The Lambs

A Winter Stint in Utah!

2012-01-18T00:02:00.000-08:00

After the weekend in DC for the wedding, we were able to spend three days in Utah. We wished we could have seen more snow! But alas and a lack! We did get to see a lot of family. We had a traditional Lamb Christmas Eve, even though it wasn't Christmas Eve (thank you for being so accommodating!!) complete with songs, nativity, and stories! Austin was Joseph, Gabe was wandering around, and Nona was asleep! It all is supposed to sink in though, right?

Nona and Gabe had fun playing with the noise-making toys at Nana and Papa's house.

The kids also love the blocks and Lincoln Logs sets that Papa keeps in his office.

This Is The Place Park puts on a wonderful Christmas extravaganza. Here's the Polar Express- the most authentic looking train the boys have been on and they thought it was sooo cool! Morgan and friend came to join us for the night, which was really fun!

A live Nativity- including live baby!!

And reindeer!

On our very last morning, it snowed about an inch. So, we went sledding of course!! Gabe went in his crocs. Who needs boots in an inch of snow?!

There's a great little hill behind Nana and Papa's house that we went up and down as much as we could until the snow was melted.

We got to see Santa too. Gabe asked him for a Candy Cane- which Santa happened to have in his bag right then! Amazing! ;)

Austin asked him for a new bike- but that's what he got last year. I think he would always like a new bike though!

Nona just asked him to let go!

Scott and Tesha Lamb Dec 17, 2011

2012-01-14T23:25:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Scott and Tesha!!

We met Tesha for the first time ever in the sealing room inside the Washington DC temple! And we are so happy for Scott to have such a wonderful wife, and a fabulous new sister in the family! It was a treat to meet her family too. They were super at dealing with the very cold weather! At least it didn't snow on us!

Austin and Gabe got to stay in Utah with Nana and Papa, so we only had Nona with us. She didn't know what to do about the cold though! It's never cold in California!

The reception/luncheon at the Chevy Chase building was quite a feast that Tesha's friends had spent all night cooking! Fried chicken, fish, beans and bacon, corn bread. It reminded me of our Folk Dance tour to the south. And it was a hoot for us to dance down the soul train. Tesha can groove!

We had a fun dinner at the Anacostia chapel (a converted Baptist church- ever seen a baptismal font above the pulpit?!!) catered by Cafe Rio, thank you Scott. We got to introduce ourselves and get to know Tesha's family better. We showed the wedding video that Peter and I had put together and all us sibs sang a spoof to Jingle Bells that the Jensen's rewrote for Scott and Tesha. Here's a wink caught on camera where we're wishing Scott and Tesha a lullaby instead of Jingle Bells next year!

The Sunday after the wedding, we took a few hours to tour DC with Betsy and Grandpa Austin. Nona got to use her bunting at least once! The purchase was worth it though!

We saw where Grandpa used to live when he was a young married man going to George Washington University and worked as an elevator operator in the Capitol Building.

It was also fun to quickly see the new Martin Luther King Jr Monument, new since I last was in DC in 2000 for my High School Concert Choir Tour.

They have a few of his memorable quotes carved into the walls of the monument. It's a beautiful place.

We also got through the National Gallery of Art (I thought the boys would like a picture of Daniel and the Lions Den) and the Air and Space Museum in 2 hours. The Smithsonian is amazing! And free!!

Preschool and December Outings

2012-01-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

Austin, Caleb (who moved to Utah!), Maddie, and Eliza- All growing up and starting Kindergarten in the fall! Good, bright kids! Oh, and silly too.

Did you know Disneyland had an old firetruck to romp around on?

Or that they sell delicious Mint Juleps and beignets?!

Or that they have a petting zoo with reindeer at Christmas?!

For Austin's preschool Christmas party, we acted out Luke 2 and caroled to my neighbors. The kids did well. Austin got to be Joseph but was upset that he didn't get to give Jesus presents too like the wise men, so he wouldn't pose for the pictures.

For Gabe's preschool Christmas party, we made crafts and hot dog reindeer and played red light green light while singing Christmas carols.

My cute mom friends who teach Gabe's preschool with me: Sommer, Lori, Nichole, and Kelli.

My refrigerator was PACKED with projects by the end of December!!! I love it.

And look at me. I can stand!

OCMCO Christmas Concert 2011

2012-01-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Peter, Austin, and I got to participate again in the fabulous OCMCO Christmas Concert at Segerstrom Hall. It would seem Austin has overcome his fear of performing! He got right up on the stage and sang "Up On the House Top" and "One Little Shepherd" with all the other 4-6 year olds. He loved singing with Brother Brett Stewart, even if his voice sometimes "sounds like a girl." (He has a huge range!) Peter and I got to be bell ringers (Long Live F5!). One of the crowd favorites was Riu Riu Chiu, even though the choir never quite got the clapping and snapping right. We were happy to have Grandma and the Jensens attend the concert! OCMCO is one of the many perks of living in Orange County!!

Tree Lighting at the Montage

2012-01-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

I have a favorite place I like to go in Laguna Beach. It's the Montage Hotel. I love to walk the grounds and see the beautiful landscaping and stroll down to the beach and walk through the tide pools. I found out this year that they also put on an amazing evening in early December for their tree lighting ceremony. It's complete with free hot cocoa and cider, a free kid zone where kids can do crafts, get their face painted, decorate cookies, and even a line to see Santa! Of course, since it's free, everyone and their dog is there, so the lines are 40 minutes long. Oh the things we do for "free" things. Austin did wait for the face painting but we lost attention after that. We enjoyed the free samples of the hotel chef's creations and hearing the carolers sing.

Gabe and Austin could have watched the toy train for hours!

Here's the ginormous tree, which thankfully is there year round.

Lots of fun + lots of sugar = a big crash in the car when we drove home.

Thanksgiving at Grandpa and Maybeth's

2012-01-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving, we went up to the Jensen's for their annual Wednesday night Pie Night (the thought for that being that you can actually enjoy the pie because you aren't stuffed with dinner). The kids had fun playing in the love sac. Then after sampling 20+ delicious pies, we were off to spend the weekend in Northridge at Grandpa and Maybeth's home. They are very kind to host us all up there. We had everyone there but Scott and his fiancee Tesha, who we missed. We are grateful for family!

Grandpa has restored these old scooters and the kids loved riding them around the neighborhood.

There is an awesome honey comb hive in a tree in Grandpa's front yard. We wanted to go break off a piece and enjoy the honey! On second thought, maybe not.

Gabe and Avery loved playing the piano and made some beautiful....noise.

As tradition has it, we enjoyed some hot cocoa and Tim Tam's for some Tim Tam Slams. Thank you Margie for planning ahead to bring all these fun foods for us to enjoy!

The back yard swing set is always fun for the kids. Never mind that it's rusting and nearly falling over!

Sitting down for the feast!

Cleaning up after the feast!

Grandpa always puts up his own lights and it's quite a sight for a man his age. They stay very active and are so healthy!

This was our first time meeting the newest cousin Andrew Jonathan, aka AJ, who is an adorable bundle of love!

Peter surprised me with a delicious fruit tart for my birthday up there with the family and we got to enjoy sleeping in (in the motorhome in the driveway- so fun!) on Black Friday instead of hurrying off to any stores. Hooray for family time!

Silly Donuts.

2012-01-07T22:27:00.001-08:00

Faces

2011-11-27T22:38:00.001-08:00

Night of all nights

2011-11-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

2 am:
Austin: (SCREAM!!!!!)
Me (running into his bedroom): What's the matter?!
Austin (sobbing): Don't send me away to another house!
Me: You had a bad dream. You're just fine. We would never send you away. You're part of the family...etc.
Austin: If you did, I would be so lonely at Christmas.
(I love my Mr. A, the tender-heart.)

3 am:
Gabe comes running into our room, doing a funny little skippity dance: I gotta go pee! Come watch me! It's coming!!!! (Peter took him back to bed, only to find wet sheets ;)

4 am:
Nona wakes up with a fever and (I found out today) an ear infection. Our very smiley girl is not so smiley.

I love these kids, as sleepless as life is with them.

Preschool Thanksgiving Party!

2011-11-20T21:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, another one! Parties all year round! Thanks to Ashley and Kerstin for planning another fun day for the kids. It was a freezing 50 degrees (way, wah- I know) but the kids still had a blast playing at the park, each saying something they are grateful for, practicing balancing pine cones on their heads and running relay races, pinning the feather on the turkey, and decorating turkey cookies.

And the typical day to day garage scene: scooters, bikes, tractors, cars all out on the driveway. Haul it out, get some wiggles out, haul it in.

A beautiful sunset from Chaparral park.

Happy Birthday William Badilliam!

2011-11-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

Our nephew William turned one and we got to go help him celebrate! It's always a treat to go to the Jensen's home. Becky made us a yummy dinner and had cute decorations up for Will. The kids loved (and fought over) the hammock.

