Mango Days

Thoughtful Extravagance

2009-01-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the other day I had to stop at the grocery store to buy some Disneyland 2Fer tickets (no not for me, sigh). Out walks a man carrying a plastic wrapped bunch of flowers. The wheels start turning. How nice, he got his wife flowers, or maybe not so nice. He had nothing else which means this was a special stop to get the flowers. Perhaps these are apology flowers. Is he sincere or are these just "here are some flowers, get over it" apology flowers? Or maybe he really is just thoughtful and on the way home just wanted to do something for her. Perhaps it is a special occasion, but if that was the case he might be in trouble. The flowers he chose definitely did not say special occasion. At any rate I had to hold myself back from hopping out of the car and running over to tell him that the presentation of the flowers was just as important as the flowers themselves. Remove the plastic wrap, trim them down, remove damaged foliage and petals, display them properly and present them at the right moment. You can imagine my total shock when I arrived home later than I should have, found the house quiet and boys in bed and a lovely vase of pink roses sitting in the middle of the table. The plastic wrap and trimmings had been disposed of and there were clippers on the counter, evidence of the extra effort exerted on the presentation. Thank you Kevin!! What a wonderful surprise!

To do, to do , to do....

2009-01-02T08:21:00.001-08:00

I came across a December "to do" list while cleaning my dresser. I was pleased for once, to find I had completed all the tasks. Among them:
sewing an apron. My poor mother. I made her drag down her sewing machine with her on her trip down here from Utah to help me with this one. Thank you! I am not a sewer, so this one is huge for me. I gifted it to my sister. Sorry, Ruru, I shouldn't victimize the people I love with homemade gifts!

On my to do list for 2009:

Cook fish
Make biscuits that are not flat dense paper weights
Have a family photo taken
Visit Yosemite

Don't worry, I will try not to give anyone wrapped fish for Christmas in an effort to check it off my to do list (biscuit paper weights however, is a definite possibility).

New Years Ambassadors...

2009-01-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

was the term given to my two sons as they bounced down the trail at Torrey Pines bellowing out "Happy New Year" to EVERY single person they passed. We were at first dismayed that everyone in San Diego County had the same idea of what to do on New Year's Day but watching the response to the boys made up for the lack of solitude. The highlight of the day was when a lady stopped to chat it up with Kedrick. Enchanted by his enthusiasm and energy, she jokingly asked if he could push her up the hill. To her surprise, he walked around behind her, planted his hands on her butt and started to push. We all about died laughing. Good kid.

So this is snow....

2008-12-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

We trekked off to Palomar Mountain for a day of winter. I love a day trip to another climate zone. Kedrick had high hopes of building a snowman, sledding, throwing snowballs at Mommy, making a snow angel and eating snow. I think we managed to make all his dreams come true. Brock took right to sledding and enjoyed the "big crashes."

So beautiful! Almost makes me want to move to a place with snow, almost.

Note snowball mid-air. Kedrick's aim has really improved!

I don't mean to sound like someone who was born and raised in San Diego but I had no idea you had to roll a snowball to do a decent sized snow person. Next time I'll bring gloves!

We borrowed someone else's pre-finished snowlady for the picture.

Kedrick's first snow angel!

Kevin feeding his sons snow. They loved it. Kedrick savored it thoughtfully and said "Mmmm, this is really good." He asked Daddy for tips on which snow he could eat and he and Brock went around the rest of the time sampling snow.

Sweet as Snow

2008-12-25T23:39:00.000-08:00

Santa is the best! He delivered a train as requested. Brock zeroed in on it first and within moments they were both pointing and saying, "a train, a train, look, Santa brought us a train!" The hope, the expectation and then the sheer joy of looking down at your hearts desire. They took the slow and savor approach to Christmas morning and would not be rushed (which I fully endorse). Santa also left a supply of sugar cereals on the kitchen table. Kedrick was in bewilderment. "Why, why would, why whould Santa leave us sugar cereal?" He mulled it over a few minutes and then came up with the satisfactory explanation, "I know why Santa left sugar cereal. Because snow tastes sweet and that is why he left the sugar cereal." And with that he delved into a bowl of Apple Jacks. Brock chose the Fruity Cheerios.

We never left the house Christmas day but we managed to cook up our first turkey dinner! Kedrick came into the kitchen and said "who's coming over for dinner?" When I replied nobody he was a bit confused why the tablecloth and all the food. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and feel I have completed the final step into adulthood, cooking my own turkey. I relished in the cranberry sauce with lime and orange zest. The lime and pear jello (which sounds disgusting as do most jello recipes but is actually something I crave) was presented to me with a bow on top by my sister and was one of my favorite things to eat for days.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

First the visit to Santa at the Ward Christmas party....Kedrick, planted himself first in line in anxious anticipation of his few moments with Santa. A rush of older kids not noticing him, ran up and formed a new line when Santa finally arrived. Kedrick, undaunted by the others, pushed ahead and ran straight up to Santa. He knew what question was coming and had his response ready, "another train." Brock on the other hand was a deer in the headlights and froze up. When the big question came he responded "Two" with a frozen look on his face. I assume when he realized he had no idea what Santa had just asked him he defaulted to the response to the most common question he gets, "how old are you?" Or maybe he just meant, "whatever you bring, bring two so we don't have to fight over it."

Gathering with the cousins to view the Light Parade on Boats at Sea Port Village.

We gathered with our friends for a Christmas Eve Rehearsel Dinner complete with ham and twice baked potatoes. Most the kids ran wild except the three oldest who did their best at acting out the Nativity. Kedrick took on the role of Joseph, Nicky completely immersed herself in her role as Mary and Jaron stood proudly as an angel declaring his joyful message. Mary and Joseph had some difference of opinion on how to care for baby Jesus. Mary wanted him in the cradle, Joseph wanted to take him out. Mary, calmly but resolutely closed the lid of the box Jesus was sleeping in and perched herself on top. Joseph was at a loss and wandered off.

Christmas Eve was spent with family at my sister's house in Carlsbad. My parents had come down from Utah. We feasted, white elephanted and listened to Luke 2. Acting out the Nativity just didn't happen, instead there was a giant wrestling match with all the cousins. They were tamed long enough however to listen to a large story book version of Luke 2. Kedrick was impressed by how big the angel was. His cousin Jacob wanted to know if Jesus was in charge and who was the boss of Jesus.

