Spring Break in CA- part three- - San Diego

San Diego- the meat of our trip! It was my very first time to that part of Southern California and it didn't disappoint! It is so green and lush, with the ocean nearby and so much history and things to do. We had some bonus credits with Worldmark- so we even enjoyed a wonderful stay in a two bedroom condo. We especially enjoyed seeing Jon's brother Jason, his wife Erin and their three little girls!

DAY 1: Tuesday March 30th
Our very first day was a trip to the famous San Diego Zoo. We have tons of pictures from that day- I can't possibly post all of them, so I left out most of the animal only pictures- if you want to see a picture of a polar bear- you could probably look up a much better one than mine! The best was watching the kid's excitement as they saw these animals.





We started the day with the bus tour- which gave us a great view of the park from all sides.
Marcus and Anna- - who hit it off really well . . .

Cynthia and Heidi- who also hit it off really well and became the best of friends . .


Walking around was exhausting but fun! We saw all kinds of animals from Elephants to all kinds of birds and reptiles, monkeys and giraffes- - this zoo had everything!


Aren't they the cutest family! I wish we could see them more often!


Their new little baby Megan- she is such a doll! I was so impressed by Erin, who was willing to go on an outing like this with a 6 week old baby.


The kids having fun:



Look at those cute human sea otters! (No- Cynthia isn't hugging a REAL one . . . )


DAY 2: Wednesday March 31st
Our second day in San Diego we had the Leonhardts over for a swim at our condo (though it was a pretty cold day!), and then we headed off to the beach. There is something so magical about the ocean! We walked to the end of a pier and watched (and felt) the waves crach against the pier.



Watching the huge waves running under the pier:


What a fun uncle (Uncle Jason with Cynthia on his shoulders walking to the beach):


The beach - - as you can see even though it wasn't the warmest of weather- the kids just loved it!



DAY 3: Thursday April 1st
We started the day (just our family) going to Old Town San Diego. Everyone who goes to San Diego needs to stop by this historical spot. It was the best way to get to know the history and feel the culture of the area.







I just loved the Mexican arcitecture, the pottery, the potted plants . . . the whole "Fiesta" feel of things. Jon and I took turns looking in the shops at the fun Southwestern souveniers . . . and ended up buying a morroca, corn husk doll and the kids got a few little things for themselves.






My absolute favorite part of Old Town was the new visitor Center about the Mormon Batallion. It was actually my most favorite thing of ALL the things we did in San Diego. I kind of knew what happened in this part of Mormon history- but I didn't really understand what a blessing the batallion was for the body of the church. I always wondered why, after being pretty much abandoned by the law and their country, the pioneers were asked to give up their men to the batallion.



This is one of my absolute favorite pictures- my children under a beautiful very recognizable painting of Jesus Christ in a very Southwestern style setting.

This is where the tour began. It was an amazing 45 minute tour through several different themed rooms to help bring the history to life. We followed a set of characters through their journey with the batallion. It was seriously theme-park quality with talking portraits, interactive films and guides. And that much more interesting because it is the history of my ancestors, and my faith!

Cynthia dressed up as a member of the batallion . . .

After the tour there is a place for kids to experience brick making, panning for gold and other fun stuff:






It is amazing the faith that these early saints had. They truly believed the prophet Brigham Young when he promised that it would turn out to be a blessing for the saints as they trekked west. The batallion marched from the mid-west all the way to San Diego. Not only did it bring them closer to the Salt Lake valley on the goverment's dime, their families benefit from the monetary compensation as well. When they got to San Diego- the war with Mexico was pretty much over and they did not have to see battle at all. Even the hardships they went through prepared them for the hardships of settling the Utah desert. A group of people had to stop in Pueblo, New Mexico due to illness. Even though several died, they were able to learn farming techniques that would be necessary for farming the desert in Utah. On the flip side, the Saints were also key in helping to settle San Diego by bringing crafts such as brick making, and even building the wagon trail.