Nona is happy to be a cuddle bug, but not Rapunzel!

Becky always deigns the coolest cakes- this is his "smash" cake that get gets to destroy. If I made a cake that nice, I'd cast it in metal an put it up in our home. So I buy donuts instead! William loved smashing it and the older kids loved watching..and helping!

The Amazing Race Date Night!

2011-11-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Take twelve couples...Follow the clues, racing against the other couples, first ones back win the prize...of the Amazing Race Winner! And 100 Grand candy bars. We had 3 couples per car who had to get an "engagement photo" at the temple...

(the temple is behind us)

Immitate the anteater mascot at UCI...

Eat a large pizza as a team...

Piece together a 4 part clue that Peter designed involving finding the material of a certain t-shirt at the base of the Ferris Wheel and looking up Katie Cotton in the new Steve Jobs book to get the coordinates for...

the bear statue at the Norman P Murray Park...

And get everyone on the slide...

And be the first ones back to the home of the couple on the date who'd been married the longest. Our car won, I promise we didn't help one bit (since we designed the race). Thanks to the Jones and Hills for a fun night and to everyone else for coming! We'll do it again...

Thankful for Disneyland!

2011-11-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

I asked the boys what they are Thankful for this year. They both, of their own volition, said Disneyland. I think I take it for granted, but they certainly do not! In his prayer tonight Austin said "We thank thee for our passes to Disneyland, because it would be really sad if we didn't have them." Oh, life in Orange County. Austin is also grateful for Thanksgiving and Easter egg hunts, and Gabe is also thankful for juice. So, there you have it. Adrenaline and sugar. I sure am thankful to go on days when the lines are short!

I wonder where the kids get their silly's from...

Nana and Papa's "Mar"

2011-11-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

Nana and Papa generously offered us a week down at Del Mar (which Gabe interprets as "their" Mar, so he calls it Nana and Papa's Mar) so as often as possible, we went down last week. Nana and Papa weren't able to come, and let's face it, a trip with kids without family or other people is kind of just like being at home. So we tried to get people down there with us. We have some friends, the Andrews and Zachersons, from BYU student ward and Peter's mission, respectively, who live near by and came to visit. I forgot to pull out the camera, but it was fun catching up with them and swimming, albeit in the rain. We also got to have the Jensens down for the weekend which we always love because the kids entertain themselves and we get to play games! I took the kids for a ride in the golf cart and while I was helping Gabe to the restroom, I turned to see...Avery, fully clothed, frolicking in the fountains! They truly do look irresistible with the spraying water and tile designs! I would have done the same thing if I were 3! Sophie and Austin followed suit.

Homie G stayed out with me to eat his chocolate covered peanuts. It didn't last long- evidently fountains aren't coded for swimming. ;)

We tried to get some family photos with our phone camera, (I just got an iPhone since my flip phone died on me- "Welcome to the 90's Mr Banks!") and I think that's the best we're going to get this year. It'll do. They're cute kids, either way.

We had fun swimming, playing tennis, looking at the horses, riding golf carts over and over, enjoying the amazing vistas, watching movies, and spending time with friends. Thank you Nana and Papa!!!

Peter the Golden Boy!

2011-11-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

Peter turned 31 on the 31st this year, also known as his Golden Birthday! Austin and I also have ours this year- must be a good thing, right? Lots of gold coming our way! ;) I don't think I'll ever forget this birthday of his, since I'll have a scar to remember it by. (Note to self- hot glue gun glue drips off pipe cleaner! Austin has had a good time watching my burn through the healing process, and I have gained a scant amount of appreciation for the awful pain people go through when they are burned over their whole bodies!) On a much better note, Peter got a new suit and shirts, tickets for us to go see White Christmas at Segerstrom in December, multi-colored licorice from Austin, and a jar full of 31 chocolates with words printed on them that complete the phrase "Peter is the world's best _______."

Margie and Steve happen to conveniently be down here at their time share in Carlsbad, so they came up for Peter's birthday to celebrate and take the kids Trick-or-Treating around our neighborhood with the Jensens. Nona is the Littlest Pumpkin in the Patch. ;)

Here we have a lady bug, super hero, cowboy, and Pipi Longsticking!

And a dragon eyeing a pumpkin...a tasty treat!

Some of our favorite neighbors: Miss Erin and Michelle. Our other neighbor, Wes, made each of the kids on our block (11 total) their own wooden Bug House in his garage shop. I'll have to post a picture...Amazing!

We completed the night with some cheese cake and candles and a game of Truco (a brazilian card game) which the ladies won! Thanks guys! Happy Birthday Peter!!!!

Hauntings and Happenings

2011-11-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from your friendly cowboy and super hero! Ready to eat some chili and corn bread up at the church and go Trunk-or-Treating!

We took a field trip with Austin and Gabe's preschools to the Great Balloon park in Orange- a free but temperamental field trip. If there's any wind or clouds, they don't fly the balloon. Austin had a fun experience while we were in line getting our tickets for the ride. His friend Maddy had told her Mom, "There's an animal in the corner. Can we go pet it?" to which she said "Sure," thinking, we're inside, there are no animals here, they are pretending something. Out comes Austin with a dead rat in his hand, snapped in a trap, holding it by it's tail. It took me a minute to grasp what I was seeing. And before I knew it, I had hand sanitizer out of my diaper bag and "Drop it!" out of my mouth! Really?! He's a brave one! "I didn't know if it was a toy or if it was real!" he says. I got a good chuckle out of that.

Here's the group:

Parker, Gabe, Austin, Aura, Evany

Maddy, Jackson, Lucy

Savannah, Lara with baby Anastasia, Caleb, Josephine

Heidi with baby Nate, Kelsey, Leila

Ashley with baby ? in her tummy, Savannah

Kerstin with baby ? in her tummy, Wade

Keala, Albert John

Up, up and away we went! And Nona in the front pack the whole time. ;)

Austin and Gabe has both their Halloween Preschool Parties on the same day- needless to say, they were sugared up and loved all the fun crafts and costumes! People (aka Kerstin and Nichole!) get very creative these days with food! We painted pumpkins, played Halloween bingo, popped Halloween balloons filled with candy (poo Austin kept popping the chocolate ones, which he doesn't like! Shucks, said Gabe. I'll help you out!), made spiders out of pipe cleaner, made candy corn/popcorn-filled witches hands, and ate lots of sugar.

Caleb, Austin, Eliza, and Maddy enjoying a treat at Nina's house. It's fun to have someone with a PhD from Harvard teaching your kids!

Nonalina

2011-10-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

This girl is just a bundle of love! She loves her binky, loves to watch her brothers play (but not fight- it makes her very sad!), loves to smile, loves to take baths, loves to eat and hold the spoon, loves to see me wherever I am, loves to cuddle and hug. We just love her!

Let me outside!

Awake...

Asleep! (Really!)

Fall Fun

2011-10-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe not fun for Nona to have hay poking her in the bum, but the rest of the earthy, harvesty, pumpkin festivities have been fun so far. Ladera hosted a pumpkin patch with a Flashlight Candy hunt in the grass a la Easter Egg Hunt. The boys had fun begin super heroes.

We had Mindy's recipe for dinner in a pumpkin- delicious!

I took the boys to Pumpkin City, a carnival in the mall parking lot that's way over priced unless you use coupons. So I saved my coupons and when I got there, after hyping up how much fun we were going to have to the boys, the lady at the ticket counter so kindly points out to me that my coupons are expired. Yuck. I am not spending money on these things (bounce house, train ride, drive the four wheeler, etc) when we can do them for free other times. So after much explaining to the boys of why, no, we don't need to borrow money from someone, we're choosing not to spend our money on it, we went around and found every free thing we could do. Like jumping over pumpkins,

riding horses,

making piggy faces,

feeding the pigs (I did have some quarters in the diaper bag),

measuring how tall we are,

Gabe is 39 in, Austin is 44 in,

Riding on wagons,

Doing the quarter machines,

and pretending to be ghosts! All in the name of frugality. I was impressed at how well the boys handled it even with all the carnival rides going on around them.

Gabe made a delicious popcorn hand at his preschool party!

We took a trip to Centennial Farms again up in Costa Mesa and saw some cute piggies- no wonder those mama pigs have to eat and eat constantly- I feel like I have to eat all the time and I'm only feeding one baby!

Wedding Flashback

2011-10-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

Our fun friends, the Brays, who took us paddle boarding, invited us and the rat of the Marriage and Family Relations class members over to their home for a Wedding Flashback date night. It was hilarious! 10 or so couples brought their wedding photo albums and memorabilia, we brought food that was served at our wedding, and played a fun game answering a questionnaire we'd been given ahead of time (What was the worst wedding gift you received, Where did you go for your honeymoon, Who's been married the longest, etc). Husbands had to answer questions about wives and vice versa (Who initiated the first kiss? My husband may be the world's best _____ but he's the world's worst ________, If your husband had to pick something to eat at the movies, what would he choose? If my wife had to get rid of one thing of mine, it would be _____) , and the points were tallied. And the winners were...yours truly! We're just the best married people ever! ;) We won a huge pack of gum (YES! for me, not so good for Peter with braces...). The losers had to act out cutting the cake again. (See below!) Dani Jo had made an amazing spread of wedding-esque decorations, made veils for each girl to wear in her hair and bow ties for the men. She made a CD for everyone with each couple's wedding song, ranging from the hits of the early 90's to last year- it was a blast!