Kedrick was concerned about what kind of milk we should leave with the cookies for Santa. Does he like Mommy and Daddy's milk or the kids' milk? He recommended we keep Santa's glass of milk in the fridge so it wouldn't go bad. He drank sour milk once, it left an impression. Brock was smiles all night.

It's been fun trying to focus more on the true meaning of Christmas this year. Kedrick especially is really understanding so much more and it is so amazing to watch them learn to pray and develop their own understanding. I have to say though, I was a bit stumped when he wanted details on how exactly Jesus came out of Mary's tummy and wouldn't accept any of my general and vague responses. I said I would ask daddy and get back to him. Thankfully he accepted that.

Lights

2008-12-10T19:24:00.001-08:00

So this is what happens when you let your aunt go with you to see the lights and trains of Christmas Card Lane....

She makes you take pictures highlighting the pointy elf hat. You cooperate only because you are too distracted by the train.

And this is how you let her know you've had enough goofy pictures with the elf hat (but yes you WILL put it on again next year).

Kedrick and Brock sat and watched the model train display FOREVER and could have stayed as long as we would have let them. They never tried to touch it, they just sat in awe and respect. For the first time I thought maybe, just maybe, there is hope I can teach them the concept of reverence. I will describe it as the feeling they get inside when they see a really amazing model railroad.

Why I Feel Like a Hero...

2008-12-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

It is late, too late even to call my sisters so here I am sharing my excitement with the world at large. I feared this was going to be a no Christmas card year. I love sending them. I love receiving them but this year it seemed completely overwhelming. And that is why I feel like such a hero. I pushed through the wall and put it together tonight. I photo shopped out blemishes and worked forever on red-eye issues and then decided I better just upload the photo to cost-co and be done with it. Kevin has long since retired so hopefully he doesn't hate the one I chose. Now whether or not I will actually get them in the mail is an entirely different story!

Deck the Halls

2008-12-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

We had our first tree trimming party! Sadly, I must admit in the past I have decorated the tree when the boys are sleeping at night. But this year, Kevin intervened and promised the boys they could decorate with us. The boys were hyper with anticipation all day. Kedrick assigned Daddy to bake the cupcakes with sprinkles, Mommy to decorate the house, Kedrick to decorate the tree and Brock to put the star on top. They had a blast pulling everything out of the boxes and did not break a thing.

Kevin helping Brock get that star up on top, you can imagine what happened next...

Brock fell down behind the tree, knocking things down as he went. Kevin managed to keep hold of his feet so no harm done, well except for that Brock was seriously traumatized and will probably decline the star topper position next year.

Turkey Tidbits

2008-12-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

Someday I will cook my own turkey dinner, but not this year. We traveled to Prescott to enjoy giving thanks with Kevin's family. Kedrick and Brock thought it was about the most exciting thing we had ever done. Both slept for about 20 minutes of the 8 hour drive over. Despite what all reason would lead you to conclude, the ride was a delight. The boys traveled the best they ever have. Some other happy moments...

Kristen:

Sleeping in the morning after we arrived! I take advantage of the fact that I know the first morning Kevin won't mind getting up because he'll be so excited to see his family...not that I am not excited but ya know, got to sleep when you can!
Eating a huge and delicious meal that I have shamefully had little to do with. Highlights this year included the homemade pumpkin pie and particularly delicious deviled eggs.

Kevin:

Playing basketball at the church with his brothers and sisters, a long-time standing day after thanksgiving tradition.

Hiding out in his dad's office for hours on end "helping his dad with computer stuff."
Teaching his boys all about Prescott landmarks and memories and watching them fall in love with the town.

Kedrick:

Hiking to Thumb Butte, carefully avoiding the treacherous cactus. He surprised us by his stamina and desire to keep climbing! I knew there was a mountaineer deep inside him!

Playing with Grandma's train table. Kedrick deduced that grandma must REALLY like trains because why else would she have a train table??

Running reckless and napless for days with his cousins he doesn't see nearly enough.

Brock:

Thumb Butte hike proved a winner but he took it in from a higher vantage point, Kevin is so good about carrying the boys and NEVER complaining.

Going to see the annual gingerbread house display and discovering a model railroad display. Prying the boys away was no easy task!

Getting acquainted with Bailey, the doggy member of the Hawkins family. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the puppy energy and vascilated between being terrified of and in love with Bailey. In the end, the love overtook. His last moments he spent trying to make Bailey drink out of his sippy cup. A generous good will offering.

Reaching to Heaven

2008-11-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

Kevin was prepping Kedrick for tithing settlement tonight and was quizzing him...

Kevin: If you have 10 pennies how many do you give back to Heavenly Father?
Kedrick: One daddy, but I can't.
Kevin: Why not?
Kedrick: Because my arms can't reach to heaven.

Fruit of My Loins....

2008-11-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

in Fruit of the Looms! We finally did it, or more accurately Kedrick did it. Kedrick showed signs of being ready mid-summer but so much was going on and I began to fear my kid would be the only one in diapers come kindergarten. For some reason I work best by verbally committing to someone. So when my dear friend Tina was getting ready to leave for England for two weeks at the end of the summer I told her I was going to potty train Kedrick while she was gone. The next day after I said that, Kevin put underwear on Kedrick. I was really terrified but Kedrick took right to it. He has had very few accidents and really, well, was ready. I guess that's what happens when you wait until they are 3 years and 8 months old. Brock has been inspired too and occasionally joins in on potty time. He came bounding out to announce to his aunts a few weeks ago that he, "pooped a poop! A big daddy poop!" Ahh shucks, we're so proud of our little poopers.

To Crack a Coconut

2008-11-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

Kevin recently got back from attending his brother Laren's wedding in Kauai. Yes I stayed home with the youngins while he was in Hawaii for 5 days and I'm not really even that bitter. Word has it that the location, weather and ceremony were dreamy. They incorporated a Hawaiian tradition of cracking a coconut during the ceremony, drinking the coconut milk and tossing it into the ocean. Kevin couldn't really remember what the meaning behind it was but it sounds dreamy anyway. Congrats Laren and Jessica!!

