enjoy the illusion.
Somehow this picture shaved off twenty pounds of me. I enjoy the illusion.
I couldn't decide which picture like best of Isabella and Mary on the boat, so I posted three of the dozen or so on Abe's phone.
I couldn’t decide which picture I like best of Isabella and Mary on the boat, so I posted three of the dozen or so on Abe’s phone.

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Abe took this as we headed out toward the Golden Gate bridge.
Abe took this as we headed out toward the Golden Gate bridge.

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At Ghiradelli's. The dearest man made our hot cocoas, which took forever. He was new and just learning English. He meticulously followed each step to make the cocoa, redoing some steps several times trying to get the hot cocoa right. When he handed the drinks over to Abe, he accidentally spilled the tiniest bit from the cup. "Oh no!" he cried. "I make you a new one!" Abe smiled and assured him it wasn't necessary.
At Ghiradelli’s. The dearest man made our hot cocoas, which took forever. He was new and just learning English. He meticulously followed each step to make the cocoa, redoing some steps several times trying to get the hot cocoa right. When he handed the drinks over to Abe, he accidentally spilled the tiniest bit from the cup. “Oh no!” he cried. “I make you a new one!” Abe smiled and assured him it wasn’t necessary.

 

Lydia’s picture

I spent most of the day in bed trying not to have a baby. At one point, Lydia ran in and said, “Mommy, come look! Mary is being SO cute! You have to take a picture right now.” Since I was having trouble moving, I handed her my phone.

She took this picture:

IMG_1011Now I’m going to Google “What happens if you have a baby at 30 weeks.” Tomorrow is our road trip to San Fransisco. This should be interesting!

froggy blankie

While I was on the phone with Mom, Mary came downstairs with her blank that you made, Grandma. She is SO attached to it. She wraps herself in it and calls herself “Queen Mary” and sometimes claims it has magic powers. It is even helping her get better about adjusting her bedtime. Tonight she didn’t get out of bed once after we put her in it! She just snuggled with your blanket and went to sleep.

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I spent most of the day in bed having braxton hicks contractions. I think the pedicure massage yesterday set them off. In between I started reading the Warren Buffet biography I stole from you, Grandma. I love it.

Then this evening we went to Karin’s for a barbecue.

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baby boys abounded

We went to the Qualtrics park today with Abe, Steve, Blair and James for a picnic.

Blair knit these darling booties and hat for Ammon.
Blair knit these darling booties and hat for Ammon.
The girls were perfect and just played together while the rest of us visited.
The girls were perfect and just played together while the rest of us visited.

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James is three months old and in the 100th percentile for both height and weight. He has dimples in his forearms! I had a baby-boy centric day. I got to admire James during the picnic, and then I had the most delightful Skype with Soren.
James is three months old and in the 100th percentile for both height and weight. He has dimples in his forearms! I had a baby-boy centric day. I got to admire James during the picnic, and then I had the most delightful Skype with Soren.
Abe took the girls to the park while I got a pedicure tonight.
Abe took the girls to the park while I got a pedicure tonight.

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We ate tofu nuggets after the evening outings.
We ate tofu nuggets after the evening outings.

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sleepy time

Since Mary has sleeping problems, she now falls asleep at 5pm-ish in the strangest positions. IMG_2418 IMG_2422 IMG_2424

Abe moved her to the floor. She stayed like this for over an hour.
Abe moved her to the floor. She stayed like this for over an hour.

Lydia happily ate a cookie while Mary napped.

IMG_2432After Mary woke up, we got in the car and met up with Lucas and Kim. We walked the trail to Bridal Veil Falls and forgot to take pictures.

But we took a picture of the girls with their sunglasses on before the hike.
But we took a picture of the girls with their sunglasses on before the walk.

Other than that, we spent the whole day cleaning, organizing, and sorting through the Marshall hand-me-downs for Ammon. We kept marveling at how fortunate we are. We have more clothes than we could ever possibly need! We are grateful.

book club

I hosted book club tonight. We discussed Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. That book changed my life, and I was so thrilled to discuss it.

While I was at book club, Abe took the girls out to eat because I was too busy preparing for book club to make dinner.

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