Heather and Greg cutting the cake! ;)

Laguna Beach FHE with the Jensens

2011-10-23T08:04:00.001-07:00

The Dinner Table

2011-10-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

MIRAMAR Air Show 2011

2011-10-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

We hit the Air Show down in San Diego last weekend to have our ears blasted out and see some amazing Blue Angels stunts. The kids got to be "pilots" in a jet- almost the right size. Can you believe all those buttons!!?

It's loud Mom!!

Thumbs up dude!

Tide Pools at the Montage

2011-10-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

We went down to the Montage beach last weekend with my nephew Hunter (who is soon turning 15 and is almost 6 feet tall!!) and bro-in-law Joe who were snorkeling around the coastline. The tide was very low so we were able to tip toe out on the rocks and see sea urchins, star fish, hermit crabs, sea snails, and mussels galore! The sunset was incredible and I vowed not to take our close proximity to the beach for granted and amazing sunsets any more! Wow. It was so beautiful. It was fun to see Hunter too and go get burgers and shakes at Ruby's Diner afterwards.

I took the boys down again this week and flew Austin's kite on the beach. But the wind blew the handle out of my hands and the kite blew out over the ocean. The handle dipped down below the water and caught on some kelp, so the kite continued to be flown by the ocean! It was quite a sight! But now I owe Austin a new kite, since he bought that one with his own money.

Ham it up!

Paddle Boarding with the Brays!

2011-10-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

We won our bid at the ward auction to have a day of paddle boarding with the Bray family (and I'm such a nerd and forgot to take any pictures of their cute family). So we finally took them up on it and spent the afternoon at Baby Beach and thoroughly enjoyed getting out in the harbor and paddling around. It's really easy to do and could be a great workout if you do it for long enough! Austin and Gabe loved getting out closer to the boats. Thanks Brays!

We love feet!

2011-10-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

Nona was enamored with her toes for a while. Almost as good as a binky. It doesn't bother me until she starts walking and wearing shoes! Peter took a spill at church ball and gained a new appreciation for his ankle and toes when they are healthy! You can see where the ace wrap was. After two weeks, the purple and blue are finally dissipating! He learned what pitting edema was! If you don't know, look at the ankles of a 9 month pregnant woman after you push your finger into her skin.

OCMCO Christmas Concert 2011

2011-10-01T22:43:00.001-07:00

Book of Mormon You Tube Project- Watch today!!!

2011-09-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7-XVLs6u-c

A Cougar weekend

2011-09-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night we went up to Cal State Fullerton to watch Peter's cousin Nicole play with BYU's volleyball team. I love being at the games. I'm not so into when I watch on TV, but the good (or bad) old cheerleader in me comes out at the games and it's fun to cheer a team on, especially when it's the cougars playing. We got to see Grandpa and Maybeth, Kris, Nicole, Jeanne and Kent, and Tom and Ginger. The kids appreciated Peter and Joseph taking them running outside to get their wiggles out and ended up a nice, happy, sweaty mess. See above for Austin's most recent "favorite" shirt that he wears day after day with his "favorite" shorts of the month. He'll do this until his clothes get holes in them and I force him to wear new ones because I've thrown the old ones away. Sorry Gabe, no more hand-me-downs!

Peter flew up to SLC Saturday morning to go to the BYU Utah game. The best part of the weekend: being with family for 24 hours. The best part of the game? The marching band and the 100-yard flag. ;) Go Cougs.

A visit from good friends

2011-09-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

I love it when friends who are visiting let me know they are here so that we can hang out with them! Katie and Chris brought down their family a few weeks ago, as did Michelle and Willie Frazier, and we had a blast visiting with them both. We went to Newport Beach to hang out with Michelle and Willie. Austin wants to marry Helen, Michelle's curly red-head spunky daughter, which I would LOVE. Though he wasn't to thrilled about showing his face for this picture.

And we hit Sea World and Baby Beach with the Miller clan- thank goodness they were there to help me in a moment of panic when I'd lost Gabe, my wandering child. Stories of my childhood come back to haunt me! Why are some genes passed on?! Anywho, love these people.

Newport Beach Temple at 8 am...

2011-09-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

Look who's sitting and loving it!

2011-09-13T21:56:00.001-07:00

Tall Ships

2011-09-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ahoy! Ye be shark bait, swim or sink!

We went down twice to Dana Point to the Tall Ships festival last weekend (missing the sad BYU Texas game) with the Cooks. The kids love climbing on the rocks in the harbor, I love seeing them set their sails, and hearing the cannon fire echo off the cliffs.

G is three!

2011-09-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Gabe loves Disneyland. With a passion. We mentioned that we would take him there for his birthday about a month before the fact, and that's all we heard about for a month. Everything revolved around Disneyland and when we were going for his birthday. He woke up the morning of to a table full of presents, mainly costumes and books to build the imagination station, then we went in the afternoon to Disneyland. We brought doughnuts in lieu of a cake a la Lamb tradition and joined the Jensens for some fun rides and birthday bliss. Casey Junior, the monorail, pirates, Jungle Cruise, Small World, the Toon Town roller coaster, the train, and the rockets. All his favorites.

Gabe the babe, we love you.

Such a handsome preschooler- first day was today and the 5 little boys did great! He was so happy to pack his own snack- a banana and peanuts.

Super heroes to the rescue!! I have to tell the story of these capes. I went to a fabric store to buy some fabric, thinking I was going to make some capes myself. Well, I had no scissors to cut the fabric with so I called a friend to borrow some. I got to her house and she said she used to make capes for boys to sell at a boutique and had 4 extra for me to look at how she did them. I asked her if I could just buy hers from her, and she said just have them! What?! Relieve me of my maternal duties of making the costume myself? Yes, Please!!! I was thrilled, over joyed, so grateful to Jaime!!

Superman!!

Gabe is funny. He can be so pensive and drifting off into his own deep thoughts sometimes. He'll just wander around, away from me in very crowded places, absolutely not afraid, just thinking about something. He's definitely in the "Watch, Mom!" phase, which is exhausting but also very thrilling for him to be so excited about what he and his growing body can do. Mom, come watch me build trains, come watch me go pee, come watch me ride the scooter, come watch me color! He's usually very agreeable and curious. "Ok, mom." "Can I see?" (I show him.) "Oh." Other times when he's asked a question, he'll reply with "Um......" followed by total silence. And whenever I leave to go somewhere or after I tuck him in bed, after he asks about what we will do if there's a fire in our house (pyrophobia?), he blows me 20 kisses. Happy Birthday Gabriel!!

Charts

2011-09-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Gabe is potty trained!!!! With Austin's help we made a sticker chart, after 5 times on the potty, they both got to choose a candy. Austin got one too because he helped make the chart and got stickers out for Gabe when he needed them. Gabe has been ready for a while, but I wasn't. So finally after being home from all our summer trips, I decided to hit the toilets. He always says "Mom watch me go!" He's very proud of what he can do and even wipes the seat if he gets it wet- you go dude! Now if I could just get him to stop taking Nona's binky away...

Austin is doing so well at writing and likes to erase and rewrite his chore chart all the time. He puts his own laundry away (not folded but I don't care about that yet) and puts the silverware away whenever the dishwasher runs a cycle. They both get 10 dimes a week. 1 for tithing, 4 for savings for college/mission, 5 for spending. They keep their dimes in a little box with three compartments which hides up in our closet unless it's time to deposit or withdraw so as to avoid errant exchange of funds between accounts. Austin is saving up for a nerf gun, since I won't buy him one. Gabe wants a donut.

Look Mom! I can roll my tongue! Our bodies are pretty amazing.

Sno on the Go!

2011-08-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sno on the Go is this amazing sno shack in a parking lot that serves soft serve ice cream "stuffed" in your sno cone- delicious! I got Spumoni Stuffed and Peter got Tropical Delight, Gabe got Root beer, Austin got rainbow. Best summer treat ever!! For only $2!

The many faces on Nonalina

Fly away Stanley! Be free!

Austin is finally catching on to jokes and magic and ways to bend reality, like bunny ears in photos, knock knock jokes, etc. It's fun to enter the world of not-so-literal!

Our ward had a Newport Beach Temple activity where we took the kids to the temple and had donuts, took family photos, and learned a little about what makes temples so special. They got to make temples out of marshmallows and toothpicks, an engineering feat if you ask me! I'm grateful to have a temple so close to us and to know that I can go receive help, inspiration, and the power I need to get through the day to day!