Kevin took up gecko photography while he was there. Love that green!

Halloween Haunts

2008-11-02T09:11:00.001-08:00

The boys were decisive when I asked what they wanted to be for Halloween this year, "I want to be a ghost and SCARE people," Kedrick responded and thankfully Brock echoed the same words. I was pleased as punch. We purchased a sheet for $2 at the thrift store and spent $1 on face paints. The boys practiced making scary ghosts sounds all month long. The big night did not dissapoint. One neighbor told Kedrick what a scary ghost he was and he told her not to be scared and explained he was just a "pretend ghost." Kedrick was quick on his feet this year and new exactly what he was doing. Brock trailed a little behind in a stupor of wonder staring down at his pumpkin in disbelief that people were just handing him all these treats. Lollipops, M&M's and KitKat's were the big hits. They topped off the night being chased around the house by a skeleton, trying to burn off their sugar high.

Woohoo, Brock is Two!

2008-09-06T21:54:00.001-07:00

The train cake lives on! Brock insisted on calling the cake "pancake" and was just as thrilled as ever to see the confectionery locomotive in his honor. He was sure to tell everyone happy birthday back in response to his birthday greetings. He absolutely beamed while we sang Happy Birthday to him. His Aunt Lulu and Bret made a surprise guest appearance to present the boys with some Tonka Trucks in brand new condition that Bret had rescued from a dumpster. Brock (who would probably really like a doll) was very cute with the dump truck telling it, it needed a diaper change and putting it down for a nap.

Brock is a joy and we are so happy he is part of our family! Our little snugglebug (I think he would sleep with mom and dad forever if we would let him) lives life with intensity. When he is happy and excited he has sunbeams bursting out of his eyes and when he is upset he has the vocal capacity to let you know. He revels in getting under your skin and loves to taunt. He takes the opposite view of whatever the discussion is and holds his own until he wearies his opponent. At 18 months he argued all the way home with Kedrick that the moon was red. Kedrick, a stickler for accuracy, was about out of his mind trying to teach his wayward brother the true color of the moon. I made them settle down. Brock recommenced the argument by leaning over to Kedrick and in whispered tones saying, "its red." As we pulled into the driveway, he turned to Kedrick and said, "the moon is white" and smiled. It was merely an exercise in insanity. Okay, I've gone on long enough. Who can really describe the essence of Brock? Brock is a little ham and does his best to keep us from getting too serious about life. Once he has made up his mind (which is often), good luck trying to change it! He is one determined little fellow and we wouldn't have it any other way. We love you Brockie!

Labor Day: Pains and Perks

2008-09-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Labor Day is always a shocking revelation that summer is really coming to an end. We were so happy to have Kevin's parents come out to help us bid adieu to the lazy summer months.

Some things we'll miss:

Friday afternoon beach trips with Daddy (he gets off at 1 on Fridays during the summer!!)
Eating snow cones on the front porch waiting for daddy to come home.
Endless hours of beach time.
Boogie boarding!!
BBQ's
Water slides and pool days.
Camping
Having Madeline (Kedrick and Brock's cousin) be an adopted member of our family for a week.

Some things we won't mind taking a break from:

Applying sunscreen!
Trying to escape the heat at our house when we'd rather just stay home.
Dripping in sweat trying to cook dinner in a house that doesn't need any more heat!
Sandy diapers, enough said.

In reality, we live in San Diego and my kids are young so we still have several more beach hours to log before we officially check out for the winter!

Kid's Day

2008-08-26T23:10:00.001-07:00

We created our own kid's day this year and spent doing just exactly what they love, riding trains! I know, some would argue that everday is Kid's Day but Kevin has wanted to start this tradition of setting a day aside to celebrate the wee ones for a few years and we finally did it! We took the Coaster up and down the coast and made a day of it touring downtown, SeaPort Village, a carousel ride, a harbor side picnic. Later we took in a meal at Fidel's Norte in Carlsbad with a quick trip to the beach. Leaving the car behind and walking everywhere really has a way of truly transporting you into vacation mode!

Crop Failure

2008-08-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

The green bean plants were eaten down to a nub one night by some well meaning rabbits. The green peppers have all been snitched by animals too. The red pepper plant was attacked by white flies and was quite dead before I did something about it. The rosemary was uprooted by some kid, nobody ever owned up to that one. The cilantro was enjoyed until it died probably because it received no sunlight and had no space after the tomatoes took over. I had no idea how big they would grow and planted a little too close. The dill bit the dust early on, have no idea why. The first 15 or so zucchinis went the way of the earth due to end blossom rot (watering issues I discovered) but we have managed to recover from that. Then it was attacked with powdery mildew. Cut it back almost completely and it made an amazing comeback. I generally wait too long to pick them and they have mostly served as a catalyst for trying new zucchini bread recipes. They grow so fast. The tomatoes have been the victim of every blight out there; caterpillars, red spider mites, end blossom rot, cat-facing, and some other viral and fungal issues that I can't remember the names of. Luckily they were far enough along that we have managed to have a small but steady crop of tomatoes despite the deathly looking plants. That is, if we get to them before the rats. Yep, we have some vermin that keep tabs on the tomatoes and come and steal them the night before they are ready to be picked. I've wisened up now though and pick them 2 days early and let them ripen on the counter. I realized how little I know about growing and have sure learned a lot this summer. I'm excited to try again next summer. Here are two of my favorite recipes I've used my harvest for:

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (from Penzey's Spices)

½ cup milk
¼ tsp white vinegar
½ cup room temperature butter
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
4 Tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 cups finely grated zucchini
1-4 oz bar semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 muffin pans with papers. Mix together the milk and vinegar and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk/vinegar mix. Blend well. In a separate bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir by hand to combine. Add zucchini and chocolate and stir well. Spoon into pan and sprinkle top with nuts. Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean or muffins spring back to touch. Makes 24 muffins.

Zucchini with Tomatoes and Basil (thanks Ruru)

4 small zucchini (1/2 lb), cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes

2 Tb chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 tsp lemon juice

2 Tb shredded fresh parmesan cheese

1. Combine zucchini and 1/4 cup water. Cover and steam over medium heat 3-4 minutes until crisp tender.

2. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and lemon. Mix. Cook 1 minute longer. Sprinkle with cheese.