There is so much more I could write about- needless to say it was so amazing to learn about. To read more about this cool new historical site - - click on this story!

Later that day we met back up with the Leonhardts to see some amazing vistas of San Diego and visit the temple (which is always a wonderful site!).







We definitely need to come back to this beautiful and hisorical part of the country- and to visit our family! Thanks to Jason and Erin, and Anna, Heidi and Megan for an amazing couple of days. We miss you already!

Moms and babies- I will miss you Erin! I had so much fun hanging out with you!

Spring Break in CA- part two - - visiting my cousins

On drive down to Sand Diego, we stopped to visit my cousin Kirk and his family who live in Santa Clarita. What a great way to wait out the traffic in LA! We met up at a wonderful little park, and then Kirk and Lauren were gracious and took us out to an amazing Mexican Restaurant for dinner. What a treat! It was awesome to catch up with their family!

All of the kids - - our kids had fun getting to know their second cousins Arianna and Carlos!




On our way back from San Diego on Friday, we stopped in LA to visit Jon's sister for lunch (thanks Jenna!). Luckily we were also able to see her our fist weekend in Sacramento- they had been there for a birthday.

I am AMAZED at how big LA is. Even in good traffic it takes hours to get from one side to the other, but add in the normal bad traffic- YIKES! It seemed like we spent most of the day trying to get through LA. Thank goodness for Jon's i-phone- we were able to use it to navigate our way through on the least congested freeways. Still- it was a bit of a stressful day- especially for Jon who was doing the driving. I think the runner mentality is engrained in his psyche- he hates to be behind anyone or boxed in, even if they are doing the speed limit. So add this with bumper to bumper crazy traffic . . . well . . . I do have to say he did really well- I don't think I would have even been able to make it through at all. He was just a bit stressed. I am realizing more and more we are small town kind of folk (well, not too small) - - even Spokane is starting to feel too big when we go to visit! I love living in a place where you can get across town in 25 minutes (NOT on the freeway), there are plenty of wide open spaces, and traffic is never a problem.

Anyway- seeing Jenna and meeting up at the LA temple to visit with my cousin Kristina were the bright spots and worth the crazy traffic. It was so awesome to see her!

Spring Break in CA- part one- - Sacramento

FINALLY I am going to post about our trip!! I am way behind on posting- our trip was March 27th- April 4th. So here goes!

first off here was our time table:
Saturday March 27th-- drive from Yakima to Sacramento
Sunday March 28th - - spend the day with Brian and Tara and family (Jon's brother) in Sacramento
Monday March 29th- - drive to San Diego, with a stop to see cousin Kirk and family in North LA
Tuesday March 30th through Thursday April 1st- - have fun in San Diego with Jason and Erin and family (Jon's brother)
Friday April 2nd - - drive back to Sacramento with stops in LA to see Jenna (Jon's sister) and my cousin Kristina.
Saturday April 3rd - - spend the day with Brian and Tara and family again
Sunday April 4th - - (Easter) drive back to Yakima.

The first leg of our trip was to Sacramento to visit Jon's brother Brian and his family. We drove all in one day- about 14 hours. The only bad thing about the day was poor Cynthia. We had gone through a bout of the flu the week before, and Cynthia was the last to get it- and it just happened to be THAT Saturday. At least it wasn't too violent- but I felt so bad for her because she felt crummy. BUT, we made it in one piece and everyone was great after that. I am so proud of my children for how well they travel!

We spent Sunday with the Sacramento Leonhardts (Brian and Tara and family) and had so much fun! Our kids just love their cousins, and Tara and I had some fun late night conversations- she is such a great friend and sister in law.

Marcus and Brooke playing a game:


All dressed up for church on Sunday (only Nathan is missing- he had his baseball pictures)


Marcus and Nathan- - the two boys in a sea of girls! They had fun together . . .