Monterey Part 2

2011-08-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

We took one morning from the trip to spend time out on Point Lobos. It's beautiful reserve with trails and seals out on the beaches. Who knew it was winter though in NorCal?! Glad we had jackets!

The Silly McGillies

Nona got a free ride the whole time. Then again, so did Austin and Gabe since they were always on someone's shoulders!

After Point Lobos we stopped by Pebble Beach to hit the white sand dunes and the ocean...well, our feet did anyway.

Ready, set, go...dodge Peter and Scott or get pummeled!!

But if you fall, it doesn't hurt because the sand is so soft!

Nonalina

We still have our back handsprings...just not the form...

Jaime at 32 weeks? right? Hi little AJ!

Gabe the Babe. Sweet and Sour, this one.

We had a dance party after a delicious Brazilian dinner a la Julie and Leo (feijuada? fish water?). We played one song from each decade of Margie's life, ending with Firework, which my kids loved. They make up their own words of course, but any song you can sing really loud in is a hit with Austin.

Here we have the three men with the biggest mouths..literally. The Chubby Bunny winners. Peter says it's easier with his braces on...I'll take his word for it!

As always we played some fun games like Citadels and Carcassonne to keep Geoff interested, and Loaded Questions for Margie who likes to peek into our brains. I do too.

Sunday we hit the local ward for church, come to find out they were having stake conference at a different time. But at least it got us up and out of the house. We found a Spanish branch to catch the sacrament at on our drive home. We were sad to part ways with everyone, but now we know we'll all see each other again in December for Scott and Laitesha's wedding in DC! Growing bigger by the month!

This is for Grandpa...

2011-08-28T22:13:00.001-07:00

Monterey Part 1

2011-08-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

As a surprise to Margie for her 60th Birthday we all went to Monterrey, CA, where we rented a vacation home and celebrated her b-day. It was a great 5- bedroom that Becky (the master planner of it all) had found and it's the way to travel, I'm telling you!

She was very surprised when she walked in the door to all of us at this "Bed and Breakfast"- what a fun treat!

Complete with hot tub, shot glasses...

and plenty of pillows to pile on Scott while he was talking to Laitesha on the phone (planning a wedding in December! ;)

Julie and Nona share the same birthday- two cute girls!

We went and spent a morning at an awesome park- the Dennis the Menace Park, great fun for big and little kids.

Just a maze? Oh, no. Time to play stick in the mud. All adults have to cross from one side of the other without getting caught or you become a stick in the mud and help the main "stick" catch the rest of the family. Pure entertainment had by all.

Or take a ride down a bumpy slide- Margie's face tells it all!

Since Gabe is absolutely obsessed with Polar Express (he sings"Christmas Comes to Town" at least once a day) and would watch is every day if I'd let him, he was in heaven strolling around on this retired train at the park.

Limb failure...what can you do?

With all our failed limbs back in place, we walked over to Old Fisherman's Wharf and got a delicious fish taco/clam chowder lunch and sang Happy B-day to Margie.

And everyone got their own cotton candy- I've never been a huge fan of straight sugar, but kids always seem to love it!

The real feast came when Geoff made us all cannibals and served a delicious Lamb with parmesan risotto and Becky served a chocolate/strawberry cake- both divine!!

Becky (note how it's the daughter who does all these thoughtful things- I'm sure glad I got a girl!) had assembled a book of notes from 80+ friends and family about Margie. It was fun to give it to her and read some humorous and special parts that people had written.

And this is how we lounge and tell favorite stories about Margie...

End Day 1... ;)

The new pad

2011-08-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

Peter LOVES to surprise. So, while I was in Utah, had had some "projects" going on here at the house!

Before floor and windows....

After...

I love all the light and openness! Thank you hubby!!

Gary Supposes His Toeses are Roses

2011-08-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

My bro-in-law Gary Larsen is an incredible tap dancer. Have you seen singing in the rain? He learned this dance just by watching it! He teaches dance at BYU Idaho right now. If you are up there, take his classes!! He's the one in the vest. ;)

A Trip to Idaho

2011-08-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

We went up to Idaho to spend time with Mindy and Nanny and all my cousins that live up there. Man, it made me want to live there! I know, I hit Rexburg on the one nice weather day of the whole year without snow or wind, but just being around so much family was awesome!! Natalie and Rusty have a very fun home and blew up an amazing bounce house/pool for the kids. They were in heaven! Austin didn't have his swimsuit and didn't want to wear someone else's, so he just went in his underoos. It's all good. Jennifer gave me some great advice about raising boys. She has 4 boys in a row. "If anyone without at least two boys in a row gives you advice, smile, nod your head, then go do what you have to do." Thank you Jennifer!

Gabe supposedly had another sleepy Gabey episode at the table and cracked Natalie up. He fell asleep in his plate of pizza. I guess I'm getting used to it! ;)

Mindy, Nana, and Natalie

We stayed at Nanny's house and she made us gourmet waffle breakfasts with home made rhubarb syrup- delish!!

Mindy put on a princess camp at her house that we got to catch the tail end of. She dressed up in her own princess regalia to lead the little girls in their dance to show their parents. It was a week full of crafts and dancing and sparkles! Go Mindy!

Austin and Gabe had fun jumping on their trampoline in the barn- brilliant idea for Rexburg winters!

Mindy and Gary are out in the country and get to go for strolls each night down the country roads.

Austin giving Nona some love.

Minds and Karsen

Sophie Joy and Jane

Crowding around Gary playing a game of Angry Birds

Nana trying to nap, and Bella not letting her.

We went to Yellowstone National Park for the day to see the geysers and see High School Musical at the Playmill Theater!

And of course, what's seeing Old Faithful without eating some ice cream too!

I'd jump right in if the water wasn't boiling hot!

The Old Faithful Lodge- looks like the inside of Hogwarts, doesn't it?

Shall you cross first, or shall I?

Aunt Diana had us over to her house for a delicious Sunday dinner with all the cousins which was really fun. Austin and Spence had fun chasing the kitty's- such boys!

The girls chatted and the boys watched tv...

Nona Christine with her namesakes :) Nanny had a nasty fall in her kitchen right smack on the back of her head, but got right up afterward and didn't even have a bruise! Incredible for 90 years old!!! A miracle!!

Aspen Grove

2011-08-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Hunter Clan- 39 of us! I love this place. It is the BEST vacation ever because it is truly a vacation!!! Kids of all ages have camps during the day, meals are included, fun family activities every night, hiking by Mt Timponogos, it could not be better!

Fun to have Hunter up for the day- what an awesome dude!

Camp is run by BYU alumni, so what do you expect we spell out during field games?!
Here's one of our favorite races- potato sacs, kids and adults. We're not competitive at all...

Austin was a Tromper and got to be an Indian, cowboy, pirate, and lion- he had a blast with Spencer and Emma in his class! He actually went up on stage to perform- a first for him to overcome his fear of performing. Awesome!!

Peter and I had fun on the high ropes course.

You gotta love the BYU creamery- Graham Canyon was my favorite flavor!

The train rides at Frontier night were Gabe's favorite!

Rife 'em cowboy! Ahoy matey!

All aboard!

Sharp shootin'!

I really don't like real roping, but don't mind so much on these bulls.

You asked for it...

The pioneer stick throwing game

Washing it all off at the end of the day!

Austin hiked with Peter and I up to First Falls on the Timp trail

I think we counted 15 waterfalls!

We played in the tennis mixed doubles tournament and Peter played in the Badmitton tourney and got to the championship game- who knew!? The Hunter boys played in the 5 on 5 basketball tourney too but had to forfeit due to Josh hurting his ankle (always the one to get hurt, going to be the foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon ironically) and Dave leaving early.

You can't beat waking up to this!!! Here's the nice Beckham lodge where we stayed- the perfect location!

Nona thought Sunday School was very interesting...but I really enjoyed the parenting classes they had, taught by BYU professors. Oh how much I have to learn...

The boys are huge fans of microwave popcorn ever since they found the stash at Nana's house!

Some of the girlies

And the dudes

Papa doing the Papa shuffle- although he may not be able to do it for long due to a bad hip- boo hoo!!

We played an awesome game of ultimate frisbee- I still think that's my absolute favorite way to get exercise!

And just to keep life interesting Gabe found my make-up bag on the last night during the family dance. It was the first time but probably won't be the last!

Nana and Papa who make it all possible!! Thank you Thank you!!

Grandparents' Homes

2011-08-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

SO while Peter was in Cali working, we had fun going out and about in Salt Lake but also had fun just hanging out around Nana and Papa's and Grandma and Grandpa's.

Austin and Paige

It was fun to see Morgan- the new favorite Auntie!- and swim with her and play games!

Paige was obsessed with Morgan's long Rapunzel hair!

Utah has incredible sunsets, but especially from Nana and Papa's back yard, EVERY night it's just breath taking!