Sweet Roses...

2008-07-25T21:33:00.001-07:00

So I was having one of those days when Kevin comes home and I am just staring off at a wall and then wander into my room and shut the door. He came in and told me he was taking the boys out to get ice-cream. I was thrilled to have a much needed time-out for myself. When they came home, Kedrick came bouncing in with these potted roses. He said they were for me because my other flowers were getting old! Kevin said it was all Kedrick's idea. He saw the flowers in the store and said, "let's get flowers for mommy," and then picked them out himself. I was so touched by my sweet little boy!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

2008-07-25T21:31:00.001-07:00

Well lions and bears anyway. No tigers on this adventure. We spent our family vacation this year in Sequoia National Park! We loved it and hope to go back someday. When we entered the campground we were greeted with bear notices everywhere and instructions on everything that had to be stowed away in bear lockers including our child seats. I was a bit stressed out the first day. Not to mention, the ranger told Kevin as he checked in, a mountain lion had been in the camp two weeks prior. She lowered her voice and continued to instruct him on what to do if attacked by a mountain lion and admonished us to keep our kids close. What a welcome!

Yes I took this picture! I know the bears can be dangerous but it's hard to believe. They look so gentle. We had 5 different bear sightings on our trip. The first night we went to sleep to the sounds of another group trying to scare off a bear with pots and pans, whistles and their car alarm. It made for a tense night. Word in the campground the next day was that a cub had gotten scared up a tree and the mother was circling the tree refusing to budge.

Notice the deer in the background right above Kedrick's head. Deer were plentiful. Morning and night they would scamper through our campground. I felt fine about this. I know of no deer attacks.

We enjoyed a quick jaunt on the Yosemite Sugar Pine Railroad. Kevin and I found the 5 mph speed lacking the thrill we had hoped for but the boys loved it.

The boys embracing the "hug a tree" program.

Well you can't really see most of Gen. Sherman. But you get the idea, it is a very big tree!

The boys LOVED playing in the river and throwing sand and rocks.

Kedrick's ready to fish!

After 3 days of no shower, I couldn't resist getting in this sparkling clear river. I could have stayed here all day. We had the whole river to ourselves, well and a few pesky bees that finally convinced me it was time to pack up.

Ahh shucks, it's nice when they get along. This was at Kevin's aunt's house in Clovis before we headed off to church.

And here they are not getting along. Brock had just poked Kedrick with a stick. I separated the boys to the sounds of Kedrick screaming, "hit him mom, hit him." He is all about justice.

A waterfall on our hike back up from seeing Crystal Cave.

We tripped upon this picturesque spot one day on the way home to our campground. The boys had a blast scrambling over rocks and throwing whatever they could get their hands on into the river. Kedrick fell in after ignoring some parental guidance. Kevin in an attempt to reinforce why we should listen to parents, asked Kedrick how he felt now that he was all wet. He smiled and said "good."

Brock showing off the first "owie" of the trip after trying to walk on a log immitating Kedrick (see below). Kedrick was thrilled as always to see the blood.

This fallen log separated our campground from the next. Kedrick has taken to practicing his balancing and was thrilled to find this log to show off his skills. One night while cleaning up camp, Kevin found himself on one side of this log whilst a black bear was on the other side not more than 20 yards away. A little too close for my liking! Too bad he wasn't carrying a camera at the time.

Another waterfall on a hike. This hike was full of poisin oak but miraculously we managed to avoid it!

We visited Crystal Cave where the temperature dropped to 50. A welcome temp after carrying both boys on the hike to get there. Brock was not exactly fond of the darkness demonstration during the cave tour. Kedrick loved using a flashlight to look all around at the cave formations.

Driving through 4 giant sequoias!

Kedrick in a hollowed fallen sequoia.

The boys had a great time helping daddy with the campfire. Smores, however, were a disaster. Kedrick was not into the sticky thing and thought we were ruining the chocolate. Brock was using all of his skills to try and scavange every last piece of chocolate bar when we were distracted. The next night Kedrick requested that his smore be made with a regular marshmellow and chocolate that was not melted.

A burned out portion of a sequoia. Amazingly, the tree thrives even with this cave at it's base.

On a whim, we stopped and hiked up Morro Rock. The views were stunning at the top but the drop-offs steep. We couldn't stay too long to enjoy the view for fear of losing a child off the side. They don't seem to have any fear of heights yet! At one point I looked down and noticed Kedrick's hand turning purple from my grip. I eased up. A lesson I'll probably need to keep learning.
This is a view of Morro Rock from the base of the trail. Great trail, with stairs and railing. A steep climb but really minimal effort for the pay-off at the top. I don't think I would have even been scared if we weren't toting up our youngins!

All in all, we came home very tired, very dirty and very happy to have spent the last 6 days playing together.

Slow but growing

2008-05-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to grow a garden for quite some time. I thought about it last year, thought about it so long that I missed the entire growing season. I'm on schedule this year though. We've planted tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, peppers and a smattering of herbs. I feared the boys attacking the plants but they've actually done really good. Kedrick is just as excited about watching them grow. Both boys love to water. Brock seems to have a respect for the vegetables he has yet to develop for the flowers. His picking has been minimal. The other day I was out working in the garden and Kedrick said, "mom, you're a good girl, you are taking very good care of the plants." It made me beam. I went around the rest of the day feeling really good about myself and wanting to make sure I said things to my kids that made them feel the same way.

Remembering Memorial Day

2008-05-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

We took a one day vacation for Memorial Day. Not even stopping to think what Memorial Day was about, we decided to head down to Pt. Loma to see the lighthouse and visit the tide-pools. It took us a while to figure out what all the traffic was about and why all the flags on all the graves. And then it donned on us. I felt clever for stumbling upon such an appropriate acitivity. It was humbling to look out over all the headstones of so many who have given their life for my freedom.

We had such a good time in the morning, we decided not to go home for naps and to make a day of it. We spent the afternoon touring all the ships along the waterfront. We finally used the tickets you gave us to the maritime museum Mom and Dad. Thank you!

