Blurb

Sad to say but I have been kind of an absentee blogger, wife and mother lately. I have been turning my blog into a book using Blurb's BookSmart software. I have spent hours adjusting layouts, picking colors, changing fonts, etc., to create a fabulous book. The software (which is FREE!) "slurps" your blog into a book format. You can tweak it however you want and, when you are ready, you can order a copy. I have had a lot of fun doing it. So, to any of my blogging friends and family out there, check it out. Just make sure you have easy dinners planned and that you check the clock frequently so you don't go to bed at 1am. The process has a way of sucking you in. :)

Update

I took both kids to the pediatrician last week to recheck Brendan's hearing and Eva's ears. This time the hearing test only took about 5 minutes and he passed with flying colors, proving that last time he was just being a pill. Eva's ear infection has totally cleared up. Both kids got a clean bill of health. I also found out that Eva weighs over 22 lbs so now she can be forward facing in her new car seat if we want.

Golden Gate Park

Jason took the day off of school (no patients and he never goes to pharmacology but studies on his own) so we went into the city. It has been really hot here and was cooler in SF. We decide to explore Golden Gate Park. I must say that it has to be one of only a few parks like it in a major city. There are not only beautiful lakes and gardens but museums, playgrounds, a carousel, statues, sports areas and even a buffalo paddock. We could have walked around for hours and not seen it all. This trip we went to the Conservatory of Flowers, the children's playground, the Murphy Windmill and tulip garden. The COF was gorgeous! I especially loved the aquatic plants room. The Victorian potted plants room was lovely too.





The playground (the first public one built in the United States back in the 1800's) was so fun for the kids. They have a giant stone slides that you go down on cardboard. I know it sounds weird but it is really cool. Jason took Brendan over there while I watched Eva in the sandpit so he took the pictures of that. Then we drove to the windmill and the adjoining tulip garden. Beautiful!


Lastly, we crossed the street and were at Ocean Beach to watch the surfers.

By lunch we were tired but it was a fabulous morning. I look forward to more explorations of San Fran while we live close by. Time is slipping away from us too fast and there is so much to see!

Attica! Attica!

Since Eva can go up and down the stairs by herself I am not as diligent about closing the gate as I used to be. The other day I caught her on the stairs side purposefully slamming it closed and then shaking the bars and yelling. Then she'd laugh. I opened the gate to let her come downstairs and she promptly shut it again and repeated the scenario. Crazy little girl. Here is a picture of my cute jailbird.

A favorite article

I struggle with being too serious sometimes, especially with my kids. I ran across this article that I thought was awesome. I wanted to share it will all the parents I know, and even those who will be parents someday. Here is an excerpt:

One of my Twelve Commandments is “Lighten up,” and I have a lot of resolutions aimed at trying to be a more light-hearted parent: less nagging, more laughing. We all want a peaceful, cheerful, even joyous, atmosphere at home — but we can’t nag and yell our way to get there.Here are some strategies that help me:

And then she lists some ideas to help the reader be a more light-hearted parent. I will be taking most of these suggestions to heart. The presentation at the end (you view it by clicking on the link in #12) is very touching to me as well. Enjoy!

The best part of the package

Perhaps part of the reason to purchase things online is that they can come in a big box. My kids can play with the box for over an hour. Love it!

Easter

Here are some pictures from our Easter Sunday.

Brendan got some Thomas movies in his basket.

Eva enjoying a Marshmallow Peep

Babygirl's Easter Dress

Brendan's big smile

Mother and son (the closest we got to both of us looking at the camera and smiling)

The whole family

Brendan crashed on the couch before bedtime. I guess he had too much sugar.


Happy Easter everyone!!!

Easter Egg Hunt

On Saturday, Jason was helping out with the Pacific Basketball Tournament so I braved the ward Easter Egg Hunt with both kids by myself. It was a lot of fun. Eva just came to the big kids area with Brendan and I. She found 2 eggs by herself (mainly because they were a way different color than the grass) but mostly she had no idea what was going on. Then she found a stick and was perfectly happy with that.



Brendan was very excited to find eggs because he knew what was inside. I had to convince him to find several instead of opening each one once he found it and eating the contents. Through some kindness from parents of other hunters, he found 6 eggs.



Then we ate some snacks and played on the playground before driving over to see Daddy at the church playing basketball.