Aunt Tara with all the kids (I think Lillian is the only one missing from this picture)


We also stopped for a day on our way back from Southern California (it would be horrible to drive straight for two days!) Since it was Easter weekend, we had fun with an Easter Egg hunt, going to the park, listenening to General Conference and going to Nathan's T-ball game. Most of all the kids had a blast playing together!




I didn't get any pictures- but the Easter bunny somehow knew we were going to be leaving early that morning for our LONG drive back to Yakima- so he visited our van and left a basket of treats on their seats. Fun stuff! I felt bad traveling like that on Easter Sunday- but at least it was General Conference, and we were able to catch some of it on Jon's i-phone.

Potty trained?

Well, at 3 1/2 years old I think it has finally clicked. We have been potty training Lillian since July last year, and she hasn't been able to go a day without an accident or two, or three until now. She got the "#2" thing down pretty quick (thank goodness), but the "#1" thing . . . . Everyone said one day she would wake up and would "get it". I think it finally happened.

The last few days she has been able to remember to go potty and even I can tell when she needs to go with the tell tale potty dance. Before it would just be an accident with no warning. The biggest thing- she can stay dry at night!!!! She is the FIRST of my kids to do this. Marcus and Cynthia still have night wetting problems. I guess there is one advantage of her not sleeping very deeply. Though, if you notice from my last post, I can't say that I am too thrilled to be awakened every night to help her go potty, because she won't do it without help in the middle of the night when she is tired and cranky. But- if this means she will finally be potty trained- fine.

This morning I was a bit disappointed though, she had an accident - - I think she just got too busy playing. Well, as with most children this age, accidents still happen when they just "get too busy"- so I will hope that she has truly turned a corner!

Yay for Lillian!

Next item of business - - getting her to put her pants back on after going potty and developing some modesty!

The best intentions . . .

So I have been feeling a bit irritable lately. I think to myself, "is it post partum depression a bit late? Am I going through hormonal changes?" Then in talking to a friend I realize certain things about my life that make me think "duh- that was easy to figure out- - of COURSE I am feeling irritable!" First, I haven't been consistently exercising and getting outside. Second and probably the biggest, I definitely do not get enough sleep. Night after night I fall farther behind. On the weekend I can sometimes sleep in if Jon is home, and try to catch up on a few hours . . . but it still isn't the same as 8 hours of straight un-interrupted sleep. Will I ever have this again? I can control the exercising and getting out - - and over the past half a week I have really made a change- and have set some goals for the up-coming month. Check. The sleep thing . . . well . . .

To prove my point-- despite my best intentions- this was my night last night.

10:30 pm I go to bed and am asleep before 11pm (it usually takes me 20 minutes to fall asleep)

12:30 am Tyler gets up and refuses to go back to sleep unless I nurse him. Up for about 20 minutes (feeding and it takes me at least 5-10 minutes to fall back asleep)

1:30 pm Lillian gets up to go potty, and refuses to go back to sleep until her blankets are just right and I sing her a song- up for about 15 minutes

2:30 am Tyler is up again and is extremely fussy with a runny nose and maybe even a tummy ache. Give him some meds and lay him back down. I go lay down and just as I am drifting off about 10 minutes later, he is crying again. I go comfort him (letting him "cry it out" just makes things worse at this point) and he repeats this pattern for about 45 minutes until I finally nurse him a bit then he goes back to sleep. Total time up- about an hour.

5:30 am Tyler is up AGAIN and I am about ready to kill the kid. He has a cold so is really irritable. At least this time I can lay him back down pretty easily after nursing a bit and comforting him. Only up for about 10 minutes.

6:45 am - - ALL the kids (including Tyler) are up, asking for breakfast, for me to make their lunches, etc . . . sigh- no sleeping in for me. This is where Jon often times is really helpful (depending on the rotation he is on) so I can catch another hour of sleep. He is always up by 6:30 or earlier - - but alas, he was on at the hospital last night . . . .