By the time we headed home we were all hungry and had no plans for dinner. We stopped and got Thrifty Chocolate Malted Crunch ice-cream, took it home and made dinner out of it. The boys were in heaven! Who am I kidding, so was I!

I spy...

2008-05-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

Santa Claus! (If you are not convinced, click on the picture so you can see it enlarged). At our local CostCo no less. I mean, it makes sense that he shops there but who'd have thought we'd see him? Brock was the one with the sharp eyes this time. Waiting in line for gas, he shouts out, "Look, Kizmuss!" I made a quick scan for what could possibly be saying Christmas to my little one and saw good ol' St. Nick filling up.

And that's not all we saw. While waiting for Kevin to finish something at work, he suggested I take the boys for a walk along the trails. I was hesitant because it is not an uncommon occurrence for snakes to be seen around where he works. He told me if I followed the trail I'd be able to see the ocean. We walked and walked and walked because I just didn't want to turn back before I saw the view. Finally, at the very end of the trail we walked up a little crest to catch a very tiny sliver of an ocean view. And right there, not too far off in front of us was a nice rattlesnake making its way across the trail! I was horrified. Kevin showed up just in time to seem me frantically scrambling down the hill with the boys. He got a good laugh that he got me to drag the boys that far by mentioning the so called "ocean view." I was not amused. And of course, he took the boys back up the hill to get a better view of the snake. Boys.

Tide Pools

2008-04-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

During the warm weather and before the shark attacks, back in the days when the beach was a safe place, we visited the tide pools. We found no sharks but did find several large star fish, a sea slug and lots of sea enenemies. I am seriously traumatized by the recent attacks and though the odds of me stepping in the water and getting attacked are slim, I won't be venturing out far in the water this summer. When I was young I worried about flushing the toilet for fear I would trigger an earthquake. I've gotten over that one at least!

Quarantined

2008-04-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

Flu again. Good grief. I think we already had our turn with this recently. We have enjoyed high fevers, throw-up and some phenomenal diarrhea. With it has come refusals to eat anything, the standard "I'm not feeling well so don't dare put me down" from our sweet Brock who also tends to vocalize his discomfort very loudly and dear Kedrick hasn't had the wherewithal to do anything but watch tv. I expect tomorrow we will be in the clear of all symptoms. I hate watching my kids feel so miserable and sadly my patience and energy to meet their levels of desired care are starting to wane. At the end of a very trying Monday, my visiting teacher brought over some much needed chocolate chip cookies. I set the boys down for dinner, went into the back and indulged in some amazing food therapy. There were four cookies left that I planned on either later sharing with my family or hoarding for myself depending on how the night went. Kedrick managed to find them, happily announced their discovery and came out and said, "this one's for Brockie, this one's for Daddy, this one's for Mommy, and this one's for Kedrick." He is so good at sharing. I felt like a shmuck. Good we have kids to teach us how to be nice!

Beach Bride

2008-04-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

My oldest sister stands out singly as the most bride possessed being I know. I have no idea how much money she has spent on bridal magazines over the years but it is no small sum. April 10 she came and got herself hitched at the Wedding Bowl in La Jolla. Her biggest fear was that after all her life long dreaming and planning she was going to be an ugly bride. And she was. Just kidding. Far from it, she blew us all away and was absolutely stunning. The weather was amazing and wow, I can't say how much I loved her bridal bouquet. I can't wait to see her professional photos but for now we will suffice with some snapshots. For the past two months we have been up to our necks in wedding planning and talk and as fun as it was....it was nice to pry the phone away from my ear and my very patient husband is glad to have his wife back! Congratulations Annette and Fernando!

Funny Kids

2008-04-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Kevin was trying to explain the whole resurrection thing to Kedrick. Kevin was telling him how they buried him in the tomb but on the third day he came out of the tomb. Kedrick looked at the picture (apparently focusing on the small tomb door size), paused and then responded with a puzzled look, "oh, did he used to be little?"

Kedrick has me "tell" him stories not "read" him stories every night. He is sure to make that clear. One night I asked him if he had any stories in his head to tell me. "Nope, they all fell out mom."

We had just dropped off a friend at the airport. We explained to Kedrick that the airplane would take her back to Texas.

Kedrick: Oh, is that close to heaven?

Kevin: Some people think so.

Brock LOVES love. He can't get enough snuggle time and kisses. I kiss their owies. We have caught Brock banging his head on things so he could come get a kiss all better! You'd think he was starved for affection. Anyhow, we told him he could just ask.

Brock's favorite activity as of late is to jump off anything screaming, "to infinity and beyond." I'm sure he has no idea where the phrase comes from but regardless it makes him feel like a superhero.

We are in sacrament meeting. It is quiet. They just start passing the bread. Brock belts out, "I want chicken!" I was a bit embarrased, a few too many trips through the drive-thru I guess. At least everyone around us got a good laugh.

And lastly for this edition, Brock's latest communication tip... When you really need to get some one's attention and add emphasis to what you are saying, get up as close as you can and with eyes focused on their lips, talk into their mouth. He likes to make sure the message he is trying to get across is internalized.

Kedrick sharing Easter spoils with his cousins Madeline and Matthew.

Brock planning his attack strategy for the egg hunt.

Growing Up

2008-03-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

There is something in our water. Kedrick, who has shown an incredible aversion to cleaning throughout his short life, cleaned the whole house before he went to bed last night. He started with toys in the hall way, then cleaned up my closet and room, went out to the kitchen and then tackled the living room, no small feet. Kevin and I just let him go, quite in shock. This comes from a boy who said a few weeks ago, "Daddy, you and Mom like my room clean huh?" To the affirmative response he replied, " not me, I like it messy."

It's like he just woke up recently and realized he was older. At church on Sunday he was getting a drink from the drinking fountain all by himself (he is just barely tall enough now) and he looked at the tall youth next to him also getting a drink and said, " I'm tall too, look I can drink like this."

Sunday morning he went peepee in the potty on his own for the first time (well not counting one drop he did a couple of weeks ago) but the first substantial amount.