3, 2, 1 years ago today

Last night Jason and I stood for a while and watched the old pictures as they scrolled across our digital picture frame. I felt such nostalgia and a little sad. I thought I'd post a picture of this day 3 years ago, 2 years ago and last year. Where has the time gone? They grow up so fast.
Brendan in 2006 with his cousin

Brendan in 2007 at his Great Grandma's piano

Brendan and Eva in 2008

The kiddos today

To catch a phish

An odd thing happened to me the other day. I received and email from Paypal saying that they were limiting my account due to too many unsuccessful attempted logins. What?! It looked legitimate with a case number, copyright and everything so I clicked on the link. Then it got suspicious. It was asking for my card number, expiration date and, get this, my PIN. And it wouldn't let me logout until I had completed the form. That's when I thought I'd better check it out. I called Paypal directly. It turns out it was a scam. The rep at Paypal said that they would never put a link in any email they send about an account problem. They would direct me to go to the Paypal website and log in. I am so glad that I didn't input any information. She told me to forward the email and they would track down its origin. I also immediately tagged it as spam and changed my Paypal password. I am kind of creeped out.

Tuesday's play

A friend of mine invited the kids and I to go to the California Academy of Science on Tuesday. Thanks Kara! She mentioned that there was an aquarium there and so Brendan was very excited. It was packed due to it being Spring Break but the kids had fun. We saw a scuba diver in the coral reef tank and visited several other tanks of fish. We went to the touch pool where Brendan touched a real starfish. The last stop was the stingray pool. He loved that!! Here is a picture of Brendan and his friend looking through the glass floor on the walkway to see the rays.


We are thinking about getting a pass of our own now. You just cannot see the whole museum in one trip. By the end, we mommies were tired and drove home. Sadly, Brendan had a doctor's appointment soon after we arrived home and he was so wound up that it did not go well. He barely stopped moving the whole visit. When they tried to give him his hearing test he was too distracted to follow instructions. We need to go back in 2 weeks to retest. However, he got a good bill of health. Can you believe he is over 40 lbs and 42 inches tall? How did I get such a big kid? The pediatrician (who we love) gave good advice about potty training, discipline and collaborating with school on his speech progress. Now Mommy has some homework to do.
Eva still has some fluid in her ear from the most recent infection so she'll be back with us at the two week mark to check on that. She also has a molar coming through which makes her insanely cranky. At the CAS she just wanted to get out of the stroller and/or eat. She has been quite the piglet lately.

Good thing that we (the parents) had something to look forward to. A family who used to live near us, but had recently moved away, was back for a visit. We got to go to dinner and ice cream with them. It was SO nice to catch up. And a big thanks to the Packards who watched the kids while we went out. I could relax and enjoy the visit.

A few random things....

Jason here. I used to check a bunch of blogs every so often looking for updates and such. This got to be a bit of a time consuming hassle. Then I found out about Google Reader. Once you subscribe to a blog, then any updates will be sent to your account (sorta like an email). This only works for public blogs though, so I still have to open all private blogs myself.

Last summer the Waltons told us about Hulu.com (thanks!). It has a bunch of TV shows and movies that have commercials every so often, so it is legit. Anyways, Doogie Howser, Alf, and a bunch of old school programs are on there. Sweet. They also have new stuff. We really like Psych and Monk, but our favorite show these days is Lie to Me. Check it out.

The newsboy

Daddy's hat is also a favorite toy at my house. Thanks Uncle Fred.

Brendan's latest love

We are moving from trains to trucks. Brendan now watches his "Here Comes a Truck" DVD daily and quotes it. Lately he takes this garbage truck, gets some designated "trash" (usually his sister's toys) and drives around downstairs collecting it. Or he has "recyclables" (aka wooden blocks) that he stacks in the kitchen and then puts them in the truck. This can keep him entertained for almost an hour. He actually asked me to take this picture of him and his garbage truck.

Busted!!

Eva's new fascination.

Its okay. Brother never uses it anyway. We'll be using Pullups forever.

Needing my space

Parents, do you ever feel "over touched" by your kids? Are you ever just supremely annoyed that your children have designated you as the human jungle gym? Some days do you long to walk around without an entourage? Sometimes I just get this wiggly feeling in my skin that I can't stand one more second of close body contact by my spazzing preschooler. I want to stretch out all my limbs and not touch a child of mine. I think it would be nice for a bubble of solitude. But alas, I am the ultimate entertainment, the fascinating big toy that they always want to play with. But its funny too that sometimes I miss the cuddles and jabbering and can't wait until they wake up so I can see their cute faces. I know these are fleeting moments. Oh the dichotomy of motherhood.

New name

Jason now calls Eva, "her Majesty". She is showing a real drama queen, "the world revolves around me" attitude lately. I am wondering what kind of teen she will be. Is it too soon to worry? :)

Stair climber

Her Majesty finally climbed down the stairs all by herself yesterday. I showed her how for over 45 minutes about a month ago but she refused and just stood at the top of the stairs and screamed at me. Yesterday she came down no problem. Yay!! Maybe we can remove the gate someday soon.