San Diego = Paradise

While Daddy's away....I guess we'll play.

We spent nine days in San Diego with my Mom and Danny. It was so much fun and a nice break from life without Rand. A wise woman (my mother) once said: You know you've had a great vacation, when you leave wanting more. That's how I felt about both of our vacations this month. Well, our bags are unpacked, the laundry is clean and put-away, and we're easing back into our daily routine. This is the first (and hopefully, last) time I've been away from Randy this long. Things are going well (I've only wanted to beat Andrew once so far), but I just don't feel like myself these days; Randy is the best part of me.

LegoLand

A 3-year-old's heaven. The rides and play areas are perfect for Andrew's age. We had an absolute blast and it was so fun to play with my mom. I'm realizing now that I took very few pictures of her the entire trip (sorry mom).

This was Andrew's favorite part of Legoland--guns that shoot frogs with water. It was at the beginning, so we told Andrew that we'd come back to it when we did all of the other fun things in the park. He didn't forget, even when Grandma bought him toys at the gift store.

This is what he was shooting.

Entire cities made of Legos; how cool is that?

Push down on the pedal and steer. (Andrew was only slightly retarded.)

There was an awesome water park, a lot of it is kid-powered.

Andrew loved making this flower shoot water; and made darn sure that no other kid got near his territory (except Joshers).

La Jolla Coves

Beautiful weather. Beautiful sights. What more can you ask for?
Andrew's first beach experience. I'm kind of thinking he loved it.

Reunions

It's been five years since I've been back to California and 9 since I've seen my friends from high school....



Kristie & Stephanie are even more beautiful now. These girls were my best friends in high school and we did everything together. We probably partied a bit too much, but I think we turned out ok! Stephanie (mommy on the right) will be having her third (a boy) in a couple of months.

We were also able to visit another family that is near and dear to my heart. When I first met them, they had only one little girl-now they have three beautiful children! Barratt & Marci are the nicest people I know-they are an incredible couple and they made a huge impact on my life.

The Factory

I had my mom slaving away in The Factory making 18 baby blankets. I did the cutting and ironing, while she sewed. They are oh so cute and I can't wait to see my friends' babies wrapped up in them!

Joshers had croup while we were there. I was grateful for the humid climate and Grandma & Grandpa's extra hands to help me! He was happiest while being held-my little Papoose!

Etc.

The rest of the time, we kicked back and watched movies and enjoyed the kids.

Andrew enjoyed getting VERY spoiled by Grandma and taking evening walks with Grandpa-they both were a huge help to me.

Andrew carried around this backpack that Grandma got for him EVERYWHERE!!

Here are some more pictures from the trip:

He's Mine. All Mine.

This man is the biggest goof I know. He loves slap-stick-bordering-on-vulgar comedies. He loves to gossip. If you want to hear him giggle (yes, giggle) start in on the bathroom humor. He makes up funny phrases and songs. And he LOVES when he can get me or his mom to roll our eyes at him in disgust. So much of his brain power is used up for school and work that when he's with us, we get to experience his silly side. So when Randy has something serious to say, we listen. His time in India has brought him to remember his mission days in Madrid, Spain almost 10 years ago. In his daily emails, he takes some time to describe each of the areas he served in. I am just gobbling it up since he has rarely talked about his mission; I hope someday he'll take me there.

Mama Loves

My boys are very cuddly and need "Mama Loves," as we call it, every now and again. Josh woke up from his nap and let me rock him while he layed his head on my shoulder, after about 5 minutes, he popped up and was ready to play. Then Andrew came up to me and said, "My turn?"

It's a dark and drizzly day today, perfect for some cuddle time.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Ours grows HUGE zucchini. I think this one's bigger than Josh! We took one last walk over to our garden the other day. It's done. Kaput. It was fun while it lasted....

Andrew started his first day of Preschool today. I'm doing a co-op with three other moms (something I swore I'd never do). Is it wrong that I thoroughly enjoyed my two-hour break from Andrew today?

Clap, Clap, Clap....Yay!

Josh learned how to clap his hands over the weekend. He's so proud of himself.

He also cut two new teeth (making four total) and he has some sort of virus. He's not so happy right now (who can blame him).

September: The Month O' Fun

We just spent five fabulous days in Lake Powell with people who KNOW how to play. It was so much fun, I'm wishing I was still there. I'll have more about our trip later when I get some pictures from others that didn't misplace their camera the first day of the trip (grrrr!).

Just went to the store today to stock up our freezer full of dinners that require little effort on my part. Randy leaves this Friday for India, and I have no intention of cooking a full meal while he's gone. Sorry Andrew. On Saturday, me and the boys will set off to San Diego to spend time with my mom (and the beach) for nine days. I'm so looking forward to it!

As for October, wish me luck, I'm going to need it....