I will not mention the very long nights of screaming that we have endured with Brock recently. No not one word of complaint from me even though he is 18 months and we are still having sleep battles. Nothing in any of the books works on my child....oh wait, I said I wasn't going to talk about that. Despite that, may it be said that Brock is fast becoming a quite accomplished linguist. Favorite phrase is "I did it!" He started saying that one around 12 months, though it is much more intelligable now. He lights up with the cutest happiest smile and says, "I like it!" when he eats something good. He lets us know it is time to get out of bed by saying, "I want cereo (cereal)!" He demands we acknowledge what he is saying, if I fail to do so he will follow me around and say "mom, Moom, MOOOM" until I respond. I thought that started later.

I love my boys so much. I can't believe how fast they are growing up and how quickly they change. What happened to my babies??

Where's Daddy?

2008-03-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky. My husband only travels once a year for his job and only for a few days at that. He is gone this week for 4 days and I already miss him terribly. I missed hearing Brock cry and both of us trying to outsleep the other to see who will break down first and go get him. I certainly missed him at church as I drug both kids out of the meeting after an intense wrestling match on the pew. I missed not having anyone to tell me that my dinner creation was much appreciated. The boys missed having their daddy to chase them and throw them around on the couch. I really missed his help when it was time to put the kids to bed. I didn't like cleaning up the mess of the day all by myself. But what I miss most of all is just being with him. Kedrick came out of his bed to listen for any noise that might be daddy coming home. I guess I've been doing the same thing. I'm piddling around the house because it just feels weird to go to sleep without spending the evening with my best friend talking about nothing and everything. I know, it's pathetic. Just three more days!

On a happier note, Brock went to nursery for the first time today! Wooohoo! He cried after I left, and then fell asleep pretty much for the rest of it. I felt so free!! I don't get it....he is the lightest sleeper at home but can sleep in the midst of a bunch of kids playing?

When I grow up...

2008-03-07T20:58:00.001-08:00

I want to be a garbage truck driver. You are right up there with Santa Claus in the eyes of all the little boys. I would honk wildly anytime I passed a youngster. In fact, I'd stop and take pictures with them and hope to be put in their scrapbooks. I'd let them climb up in the truck and then send them home with a pamphlet on recycling. I can't imagine all the treasures I would find in people's castoffs. I guess we all have our dreams of fame and fortune. Today a very friendly garbage man waved and honked repeatedly at two of his mesmerized fans. I thought...now that is a great job.

A Perfect Dish

2008-02-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have to brag about my sister's creation. She made this chip and dip platter for a wedding gift for a good friend. Stunning no? She came up with the design herself and spent an entire day making sure every detail was perfect. She did the zebra hide freehand! She is as steady as they come and could be a surgeon. Did I mention her friend loves dips? And her friend's wedding colors were black and red? About mid-point in the dip well, you'll notice some black squatty zebra-esk lettering. Freehand as well. This spells out the couple's last name. I'm in love with the dish...in fact I said, "someday when I get married...," about to put in my request for my dip creation and then realized oh yes, I'm married. Perhaps for my 50th? It is a perfect wedding gift in every way! I struggle to come up with good wedding gifts for people. It stresses me out. What unique wedding gifts have you given or received?

On another note, I just sent Kedrick back to his nap and told him to stop playing. "I'm not playing mom, I'm just pretending to play."

Fragrance of Home

2008-02-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

My honeysuckle, once on death's doorstep, is thriving. It numbers in the top 5 of my favorite floral scents. I list them in no particular order:
honeysuckle, orange blossoms, lemon blossoms, plumeria, the deep red rose bush from my mother's garden. Four of these five were abundant on my parent's property as we grew up. In spring the air was perfumed and heavenly. Honeysuckle covered one hillside. As a girl I liked to play detective. Naturally I would put long white socks on my arms to serve as gloves and head out back with paper and pen in hand. First stop, honeysuckle hill. I would pick the flowers, pinch off the bottom, pull out the pistil and suck off the nectar. Nothing was better. I loved that it was homegrown. I've always been a sucker for the novelty of picking something to eat out of one's own yard, a trait I credit to my father. I then would blow air in and out of the blossom, okay, yes I think I was pretending I was smoking. It is shocking and I am not proud of the follies of my youth. But thus it is. It seemed the right thing for a detective to do. From there I went on to solve the world's mysteries. I just sampled one of my honeysuckle, not as good as my parents' but the sweet smell will always take me home.

A condition called TWO....

2008-02-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

After several days of constant screaming....really loud screaming...and a long sleepless night, I finally convinced myself that Brock must most certainly have an earache. I rushed him into the doctor the next morning so excited to pick up a prescription that would restore order to my home. The doctor asked me what was going on and I, half asleep, muttered some unintelligle mumblings about way too much screaming. She checked his ears and then apologetically told me his ears looked great and this is what you call "two." Dejected, I left the office with no meds. My $15 copay purchased me two sugar free lollipops for the boys. At least I got something! Brock is learning screaming lands him in his room alone and we are making mild progress. Kedrick is thrilled to see his brother getting time-outs. Finally, justice. I'm sure I have sustained some hearing loss.

Slaps and Kisses

2008-02-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

We have finally entered the stage where our boys will actually play pretty good together. One morning, they just started playing on their own. I showered, did the dishes, read my scriptures and then sat down on my bed confused. I felt so relaxed and in control...it was completely foreign. The key is they both must be rested and well fed. If not, they are screaming at the top of their lungs and hitting each other. Yesterday I couldn't hardly pry them apart as they tried to attack each other. Gave up and just put them down for a nap. As soon as they woke up they were all giggles and smothering each other with kisses and hugs. I love seeing them get along!

Kedrick is 3!

2008-01-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe Kedrick has turned 3! Were I of the inclination to put him in preschool, he could be going to preschool this year. Were he of the inclination to use a toilet, he could be potty trained. It is the beginning of the end. My boy is going to leave me. I am in no rush. I love being his mother. He is so full of life, love and enthusiasm. Eager to learn. Has a memory so amazing I'm afraid his brain will be all filled up before he is five. A perfect older brother, except of course when he sits on his brother's neck. Quick to comfort family members when we are sick or sad by bringing a toy or blankie. A transportation guru. My little assistant cook. A budding gardener. Plants need sunshine and rain and a lot of love to grow (love and rain both fall out of the clouds). Reasoning ability beyond his mother's. He is my sunshine, my little sweetie.

Kedrick expressing his "about to open presents" excitement.