We went to the Lambs and played Kubb, bocce, and card games throughout our stay. Nona is discovering her hands and can't seem to get enough of grabbing anything and everything in front of her face!! Play this one, Grandma! (Or Frama, as Gabe calls her. ;)

Auntie Hillary got Nona an adorable shoe/headband set on her drive out from Chicago. It was fun to meet her new fiancee Jeff and his 3 kids!

The kids LOVE to dress up in all the costumes. Hailey obliged them in being part of their "play" one day. Couldn't be any hammier!

Be a pirate! Now strike a pose!

Out and About in SLC

2011-08-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

Hollywood Connection with Jonny and Jamie- the best $5 you can spend on a Monday!!!

Red Butte Children's Gardens

Emma and Austin in their "tree houses"

Nana and Katelyn

Hiking Donut Falls with the Hunters and Cranneys

Austin and Graham scaling the mountain side

The water was running so high that you couldn't even see the "donut" that the water falls through

The dinosaurs at Hogle Zoo were intriguing but a little too real for Austin! The boys loved the train the most- surprise!

Gabe liked the elephants

Nana and I spent 3 hours with the kids at This Is The Place state park and barely skimmed the surface of all the fun activities you can do there, including pony rides, train rides, crafts, ice cream, petting zoo, pioneer chores, panning for gold, see a bank robbery, learn the deseret alphabet, get your face shaved, learn how pioneers cooked, tour the first homes in the SLC valley- by far the best bang for your buck!!

Happy 4th!

2011-08-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

A morning run, the Milcreek parade, Stadium of Fire with David Archuletta and Brad Paisley, and dinner and fireworks at the Country Club- Thank you America for our freedoms!

Summer Recap Here We Go...

2011-08-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

So we were in Utah for the last 6 weeks, hence the dearth of blog entries. I used to laugh at people who would go home to the motherland for the entire summer, but we packed in a lot of excellent family time that made it well worth it. In a nut shell, we went up at the end of June for Peter's sister's wedding and then Peter came back to Cali to work while I stayed up in Utah/Idaho until the end of July when my family all went to Aspen Grove, then Peter flew to Texas for NI Sales Conference, so I stayed in Utah again, and after a week he flew back to Utah and we drove home to California together. Here's what that all looks like in pictures...

We stopped in Vegas on the drive up to SLC and stayed at the Stratosphere for the night- the boys were thrilled by being up in a high tower. A little too thrilled... They did great on the drive though!! Save the treats and movies until the very end of the trip instead of using them up in the first hour, that's the key.

Julie and Leo's wedding was June 30th, with the wedding dinner the night before. Peter made an excellent wedding video of them, sorting through 900 Leo pictures and 4 hours of Leo movie, all shortened into 30 minutes. Long? Perhaps, but who cares because Julie and Leo will love to watch it in the future, so make it long! Some of the boys sang a Brazilian song at the dinner and Becky and Joseph did a spoof on Taylor Swift's Romeo and Juliet song (Leo and Julie...pretty close, right?!). It was catered by Rodigio Grill- delicious!

Leo's family- together for the first time in years!

Gabe, Sophie, Austin, Avery at the SLC Temple

Grandpa Austin with some of his great grandkids!

Nonalina ("Lina" or "Noni" as we call her) in her cute golden gown.

It was a perfect June day, all planned to the nth degree by the bride and it all went as planned, I think. Great ceremony performed by Grandpa Mardon Lamb, beautiful reception at the Carmel Reception center, GORGEOUS bride, handsome groom, happy couple!

Party Week

2011-06-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

We partied at Disneyland because our passes were about to be blacked out for the summer, so we went two days in a row!

Peter and I went out on a date to Brio's Italian for an early anniversary dinner/date. 5 courses, 80's music, sun dried tomato butter, hanging out with my hubby- sweet!

Austin's last day of pre-k for the year. Kerstin made these awesome graduation cupcakes, the kids got to present a favorite project and receive their completed vowel books and "star" medalions.

Ashley made these incredible t-shirts with all their hand prints on them- Austin has worn his every day since!

Good job Austa-dude!

Pretty much every day we hang out with our neighbors, the Cooks, in the driveway, riding bikes and scooters and eating snacks. We love them!

And our ward had a Luau party at the church- we got to pull out Peter's mission paraphernalia and eat some delicious authentic Hawaiian pork kalua! We took the boys to clean the church this morning- it took us 3 hours but I sure do appreciate our building more now, and all the other people who take their turn when it's not our week.

Practical joke

2011-06-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Dinner and swimming with the Fishers became quite an adventure when we found an empty bottle of dish soap at the bottom of the hot tub...then turned on the jets...

Zoomars Petting Zoo

2011-06-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Although it's expensive, Zoomars is a fun place to get hands on time with animals like guinea pigs, rabbits, goats, and sheep. Ironically my kids favorite part, of course, was the train!

Look at this preggo goat- I feel for you honey!

Cute co-op moms Kerstin and Lara :) They help me feel better about raising boys.

Nona's Namesakes

2011-06-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Nona Christine, meet Nona and Christine!

Four generations :) It's a blurry photo- I'll have to try to get another one on the next Utah trip!

Girlfriends!

2011-06-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Anne Terry, Michelle Frazier, me, Katie Miller, Mollie Diamon, Courtney Crofts (Laura Bruske was there in spirit : )

My cute girlfriends from high school got together for a fun evening of appetizers and talking, and to keep the discussion away from our cute kids (as it so often tends to linger on) we had been given some questions to think about and asnwer to help us re-get-to-know each other. I left the night wanting to be a better wife, mother, friend, and woman- that's when you know you're in good company! Later on in the week we had a play date with the kids at my parents house and they had fun romping around the gully, costumes, having snacks, and swimming in the 89 degree pool!

Memorial Day in Utah

2011-06-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

So while Peter was recording during the week, and after his recording sessions, we had a lot of fun with our families! We went bowling, hiking, running, wedding shower hopping, bocce ball playing, swimming, eating yummy foods, lawn mowing (yes, I really enjoy doing this on my Dad's John Deere mower!), and friend visiting.

Jonny and Jamie are expecting little Andrew Jonathan (aka AJ) in the fall!

I guess Nona was bored with it- but it was a fitting Memorial Day activity for me since my grandpa owned Regal Lanes in Provo for many years and my Mom grew up around bowling lanes!

Gabe and Austin got to use the ball-guider instead of the bumpers and did pretty well!

Austin liked using the bright bowling balls.

We went for a short hike up Milcreek canyon along some campfire sites that eventually connect to Pipeline Trail and found a hammock along the way. Good thing we didn't wash away in the river- all the canyon rivers were running so fast due to all the rain Utah has been getting.

My parents were up in Utah visiting Papa and Aunt Bobby Jean's grave's while we went to see Grandma Austin's and Uncle Randy's graves in the Salt Lake Cemetery. It was Gabe's first time learning what cemeteries are. My parents house is across from a mortuary and every time we passed it he would say "That's where all the dead people are" and Austin would chime in "Only until they are resurrected!"

The boys had fun helping Grandma make number cookies- and eating them!

We had fun going to Julie Lamb's cousin wedding shower hosted by Laura Austin and then a Bridesmaid luncheon at Mimi's Cafe. We're excited to soon have Leo officially in the family!

We got to stroll around Temple Square with the boys and Nana and Katelyn and enjoyed meeting some excellent sister missionaries who showed us around the visitor's center, until the boys thought the ramp up to the Christus statue was a really fun thing to run down and yell and hear the echo. Then we went back outside!

We are moose!

Thanks to all the family who played with the boys and helped entertain them while we were up there!

OCMCO in Utah!

2011-06-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

Peter got to go with OCMCO to Utah to record Messiah in America in Abravanel Hall and then perform in the Tabernacle in Temple Square. Finally our family and friends got to see what we've been raving about, and I don't think anyone left disappointed. It's an incredible piece of music to perform and to hear. While he was busy recording all week (and Karsen and Katelyn too!), we got to visit our family in Utah. It was our first drive to Utah with the kids and they did excellent! We left early in the morning and got to Vegas by breakfast, then with a movie and some slinkies and coloring books we were to SLC just after lunch!

What do you do in the Spring time?

2011-05-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

Go camping with Dad at Casper's (mom stayed home and had a girls night with Nona eating ice cream with Lori, Nichole, and Sara and their girls),

Climb in your neighbor's tree,

Eat "green chips" from kale (roast with olive oil and sat for 25 minutes at 350- delicious!)

Swim, swim, swim,

Take the time to smell the roses in our garden!,

Pick boysenberries for FREE! (Thank you Allison!)

Cousin Lovin'

2011-05-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

We got to go see Soph-star and Avery Jane perform Skidamarink in their cute little dance outfits last weekend. They were adorable and the boys loved watching them and clapping for them! The Jensens just bought their first home up in San Dimas- I hope home ownership lives up to all they hope it to be! It's hard to beat a home in a cul-de-sac! Congrats!

