Summer Sanity

With Millie born at the start of June and Bennett starting school at the end of August, I didn't really think too much about what would come between. I mean, I knew I'd be trying to survive life with a newborn and life with three kids and life with the windows open (my sincerest apologies to all our neighbors), but I hadn't really thought about how I would survive all those things.

Anyway, now that summer is passing me by, I'm realizing just what has kept me sane (or at least not quite as crazy as I'm capable of getting):

1. Doing this

a few times a week, which is really just an excuse to talk to her, her,
her and her while our kids run around the park.


2. Going here

once a week with our season passes.

3. Hanging out here

every Tuesday for Park Day.

4. Recording this

for the boys. Benito can be motivated to do anything for this show.

5. Reading these

early in the morning when Millie first wakes up to eat.

6. Going here (just started)

in the evening to work out, which is really just an excuse to talk to her.



7. Eating these

and lots of other yummy treats.

Overdue

My mom and sisters have been asking me to put up new photos of Amelia Jane for weeks now, so I finally snapped a few shots the other day. We had just returned from seeing "Harry Potter," so I'm sure the baby's eardrums were still ringing from the two thousand decibels of volume that reverberated through that theater. . . and I did find some stray popcorn kernels in the bottom of her car seat the next day. . . Other than that, she looks like she had fun at the movies, doesn't she?








p.s. MUCH cuter pictures taken by a MUCH better photographer coming soon.

Toddler for Sale

Two years old. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Above-average height. High energy. Highly-entertaining and humorous at times. Utterly exasperating at others. Extremely moody, especially since his baby sister showed up. Unresponsive to disciplining techniques and strategies that worked like a charm on his older brother. In need of obedience school, military school, boot camp, something to save his parents from having to figure out how to get him to obey!

Stop and smell the popcorn

Just saw this book-turned-movie

and am now really excited to see a few other book movies this summer

and these this winter

And while this one's not a book, who isn't excited to see this brought back to life?

Fotos de Familia

Meghan has worked her magic again. This time is was not just our little brood, either. . . It was the whole Geddes crew, which has grown to a large seventeen people, and it was 8:30 in the morning (I know I was tired). Seven of those seventeen are children under the age of eight, mind you, so it was nothing short of a photographic miracle--and a testament to Meghan's abilities--that as many shots turned out as great as they did.

The whole gang

Gettin' goofy

Our new family of five

Cousins with lollipops

Lip-smackin' good

Daddy's idea of an appropriate family photo hairdo, the 'hawk

Sticky sweet

Stephen's glamour shot

p.s. I seriously love the way she captures feet. I had to switch out the one she did of my boys' sandals (see title above) last fall for this one with all the cousins' tootsies.

No Man's Land

In tennis the term "No Man's Land" refers to the middle area of the court, between the net and the baseline. It's the last place you want to be, because you can't hit a quality volley just like you can't hit an effective baseline shot. You're caught in a spot where you'll inevitably make a bad shot and lose the point.



No Man's Land is an apt description for my wardrobe right now. How much longer will I be stuck in this awful place between maternity clothes and normal clothes? Neither one seems to fit right these days, making the closet one of the most dreaded spots in the house right now. Every time I try on one of my pre-pregnancy shirts that I've been so eager to wear again, I end up disappointed and mad. Tight shirts revealing back and belly rolls do nothing for my post-partum body's waning self-esteem. And having to bust out yet another old and tired maternity T when I'm precisely ZERO months pregnant only adds insult to injury. Ugh. Let's just say that none of my outfits will be scoring points any time soon.

Finally, the Fourth

We rolled back into town a few days before the fourth and didn't have any plans, so we and the Bonds tagged along with the Schlegels to their ward party at Golfland. Miniature golf, arcade, water slides. What more could a group of six boys under the age of seven and one little girl (who happens to love mini golf) have asked for?





That night we all headed over to Santa Clara's Central Park for fireworks and the First Annual Pie Off between me and Liz. Kim and Alisa graciously judged, with Rich and Stephen chiming in, the two pies baked from the same recipe with different apples. Liz maintained that only baking apples (tart and traditionally green) should be used in an apple pie recipe, while I thought that red apples wouldn't really be all that different. Sure, tart apples are ideal, but if you're in a pinch a red apple will do. Thus, the pie off. The results? Well, the apples didn't end up mattering as much as baking time did. It came down to preference of soft, fully-baked apples vs. firmer, a little under-baked apples. The flavor of the apples didn't matter as much as their texture.

Hearst Castle

As long as I've lived here I've wanted to visit Julia Morgan's most famous architectural contribution, Hearst Castle, not just for the architecture but also for the stunning views and coastal beauty it's said to have. The newspaper giant's west coast "ranch" is far removed from Highway one and the coast, so you can't just drive up to it. You have to hit the visitors center first and then take a bus up the winding five mile road that leads to the mansion. I'd always pictured the house being a lot closer to the coast for some reason...

The grounds and landscaping are impeccable, with the pool and tennis courts just inviting us to come play and swim. We restrained ourselves and didn't, however, don't worry. Apparently the pool was hardly used, since back in Heart's day no one knew how to swim, but today they use it for staff parties (that'd make trimming trees at a mansion pretty worth it). The famous indoor swimming pool was not as big as I'd expected, but the gold-plated tiles covering the floor of the pool were pretty impressive nonetheless.

More Morro Bay

Rock on, Morro Rock! It's actually a pretty impressive piece of geology once you get close enough to see its beauty, not to mention the thousands of seagulls, pelicans and other birds using it as a habitat. Apparently it's the second largest estuary south of San Francisco. Not only the birds love that area, however; I've never seen squirrels hanging out right on the rocks of the beach, waves crashing right next to them, until this one right near Morro Rock. There must have been twenty to thirty squirrels just like this, relaxing seaside with an afternoon snack.

We had fun walking out to it from the harbor where we walked the docks and watched the fisherman haul in some pretty big fish. Eli's burned feet were healing at this point, but we still preferred having him in the stroller, and he was a good sport about it for the most part. Bennett took over driving his stroller at one point, which meant some wild and crazy zig-zagging down the sidewalk and through the beach parking lot. I was sure they'd get hit by either a jogger, cyclist or that teenage driver getting his thrills from doing donuts in the dirt. They didn't, however.

Tidepools

A day at the park(s)

Our first real view of Morro Rock, down at the "Pirate Park" near the pier

Bennett and Tyler rockin' out

The baby of Lisa's family checking out the baby of ours

Lilly and Millie

Grandma and the kiddos

Amelia of the grass

Taking a break from bocce ball

"On your mark, get set, slide!"

Climbing a tree with Christensen cousins