Unfortunately he was taken with flu the night before the big day. He managed to have a few good hours on his birthday, just enough time to squeeze in a cake and presents before he started feeling bad again.

Kedrick requested a train cake on tracks this year. I did what I could. He was appreciative beyond words and admired the cake for some time noting all of the details. "You made the cake I wanted Mom?" I really felt like a hero. He chose the engine for himself and designated which train cars the rest of us were to eat.

We had a fun time watching him open his presents. He stopped to play with each one before he would move onto the next.

His Aunt WuWu braved the germs and came to celebrate with him. She took all the pictures. It was so fun to not worry about trying to take pictures the whole time. Thanks WuWu!

Half Love

2008-01-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

I thought I had done a pretty good job of helping Kedrick adjust to the adition of his new little brother until we had this lunch conversation the other day:

Me: I love you Kedrick!
Kedrick: No! No you can't!
Me: Yes I can and I do, I love you , I love you, I love you!
Kedrick: (visibly agitated) No Mom! You love Brock. Dad loves me.
Me: I love Brock and I love Kedrick. I love both of you and so does Dad.
Kedrick: No, you love Brock and Dad loves me.

this goes on for about twenty minutes...then exasperated Kedrick tries to reason with me:

Kedrick: You can't have us both Mom. You can just have half Mom. Like this (showing a chopping motion). Not both. You can't have all of us. You can just love Brock and I love Daddy and Daddy loves me. That's it mom. You just can have half!

We'll have to work on that transition a little more!

Reasons for Cake

2008-01-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to Wal-Mart with the wee ones. Anxious to be done with the experience I was naturally looking for the quickest way out. I spotted a short line, but the cashier looked like someone who would be slow. I went to a longer line and then decided to return to the slow cashier. She was indeed slow but worth the extra time. She commented on every item and entertained the children. She gave me the health status on the 300 plus workers at her location. I was purchasing vanilla frosting. She asked if I had tried the cream cheese. She was quite passionate about it. She makes a cake one time a year, chocolate with cream cheese frosting to celebrate her husband's alcoholic anniversary. This is his 30th sober year. She is proud beyond words of her husband. She taught me a lot about marriage in those few moments. I would like a piece of her cake.

Wrapping Up Christmas

2008-01-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

Some years I have such a hard time letting go of the holidays. Judging from the fact that my tree and lights and everything else are all still perfectly in tact, I guess I'm having post-holiday trauma disorder or something. We are the very last house in our area with lights. I used to be a strict "decorations down by Jan 1" sort of a girl. Kevin said I should wait until the day after. Well one day leads to another and now I am starting to fear we will be all decorated for Christmas in July if I don't get my act together.

We managed to visit both of our parents (Arizona and Utah) over the holidays. The boys traveled better than we expected, though I'm not signing up for any long road trips any time soon. Kedrick got to ride on Grandpa Bunker's forklift and Grandpa Miller's tractor all in the same trip! Can life get any better? The boys weren't exactly used to playing in 30 degree weather so we had a lot of quality indoor time. A highlight for me was watching my brother, Kent, single handedly tame the brood of nieces and nephews by convincing them to have a sleep competition. Kent, with a smile on his face, is very difficult to say no to! We got to see my parents' new home! When we walked in the door, I finally understood why they have ditched us all down here in San Diego for Toquerville. The views are stunning and their home is a dream.

Kedrick with Grandpa on Kubi.

Kent taming the youngins. Notice resistant Kedrick to the far left. Kent even got him down eventually!
Aunt Annie taking the boys for a dump.

All for the little ones...

2007-12-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

On the way to church the morning after our ward Christmas party, I told Kevin we were not taking the kids again until they are older. They are just too miserable at church the next day. He responded, "you are telling me that picture was not worth it?" Ok, we'll go again.

Kedrick was quick to tell Santa he wanted a train. Santa encouraged him to add to the list and a bicycle request was submitted. Brock, as you can see, was horrified to sit on Santa's lap. Kedrick was confused when we walked out of the room and wanted to know where his train was.

Christmas Family Photo Runner-up

2007-12-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

We hung around Sea World all day having random people take photos hoping to get one with us all smiling. I think Brock was done.

Risky Business

2007-11-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

The Miller clan has a long established tradition of playing either Risk or Monopoly during Thanksgiving weekend. It has been a few years since we have played with the addition of all the little ones to the bunch. This year, at my pleading, my parents, husband and brother gratiously agreed to play. We settled on Risk. My Mother had never played and is not really one to enjoy a game that has too many rules or involves stategy but was a good sport nonetheless. About half way through the game, we realized that my mother, whom we hadn't viewed as a threat, was well on her way to global domination. She emerged victor after 6 hours. My only consolation is that at least my Dad was conquered before I was. Beware of the first-timers!

The rest of the weekend sped by with pie consumption, shopping and a hike up Middle Peak.

Kedrick was not real excited about the hike what with the brisk temps and lack of nap time slumber. He could only be induced to walk by the hand of his fair cousin.Unfortunately, Middle Peak was a victim of the 2003 Cedar Fires, not the prettiest hike this time but the view was still beautiful.Ahhh, the time honored tradition of polishing off any remaining pies after the hike.

The Happiest Place on Earth...

2007-11-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

when you go in November and there are no lines! Some highlights from our 2 day Disney adventure:

Brock loved the hugs from the roaming Disney characters. His favorite ride by far was the Casey Jr. train but mostly he just enjoyed anytime he was free to roam.

Kedrick road the Mattahorn three times! He wasn't too fond of the white monster and only agreed to ride it the third time on the condition that he would be allowed to take his "blue blanks" as he lovingly calls his two blankies. His favorite ride was still the monorail.

Kedrick really loved hearing everyone scream on the rides... the one place on the planet he can scream his little lungs out and not be told to quiet down. While I was on some silver rockets with him waiting to start he asked, "Mom, can we scream on this ride," as he was looking longingly over at the California Screamin' roller coaster ride. I told him once the ride got started we could. Two seconds into the ride, "Mom, can we scream now?"

We won! After a long day we finally got them to fall asleep in the stroller!

Trick or Treats!