Nona and Jane were looking patriotic together so we took a picture. Don't you love how smiley Jane is?! Those Cranney's make cute girls!! ;) We will be sad when they move this summer to Colorado!! They are still on the hunt for a house- going more rural I think this time, with some room for a garden. Every girl needs one!

Happy Birthday Papa!

2011-05-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

A very happy birthday to my Dad, aka Papa!!

Gary Reed Hunter Born May 15, 1943 in Lewisville, Idaho

The oldest of 4, three little sisters

Loved to go boating, march in the band playing the trumpet, play football and basketball, and work on the potato farm.

So handsome!

He served a 2.5 year mission in Germany.

He met the lovely Christine on the very first BYU study abroad in Salzburg.

They got engaged...

And married in the SLC temple in 1966!

My Dad loves to be with his siblings

And his children (this is Hillary as a baby)

He loves to surprise my mom with fun gifts and have her try on new outfits while he sings "dada, da dada, da dada, da dada..."

He LOVES Maui!

He gives the best hugs

And plays fun songs on the piano for us to dance to.

Look at those surgeon's hands! Great for tickling and back rubs. He let me send a photographer over to their house to take some pictures of Life at Shady Oaks, so here's a glimpse of him now...

Golfer extraordinaire

Kind and generous friend

Survivor of his daily "hour of pain"

Farm boy at heart

Loving husband

Appreciator of fine things and excellence

Eternal student, avid reader

Always greets you with a hug when you come visit

Sports and Diet Coke fan

We love you Dad/Papa! Happy Birthday!

Del Mar with the Lambs

2011-05-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Nana and Papa invited us and the Lambs to join them for part of their week down in Del Mar. It was a treat, as usual, to swim at the pool, go for golf cart rides, go hiking, watch the horses, hit some golf balls, and eat yummy food. I watched Funny Girl with my mom for the first time- good movie that I knew all the music from but never knew the story. Sad ending though!

Steve taught Papa Carcassonne

The Jensens came down and joined us for a couple days too, which helped entertain my boys!

FHE by the fire pit- a lesson on repentance, rice krispy treats, and scripture charades ;)

We went to Old Town San Diego to visit the Mormon Battallion center- always an inspiring story to hear about- and enjoyed some south-of-the-border lunch.

Was it just me or do we look scarily alike?!

Nona's Blessing

2011-05-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Peter gave Nona a beautiful blessing on Easter Sunday. We were lucky to have so much family in town. Nona's blessing dress was the same dress worn by all of Karsen's 5 daughters, and the bonnet was actually made from the lace on my mom's (the Christine in Nona Christine) wedding veil. I think there was a dress that went along with the bonnet, but I used it on my baby dolls growing up and somehow lost it in the process. I'm sure my mom never told me to be careful with it... ;)

I love how Nona is glowing in these pictures- sent from heaven!

Four generations of Lambs: Mardon, Stephen, Peter, Nona

Here was me as an infant and Peter when he was blessed, just for kicks!

Full House

2011-05-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

We had family in town for Easter weekend/Nona's blessing which made for a very full house but a lot of fun too. We look forward to having family in town- I think I enjoy the anticipation just as much as actually having them here! The Lambs stayed between our house and a hotel, and Nana and Papa were at the Cranneys. We hit the park Saturday morning where Austin showed Grandma and Grandpa his remote control car-driving skills.

Gabe showed off his monkey bar crossing (with just a little help from Grandma.)

And Nona showed off her cuteness.

It's such a treat when the boys play together well- choo choo down the slide!

We headed over to swim at Oak Knoll. We were joined by the Jensens, Cranneys, Julie, Leo, Geoff, Nana and Papa, and Grandma and Grandpa. After some pool time (it's 85 degrees down here!) we had an easter egg hunt complete with Steve Lamb hopping around with bunny ears on hiding the eggs prior to the hunt. There were eggs in abundance- even some with money inside! ;) And we still have uneaten candy in the cupboard! What do you do with your leftover candy?

Austin got the concept of limited resources and lots of cousins and quickly filled his basket, but Gabe was very content to find an egg, stop, sit down and open it and enjoy it's contents, regardless of the fact that he ended up with very few eggs. Living in the moment! Gabe has had a cute fascination with our Easter decoration of a carton of eggs that individually tell the Easter story of the resurrection. He asked 10 times a day to look at the eggs and hear the story again and again.

After the egg hunt we had pizza and sodas at the pool- and yummy lemon cake from Costco- have you tried it?! Great summer cake for a crowd.

We unintentionally had three matching boys but they were sure cute together. And below is a picture of Nona in her beautiful quilt that Nanny, the original Nona, made for her. Beautiful!

After the pool we came back home for games and hanging out. We're excited for Julie and Leo's wedding coming up in June- after her month in Finland with the BYU Nursing program- have fun Jules! And we picked the Jensen's brains about their new home. They are buying a home- permanent SoCal residents to-be!

And in case you're wondering how we fed everyone dinner for Easter, we used the garage! Perfect place for kids! You spilled? No problem! We can sweep it out and hose it off!

John 3:16

2011-05-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Frumpy Face and first time swimming

2011-05-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

Peter took Nona for a dip for the first time at 6 weeks old- she did quite well as long as she could grab Daddy's chest hair and hold on for dear life! So far she doesn't love the water, but doesn't hate it either. I'm sure her brothers will help convince her down the road how fun pools can be!

Here's her cute frumpy face that we see most of the time. ;) It's almost time to get rid of the mittens- as long as she stops scratching her face!

Bunny Bagels

2011-05-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

How do you make a healthy Easter treat that doesn't involve candy or boiled eggs? Bunny Bagels! Apple slices, carrot shreds, craisins, cream cheese, voila! They were a hit snack at Austin's preschool. Austin has really enjoyed preschool this year and it's fun to teach the curriculum...when the kids pay attention and aren't fighting. ;) I think two boys is the max for now! The girls are great, mellow, they listen. Boys are just physical. Without too much stimulation, they listen well too, but man, I was exhausted after teaching this week. I treated myself to a frozen snickers bar. ;)

Owen

Caleb

Jackson

Aura

Austin

OCMCO- Orange County Mormon Choral Organization

2011-04-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

Holy Jim Falls

2011-04-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Holy Jim! Have you ever off-roaded in a minivan?! Do it for 4 miles (which takes 45 minutes) then carry your kids over 10 river crossings up a 1.5 mile-hike. You'll feel like a pioneer. ;) At least I did. But they were in wagons. Without food. And it was a lot further than 1.5 miles. OK, no comparison. But still, it was an adventure. I was thankful our tires didn't blow. It reminded me of being in the mountains of Utah, which is something I miss a lot, so it was worth it. And we hope to instill in our children a love for hiking and being outside.

Austin actually hiked it all by himself! We had to force him to accept our help crossing the river so that he didn't get his feet wet. He is in an "I want to be just like my Dad" phase, and so if Peter has on a hat, jacket, socks, tie, etc, Austin wants his on too. If Peter brushes his teeth, Austin follows suit. Good thing Peter is a great example for him to follow in so many ways! We are enjoying it while it lasts. He's a very sweet boy (except when he's not).

Gabe rode in the back pack on me on the way up and on Peter on the way down- he's a big kid, and it felt like my back was going to collapse. Small appreciation for what people on the Biggest Loser feel like! Gabe got really cold because he wasn't getting the work out that we all were, but we tried to keep him occupied with songs and Jelly Beans. Good food always helps motivate you to get to the top. Growing up I would pack a peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwich on wheat bread. This time, granola bars. I'll do better next time. ;)

"Nona" Lisa Smile

2011-04-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

Six weeks is a magical time when that first smile makes it all worth it.

But most of the time we still get frumpy face. ;)

Accomplishments

2011-04-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

The day Austin wiped his own bum (since I was feeding Nona) and Gabe went "peepee in the teet" for the first time- quite the accomplishment! They wanted to celebrate. :)

Austin and Brei - best bud neighbors. These two play together nearly every day since we are literally next door. If they are outside, my kids want to go play, and vice versa. I love her smile!

Jackson and Joe were in town for their Spring break and we had fun playing kick ball in the park and eating ice cream.

And who knew the boys would love golf?! The most boring sport to watch on TV (no offense, but it's much more fun to play!), but they were glued to the screen.

Nona

2011-03-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

The Big Kids

2011-03-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Momotaro!

2011-03-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

Grandma always brings a slew of books with her when she comes in to town. Most of them are collectors items, books that have been around since Peter was a boy. One of these fabulous books is Momotaro, the popular hero from Japanese folklore. In it, the hero goes to the ogre island and throws them into the ocean to save his village from their attacks. So Grandma brought down costumes for the boys to be the samurai and push each other off the couch like Momtaro and the evil Oni. The boys LOVED it!

Oh, brave Momotaro!

I guess Gabe is a little more solid around the middle than Jonny was as a kid- his kimono doesn't quite close. ;)

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2011-03-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Do you like Green Eggs and Ham?!! Would you eat them in a pan? Gabe was a fan!

