New way of looking at things

JB has a new camera lens. I tease him that now it's time to get him a fancy craftsy etsy bloggy girly camera strap. I see them on all the giveaway and do-it-yourself blogs, except they are so girly. JB is the picture-taker for our family, but he isn't going to turn photography into a cottage industry. I don't think....

Anyway he has been trying the new lens out for closeups.

Benny still wearing the soccer jersey. He calls it his number.

JB does a self-portrait. Look at those amazing teeth!

I had just woken up from my afternoon nap when he said "Smile!" Observe the hair.

Soccer 2010

(Max is the tall one. Benny is the one in Blue)

Max's soccer season started on Saturday -- ipso facto/ergo, Benny's "soccer season" started Saturday too. Benny thinks he is on the team, even though he is too young to play. He warmed up with the team beforehand, but once the game started he had to sit on the sidelines. He had a meltdown, but a treat helped:

Benny has been wearing Max's soccer uniform from last year for days now. Days I tell you! A couple of the other younger siblings of kids on Max's team were also wearing last year's uniforms. Since Max's team is called the Fighting Cherries, we have dubbed the younger crew the Mini-Cherries or the Cherry Pits.

I was very proud of Max. He listened to Coach very well, and ran with the rest of the pack after the ball (last year I had to hold his hand and run with him for the first couple of games). Next week we will work on actually getting a kick in there.

Look how tall Max is compared to the other pre-schoolers. Seeing his blonde curly head running around just warms my heart.

The Beach

Ah, California, almost thou dost persuade me to move. I tell you what, the weather was great. But every Californian we saw had a coat on -- even puffy snow coats. But we threw on the swimsuits and headed to Huntington Beach.

Max was so excited he just went up and over a wall instead of walking around it.



It was windy so we kept our jackets on even though we were wearing swimsuits. The water was cold too so we stuck with the sand. The sand also stuck with us. Benny didn't like it at first -- "It's dirty!" he kept saying.

But soon both boys were digging happily.

The only thing that made them leave the beach was the promise that we would go swimming at the hotel pool.

We ate well that day, too. JB did some research, and found us a tasty BBQ place in Long Beach for lunch. We also split a Philly Cheesteak near Huntington Beach and fish tacos later that night. We've been back from California now for a week and I can still taste the yumminess.

Disney!

(Or as we sometimes like to pronounce it, Deez-nee)

I feel incredibly lucky and blessed that working for the media paid off for my family. I was able to get 4 media passes to Disneyland and California Adventure for free. They were one-day park hopper passes, which meant we had to do it all in one day, but with the help of JB's little sister Sarah (her knowledge of he parks is amazing) we had a great time.

Sarah and Benny

Jeff, Pauline and John aka Nona and Papa

Max and Benny love the movie Cars, and enjoyed meeting Mickey and Tigger. Tigger was so enthusiastic -- he rubbed their heads, held their hands and bounced up and down with them. Lightening McQueen just stood there looking cool, and Mickey posed well. The only bummer with meeting the characters is there's a long line of kids behind you waiting for their turn. Max could have climbed on Mater all day, and Benny could have bounced with Tigger all day.

(Benny tries to pose like Mickey)

Max surprised me with his love of rides. Well, he didn't like Indiana Jones but he liked the Tower of Terror. He told me after, "That made my bum jump!" It also tickled his tummy. Benny gave good cuddles during Pirates of the Carribbean. We also liked Woody's Roundup and the similar Buzz Lightyear ride.

Benny scored zero points. But look how cute in those 3D glasses.

Knott's Berry Farm

Last week we had a great time in California. Two of the days JB's parents and siblings were with us. First stop was Knott's Berry Farm, which I feel turned into a story of love.

Max LOVED the Sidewinder coaster. He rode it 6 times. And to think I was worried he would be scared by such a big ride.

Max and Benny fell in love with Snoopy.

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jeff, JB's siblings, loved playing with the boys. I loved that they rode the kiddie rides with them, held them, fed & watered them, etc.

JB loved this sign that a guy made for him in the park.

I LOVED the chicken, and everybody loved the Boysenberry pie.

And these guys, well, I think they fell deeper in love.

Next stop: Disneyland and California Adventure.

It's all fun and games...

Until someone gets hurt.





They love to hug. Really tight. Then they end up accidentally rolling off the couch and bonking heads and running to me for a hug. So cute.

The Joe

My little brother Joe came recently from Texas for a visit.

The boys love his energy and his feats of strength. Mommy can't lift them that high in the air.

JB made barbecue, I made the famous family recipe of dump cake, and the boys made a whole lot of noise outside. Hopefully the neighbors didn't mind.

What we've been up to

I'm quite late posting pictures of some of our adventures. Last month we saw JB's little sister Sarah graduate from nursing school. We are very proud.

Max looks so tall in that picture. I'm holding him up with all my might. In the picture below, Benny made a fort --or was it a jail? -- with Uncle Joe (Sarah's husband). We were at the Pizza Factory to celebrate her achievement.

Last week we went to Braza Grill for some Brazilian food. Max loved the rice. Benny loved the rolls. JB and Mary loved the meat.

Reason number 121

Remember those lean, poor days of college when all you ate were baked potatoes because you got some amazing deal like 10 pounds for a dollar at the grocery store? Well I do.

During that time of my life I pulled together 40 dollars to buy a nice black skirt. Every girl needs a black skirt, right? This one was from the mall. I wore it once, and the next time I went to wear it it needed to be ironed.

I pulled out the old iron that had been in that apartment since probably the days my parents went to BYU, and plopped it down right in the middle of the skirt to start pressing. And it burned a hole right in the middle of my 40 dollar skirt. I cried.

I haven't really ironed much since. My favorite methods of de-wrinkling are the dryer and the shower. But last Sunday morning I decided to pull out the iron for time reasons. It's newer, it's nicer, but still I hesitated. JB explained how to change the settings, and away I went.

The dress was fine -- even better than I expected. Gladly I tackled the boys' Sunday pants and shirts, and then asked JB if he had anything he needed ironing. "No," he smiled, "They are done."

And that is reason number 121 why I love my husband. He irons his own clothes.

PS Another reason -- leftovers this morning. The man can COOK.