*** Total sleep for the night = 6 hours, with the longest stretch being 2 hours.

The old recommendation of "sleeping when the baby sleeps" is laughable for me with three other intense children to take care of. This is also why sleeping in or naps never work either. The main person who makes day time sleep impossible is my 3 1/2 year old . . . she can't really go more than 10 minutes without talking, pestering, playing or asking for things from me, and she does not nap so there is no break. The crazy thing- she reminds me of myself! One of the things I hear all day is "Mom, are you listening to me!". Wow- I remember saying that SAME thing to my mother. Although honestly it does make me a bit crazy on days, I wouldn't change my little girl for anything. She certainly makes my days full of wonder!

So, despite my best intentions of getting more sleep . . . you can see it isn't going to happen . . .

Granted, this isn't how it ALWAYS is because Tyler IS feeling a bit sick, but this kind of night has been happening more often (the last 4 nights for example), and even on a good night I am up about twice- - once or twice for Tyler, and once for Lillian. It never is just quick because it takes me 10 or so minutes to fall back asleep once I have gotten up. Jon can't really help because of his crazy no-sleep schedule as a resident- so he needs all the sleep he can get, plus he is preparing for boards and needs to cut out as much stress as possible. I always feel so bad when I do ask him to help- which happens every once an awhile . . . Crunch time on boards and difficult rotations are just starting- So- - I REALLY need to be able to handle it on my own. Heavenly Father- please just make me able to handle it and not be irritable!! I need Jon to come home to a happy home and a nice wife who doesn't bite his head off. I need to be a good mother who can hold it together at home . . . . I think the only way I will make it is with Heavenly Help!! Please pray for me!

Lillian's ears

Tonight Cynthia shouted "Mom, Lillian is cutting her hair!!"

I jumped up and found Lillian with a little pile of hair at her feet and a pair of scissors in her hand. Ahh! So after a little bit of scolding she answered "I wanted the hair away."

I had been trying to grow her bangs and the odd lengths of hair out (which was happening PAINSTAKINGLY slow), so she did have hair in her eyes unless I had them clipped back (clips of course don't last that long). So I guess she just got fed up with it and tried to do it herself. Luckily it was mostly her bangs, which were only a little too short in a few places.

The worst was the hair over her ears. She had gotten a few chops in before I caught her, so now her hair on one side slightly resembles a mullet.

Apon asking her why she did that part she replied "That is where my ears live". Apparently she didn't like the hair over her ears either!

Song for a Fifth Child (well . . . fourth in my case)

Song for a Fifth Child

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.



I saw this poem on another blog and LOVED it. It is OK that my house isn't clean all the time, and that things on my to-do list take a long time to get crossed off . . . I am doing the most important thing. The whole reason I don't have a job outside the home. I am there to share in loving moments. Their needs are first- including the special moments where I play pretend or draw pictures with my three year old, or rock, tickle and snuggle my sweet baby (which I could do for hours), or read a book with my 6 year old, or listen (not just half listen) to my 9 year old boy jabber on about his favorite video game or the silly thing his friend did at school. I have to remember these moments are the TRUE reason I am home for them. Wanting to have a perfectly beautiful house, children who are accomplished in music and sports and perfectly behaved, and an amazing meal on the table every night is not only unrealistic, but selfish. I can still strive to do those things, but perfection and stress is not the goal. I need and want to stop an savor the moments I have with my young children, slow down and truly enjoy them, for truly, they are growing up WAY too fast. With baseball season in full force (both Marcus and Cynthia are doing baseball which means practice or a game almost every night), and violins needing to be practiced, school work and scouts needing to be done - - we have all been feeling a bit stretched. So- my new goal is not to stress over these things, but just take it as we need to - - and not stress about the things NOT getting done around the house or on my to do list. It feels like my mind is always going in so many different directions. . . my goal is to stop and focus on my children and really be there for them for those simple and special moments.