We got festive in the kitchen for the holidays. Margie made breakfast, I made green smoothie's for lunch (see green mustaches below), and we had corned beef and cabbage for dinner like my mom used to make.

I put Nona in the greenest thing we had so that the boys wouldn't pinch her. ;) We're all very "lucky" to be healthy and happy right now!

Helping hands make light work!

2011-03-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

Austin and Gabe are always excited to be called "Big brother," even if they are still adjusting to what that actually means (screaming baby at bed time, mom is nursing and can't help you right now, etc). Austin is still marvelling that all Nona does is eat, sleep, and poop. Poop is the novel thing around here lately. Gabe is trying to potty train himself (Not ready for this! I can't help him when I'm holding a baby!) and Austin has to wipe his own bum now since I can't come help him with it right away most of the time, and proudly succeeded. ;) I tried to get some pics of the Big Brother and Little Sister T-shirts. In the end, you can't see what they say so oh well. The kids are the best part.

The hands that were SOO helpful to have around during week #2 of Nona's life were Grandma's! Margie came down for a week, cleaned, entertained, cooked, swam, walked, read stories, even took the boys to the Jensen's over night (Thank you Jensens!) so that Peter and I could have a date (with Nona). We went to the mall and bought Carcassonne (fun board game!). She was sorely missed when she left!

We took Grandma to Tanaka Farms (even though we went again today with preschool ;) and enjoyed the delicious indulgence of sun-warmed strawberries straight from the earth. Always a treat!

Newborn Pics Teaser

2011-03-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

More to come later this week... Thank you Tanya for taking these for us!!!

Up close

2011-03-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Those first pics weren't good at showing off her cute face. Nona looks a lot like Austin to me, but a little less round. She's been a VERY pleasant baby so far as long as she's fed and burped and the big brothers love to smother her with kisses. When Gabe first saw her he said "Bebe Nona aht!" (Baby Nona Out!) Austin ran in right behind him and said "She's a girl!"I try to contain their kisses to the top of the head only, but sometimes they are too quick. They are not so fond of me right now, however, since I am not available to them as much as I was a week ago.

Here's the story of how Nona came into the world on Monday.

10 am- Appt with the midwife BJ Snell, membranes stripped, she sets up an induction time for Friday with a Dr at Saddleback Hospital, she recommends trying Castor Oil (the irritated bowels release prostaglandins which soften the cervix), dilated 1-2

12 pm- Neighbor Lori invites us over to dinner

1 pm- Drink Castor Oil and root beer mixture- not bitter if you plug your nose while you drink, but horribly greasy!

4:15- Lay down on the couch with the boys, contractions start coming every 8 minutes

5- Contractions every 5 minutes, Send Peter to Lori's with the boys for dinner

5:15- Contractions every 3-4, not too intense but different from Braxton Hicks (real ones start at the bottom and grow around the sides and up for me), Call the midwife and tell her we're coming in to be checked, Call Peter and tell him to come home and leave bedtime routine instructions with Lori (who is a Saint to take that on considering she has 4 kids of her own! Austin supposedly was a great helper and walked her through everything they were supposed to do- good job buddy!)

6 pm- Get to Beach Cities Birthing Center, water breaks, dilated to a 3, contractions every 3 minutes, BJ says we could go home and labor more there, but then contractions keep coming closer, and closer, and closer....Did I ever get a break between those? Nope, you're staying here

6:15-6:50 One LONG STRONG contraction, barely make it from exam table to birthing room, Peter pushes on my back when back labor starts up and says "You're doing great, she getting closer!"- How I cling to those words when in my head I'm thinking "what in the world was I thinking?! This is sooo hard, I can't do it! I'm getting run over by a train!" I want to cry but I know if I do it will hurt worse. So all I can do is breathe. Then I have to push. Oh, Ooooohhhhh, I have to push.

6:53pm- Welcome baby Nona! Cry for 10 minutes, both she and I, so happy to be done and together!

10 pm- Drive home. Goodbye woes of pregnancy, hello sleepless nights and nursing. ;)

Nana and Papa came up from Del Mar on Tuesday to see the widget and spend some time with us.

Peter once said in jest "Childbirth is really hard, but I'm recovering." I absolutely do not doubt it is hard for husbands too! They are expected to take care of the other kids and their acting out at the changes in their roost, and deal with a recuperating hormonal exhausted wife. I really appreciate Peter for being willing to tackle this adventure with me.

Fun facts about Austin and Gabe: Tonight after dinner Austin, just to prove he could, got his own cup out of the cupboard, getting a new gallon of milk out of the fridge, poured himself a glass of milk without spilling (he was doing this knowing that if he spilled the milk or dropped it he would pay me for a new gallon from his spending money), and put the gallon away in the fridge with the lid on. Of course, he then took one sip of the milk and put the cup in the fridge for the morning. Learning delayed gratification!

Gabe loves to read and reread books. The latest is The Giving Tree by Silverstein, and he has the whole first half memorized! He's learning how to undress and dress himself and excels at teasing his brother. (They both get A's in that category!) Gabe feels absolutely huge in comparison to before Nona was born. He's so thick! How did I not notice this? It's all relative I guess!

Nona Christine Lamb

2011-03-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

3/7/11 6:53 pm

8 lbs 10 oz

19.5 in

Reflections on a week overdue

2011-03-06T22:23:00.000-08:00

Well, my attitude has not been the best this week. I was fully expecting to have my baby last week and had told my mom to plan accordingly and asked her to be here on Tuesday the 1st. But alas she has gone tonight (still in San Diego for the week if I need her), and I still have no baby. I've been having contractions all week and had two false alarms, but seem to be still as far away as the moon from having this baby. I was frustrated and felt like I was letting people down. These of course were my own insecurities and fears.

After a good day of reflection (you've got to love Sundays), I appreciate now that I really needed my mom here while I was pregnant because I can't bend any more, it hurts to walk, I was able to take naps, she stocked us up on groceries, and I got to have some mom-time without a baby that I might not have had with a newborn. I was able to admire a woman who epitomizes charity and service, some things I've been humbled to admit I'm really very poor at (not looking for compliments, just stating the truth), especially with people I love the most and will be with forever. Her phone was constantly ringing as people called her for advice, to hear a kind word, and mostly my Dad who hates to be away from her for any stretch of time and calls multiple times day and night just to talk. She feels compassion and yet uses wisdom and prayer in every response she gives. I also realized that her namesakes, Nona, my grandma, and Christine, my mom, both have March birthdays, not February. Silly! Why would she come at any other time? Nona, or Nanny, as I call her, celebrated her 90th birthday today but her actual birthday is on the 10th, so maybe that's the magic day?

We got to do some fun things this week with the boys. We hit Centennial Farm again and saw some goats who were only a few hours old. The mother goat was still licking the after-birth off her kids (aren't we glad that's not our job?!) and I got to explain to Austin that birth is a bloody event. He asked, "Does it hurt?" Yes, Austin, yes it does. We went to the beach to have a picnic and there met up with my sister and nieces for some kite-flying and tree-climbing. Peter and I got to attend our ward adult progressive dinner and enjoy laughing and meeting new neighbors with the Cooks and Zarates. We watched the DVDs of the HBO series made from the books "The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency," a hilarious series my mom and I have both read at least some of and both enjoy.

We swam, jumped on trampolines, went for long walks, jumped rope and attempted double dutch (I could do it in elementary school but can't remember how to get in - I'll have to google it!). I haven't been this active in weeks, but suddenly am trying to do anything possible to impose my will on this child. However, I've realized it's totally impossible to will yourself into labor. Babies come when they come and children are here to teach us patience from the start, right? We read this passage from Matthew 6: 27-30 this morning and it hit me how much this applies to me:

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? ^aConsider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, ^ashall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little ^bfaith?

I can't "take thought" to make this baby come out, but God will take care of me as long as I try to make the things I do useful in building the kingdom in some way. The boys have been really good this last week, and though Gabe will take it hard when baby comes (he's very clingy to mom right now), I'm glad they have each other and their awesome Dad to play (and wrestle) with. Peter caught this bit on camera. Hope it makes you smile.

Peter's Trip to Utah

2011-03-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

The Original Lamb Siblings ;)

Peter took a trip up to Utah at the beginning of the month to 1)fix his parents' computer, 2) attend the temple while his little sister Julie got her endowments (wedding in June!), and 3) see BYU play UNLV at the Marriott Center. Go cougs!

No baby yet. One week overdue. It's amazing how time goes SO slow when you have nothing planned but waiting...waiting...waiting...

A date with my honey

2011-02-17T20:51:00.000-08:00

Date night, sacred date night. I wish I made it happen more often! Uninterrupted conversation. Peter and I got a babysitter and went down to San Diego to Seaport Village for some Greek food (my choice- Gyro's and Baklava!)...

...and tickets to see Bryan Regan (Peter's choice)- probably the only comedian I know by name, a very "clean," no inuendo, but absolutely hilarious man! I loved it! I hoped the laughing would bring on labor- no such luck! But if I watched him every day, I'd have some nice abs after the baby is born! Here's one of my favorite skits: the emergency room. Maybe because I'm that nurse that teaches the 1-10 pain scale. "Say 8!" Enjoy!

And for kicks, if you have time, the airline skit. "Making money."

I "heart" Preschool ;)

2011-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

Austin's preschool group had a fun Valentine's party at the Miller's house. They made "heart mouse" bags and came prepared with Valentine's for each other, which they were SO excited to pass out in each other's bags. Austin still has his bag up by his bed- he's becoming a collector of things on his bed these days. There were yummy treats and Gabe was at play group so I got to sit and visit with the other cute Moms while the kids played and played. Love it.

So proud of his bag!

Beautiful brown-eyed Marisa enjoying her heart pb&j!

Austin got some money for his birthday, and he decided he'd buy a kite with what he had remaining, and with all this windy weather, it's been a really fun toy to have around! We took it down to the beach, which always has a breeze and are learning about how you have to have a tether to keep the kite flying. Without the string being tight, the kite falls. I was reminded of a parable- we are the kite, the commandments are the string. Living within the boundaries helps us fly, but when we keep them loosely, we fall. FHE lesson, anyone? ;)

Here's Nona, hanging out in her hot tub, at 38 weeks. Why does nesting hit me at 39 weeks, I don't know. It's not an easy time to complete projects, but I did recover out dining room chairs this week and am working on building a wood frame to recover in fabric for over our bed. The bathrooms are clean, the clothes are ready, we have diapers- come out, little one!!

Showered with love!

2011-02-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

My wonderful friends (Lori, Nicole, Nichole) threw me a very fun baby shower, complete with hanging doilies (I don't know what you call those things), delicious heart-shaped/Valentine's/girlish treats, beautiful bracelets as party favors (she made 35 of them- who does that!!) made by Brooke, and great company. It was mainly the ladies from the ward and my neighbors who were all very generous. I owe them a lot for making it such a special night!

Danielle and DaniJo (My visiting teacher)

Kelli, Tanya, Courtney (due 2 weeks before me), Nichole

Cute neighbors Amina, Susan, Scotty

Neighbors Kristen and Natalie

Nicole made the cute "Nona" banner- she better come out a girl or else we're in trouble- all the boy stuff is in the attic!

All the girly stuff- frills, bows, accessories, PINK!!! Cute dress from Laura.

Funny how my tummy has become the display table! White sweater from Scotty.

Beautiful white eyelet dress from India- Thanks Nina!

Allyson's homemade silky blanket

Andrea- recently pregnant and in the throngs of the sick phase- hang in there, it will eventually end (this is what I keep telling myself!)

The amazing Lori Cook, who spent all last week in the hospital with her asthmatic son and still managed to throw a great party! I love you!

Happy 4 Austin!

2011-02-09T21:10:00.000-08:00

After many a months of asking when it will be February 4th (since before Halloween!), Austin finally hit hit "golden" birthday- turning 4 on the 4th! (It's actually a golden year for our family- Peter turns 31 on Halloween and I turn 29 on the 29th of November- weird!) In traditional Lamb style, we had a pizza and donuts and cousins and swimming! You gotta love sunny days in the winter in So Cal. Sprinkles donuts were the favorite by far- look at all those girl cousins he's got!

Luckily William (in Joseph's arms below) will be there to add to the rough housing...in a few years. For now, Austin thinks pink is awesome and loves being with the girls.

Karsen and Kevin with baby Jane

Peter and his sister Becky

He cracks me up- he'll go around saying "Mom, look at my funny face," then randomly put his hands on his face and open his mouth and laugh hysterically. I love it!

We started the Bob Books (I'm such a practical gift giver)- sight readers, and he's doing really well so far. It's my first time teaching someone how to read, so the poor guy is my guinea pig, but he really wants to learn it which makes it easier. I highly recommend these to any new readers! He also got some Toy Story soldiers and a great art kit, great new clothes and cash to go pick out his own gift from grandparents (he chose to get a new lunch box and a base ball hat he's had his eye on for a few weeks now.) Thanks for those who made it a special birthday for him. We love you Austin-by-gostin!!

Up up up and away!

2011-02-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

We've seen that big orange balloon off the side of the freeway for years now, going up and down all day, and I never thought much of it except that Gabe always commented on the fact that there was a balloon! But come to find out, it's a free helium balloon ride! The Great Park in Orange, formerly El Toro marine base, is under renovation and they offer a free carousel and free balloon rides! So we took a jaunt up there last week.

Roar!

These kids love carousels. So cute. I find I'm trying to treasure the ways they are little as much as I can because I know they get big so fast. Just today I pulled up to take Austin in to preschool co-op and as I was getting ready to get out and walk him to the door, he said "It's ok Mom, I can walk up by myself." "No you can't yet- you still need me!" were my thoughts, but of course I said ok and watched to make sure he got to the door ok. (He still blew me 10 kisses on the way there and waved good bye three times. ;)

And here's the balloon- it takes you up 400 ft and is tethered to the earth by a strong cable which lets you go up and pulls you back down. Orange County isn't as scenic as Utah from the sky, that's for sure. We saw lots of smog, and the freeway, and mountains WAY in the distance. But the ride was still pretty cool.

Faith of a child.

2011-01-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

Austin is in the habit of dressing himself in his Sunday clothes as of late and did a pretty good job this last week! He loves to be silly and try to surprise us, and even gets angry when we blow the surprise. But he surprised me in a good way last Sunday afternoon. As we were getting out of our cars after coming home from church, Austin saw our neighbor and says "Are you just getting home from church too?"
Neighbor: "No."
Austin: "But it's Sunday."
Neighbor: "You're right. I should go to church, shouldn't I?"
Austin was puzzled, and I didn't "rescue" him or our neighbor. I hope he always maintains that obedience and realizes the blessings that come to him from being at church. We love you buddy!

Sea World

2011-01-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can take kids in preschool to Sea World for $5.75/person?! All you need is 10 people, so we went with some co-op friends down to San Diego this week and renewed our annual pass ($70 for the year- not bad!). We saw the Training of Shamu show, petted the sting rays and star fish, saw the Sea Lion and Otter show, sharks, dolphins, and romped on the play ground.

It was fun to feed the flamingos and ducks and see how they ran around with their necks stretched tall like squawking old ladies. Austin kept trying to imitate their incredible balance by hopping around on one leg.

They've redone the dolphin stadium and show to include a "cirque du soleil"-esque diving and swinging crew. It was the most engaging for the kids by far. And after a day of running in the sun, this was the view I had in my rear-view mirror while driving home. ;)

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior...

2011-01-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

This article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye.

"Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?"

What do you think? Are we too soft on our kids? Does letting them fail or give up teach them consequences or is evidence of a lack of our faith in them to succeed? Your two cents?

Costa Mesa has a farm...

2011-01-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

EIEIO! Centennial Farms, open daily from 1-4, is an awesome place to take kids! Now that Gabe has dropped his afternoon nap (boo!), we are looking for things to do all the time. It's free and Austin has been learning about farm animals in co-op preschool, so it was a perfect fit. We saw the cows get milked and watched them feed the milk to the calves and piglets. We saw goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, a huge vegetable garden, and llamas!

Like mother like son...

2011-01-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

Leilani's, anyone? (Inside joke to Hunter family)

A Baby and Wedding Shower

2011-01-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

My coworker at Mission Hospital, Megan, is getting married around the same time as our baby is due, so the ladies threw us a dual party. Margie (red sweater) hosted it at her home with her beautiful Christmas decorations still up. Everyone brought nice food and gifts, even those who couldn't come sent gifts! Let's just say the games we nurse appropriate and what happens at a party stays at a party (?!), and all in all these ladies are classy and so thoughtful to throw us a shower!

Below: Monica, Jean, Megan, Margie, Teressita.

NI Christmas Party at Vanessa's

2011-01-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

Peter has some really fun coworkers. The typical rants of "having to go to the work Christmas party" do not apply to us! Vanessa Trujillo, a fellow FSE with Peter, hosted us this year (last year it was at our house, and I'm thinking there will be a rotation to others' homes in the future since we had no ETOH ;). They even had chilled root beer waiting for us- yes, we are strange, we know. Thanks to having family in town for the BYU/UCLA basketball game (the only one we've lost this year thanks to Jimmer) we even got to go sans kiddos, thus all the more relaxing! They would have fit right in with the other kids though.

Vanessa and Bernard pulled out the Rock Band- Beatles after a dinner of caramelized onion and apple tarts, sausages with RUDY's bbq sauce (Thank you Austin, TX), and twice baked potatoes. Yum! That's one way to get people out of their shells!

Above from L to R: Vanessa, nino Gianni, yo, Elizabeth, Zach, Marcia, and Jorge.

Below: Elizabeth, Jorge, Marcia, Petero! He's the stud on the bass.