2007-11-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

A special thank you to this year's costume sponsors Taka (Mickey) and Rozanne (Gator)! The boys took readily to their costumes. By the time we went out to trick-or-treat, Brock was really ready for bed and looked dazed. He smiled in wonderment whenever directly handed a candy and clutched onto it for dear life. Kedrick was a seasoned veteran. We tried to teach him to look for well lit, festive looking homes. All looked welcoming to him. At the last house he somehow missed the moment when the candy was slipped into his pumpkin. I couldn't get him to budge. Finally he turned to me, a bit annoyed, and said, "mom, he has to give me a treat first." Seeing Kedrick's excitement somehow makes up for all the poopies, cereal smashed into the carpet and screaming fits. I can hardly wait until next year!

Sugar or Cake?

2007-10-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

My whole life I have preferred sugar cones. To be offered a cake cone was disheartening at best. Don't get me wrong, not that I would turn it down or anything but a cake cone? A month or so ago I found myself in one of those cake cone or bowl situations and opted for the cone. I haven't been the same since. All of a sudden I prefer the cake cone. So easy to eat, so light and pleasantly crunchy, bows humbly next to the ice cream not trying to call attention to itself. I feel shameful for having slighted it for so long. Last night I stood in front of the cone selection at the grocer in quite the conundrum. I wanted a cake cone but of course nobody likes them so I had no choice really but to buy both. Such an extravagance.

Meet Ralph...

2007-10-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Friday night, it is dark. I walk into my backyard to watch a friend make a corn starch fireball and manage to walk right into a spider web! I did the freak out spider web dance but kept feeling the sticky strands clinging tenaciously to my face. Kevin told me there was no way there could have been a spider web in that spot. He retracted his statement when I showed him the webbing stuck to my glasses. Eek! The next morning I went out to survey and found the web rebuilt, a bee wrapped up in the middle of it and a large spider crawling up the web with another victim. Kevin did the honors of catching him (he also chased a rat out of our garage the other day, what a hero). We have named him Ralph. Kevin and Kedrick will set out tonight to find him a new home.

Molasses

2007-10-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yep, a giant wave of molasses struck Boston in 1919. One person got it right, though they already confessed to looking it up first. A miss smarty pants in my senior ap biology class shared this. I don't remember much about biology but I've never forgotten this.

Breakfast anyone?

2007-10-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

Any mother knows that two children playing happily together for longer than 5 minutes usually means trouble. I had some things to attend to however and decided to delude myself. I knew Kedrick had grabbed one box of cereal but somehow thought the boys were sitting nicely and eating it. Occasionaly I would shout out, "share with your brother" thinking that should keep them in order. They are smarter than I. We will be eating breakfast off the living room floor for the next week!

Another epidsode in the "Mommy, you really shouldn't turn your back on us" series...baby powder this time. By the way, I learned too much baby powder inhaled can be fatal (the kind that has talc in it). I threw mine all out since clearly I am an incompetent supervisor.

The other day Brock came up from behind and wacked Kedrick on the head with a remote. I gave him the "be nice" speech and told him to give him a kiss. He gave the remote a big smooch and went on with his play. Next time I'll have to be more specific with who "him" is.

Marriage

Headed to the temple one Sunday for a stroll around the grounds, Kedrick, who usually loves to go there, started acting up. As the temple came in sight he finally blurted out in a panic, "I don't want to get married!" It starts so young...

I guess he's gotten over his cold feet quickly though. Last week when I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up he said, "a married." Several days later I asked him what a married does. His response, "grow up."

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

2007-09-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Aftrer getting in trouble for coating his brother in sand, Kedrick was sent to wash his hands. After realizing he had been back there for like 15 minutes with the water running, I decided I better check up on the little mischief maker. The sink and counter were covered in bubbles and he was having the time of his life! Upon inquiring what he was doing, he responded with a big happy smile, "I'm making lots of bubbles!" What do you do?

He had been sporting a diaper all day. When daddy asked, "Kedrick, where are your pants?" he looked down and said, "uh, I lost them!" and pretended to run around and look for them. He's a ham and a half. I sense a long lifetime of creative excuses coming.

I've been trying to explain to Kedrick that before he was born he was in Mommy's tummy and before that in heaven. Trying to gage how much of this he was taking in, I asked him one day where he lived before he was born. His reply, "the church." Close enough. Last night before Kevin went to play basketball at the church, he was telling Kedrick that when he gets big he can go too. Kedrick, with basketball in hand, excitedly turned to me and said, "I don't want to be in your tummy anymore. I can play this now!" I tried not to be offended that he would so readily trade in my womb for a basketball.

A Penny Saved

2007-09-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I recently heard of a family of nine living off of $35,000 a year. I admire frugality. I once visited our local dump to dispose of a couch we could find no other home for. Watching mounds of discarded items being swallowed up by mother earth made me feel a bit reckless with my own consumptive behaviors. I feel like a real hero every time I save something from the landfill. Okay, and I don't mind saving money either.
Things I've bought used off of Craigslist:
jogging stroller
double stroller
crib
exersaucer
fridge
washer
dryer
elliptical
toddler bed
little tykes pick-up truck
dump truck lamp

My summer best deal: a plastic dinosaur sandbox I found during my Saturday morning constitutional at a garage sale, $4 (retails for $39.99). I carried it home on my head.

Things I will never buy used: toilet paper, dental floss, tooth brushes.

Mangoes

2007-09-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I have a passion for mangoes. But a few days into my mission in the Philippines, I sampled my first mango. Ok, techinically I had eaten one mango my senior year in high school but the two pieces of fruit were so different it hardly seems fitting to give them the same name. I'll never forget standing in my apartment as a new missionary feeling so forlorn and well, terrified really and tasting for the first time, a real mango. It was like eating sunshine. I didn't want the moment to end. Who knows how long I sucked on that pit trying to extract every last bit of flavor. It has been called the queen of all fruits, for good reason. My companion promised there would be other mangoes and eventually convinced me to give up the pit. Some things are too good to let go.

1995 the Guinness Book of World records listed the Philippine mango from Carabao as the sweetest fruit in the world.

Brock's Birthday

2007-09-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe Brock's first birthday has come and gone! We let Kedrick choose what cake to make and shockingly he settled on a train cake. He was certain Brock would like it. Kedrick took a look at the cake in the morning before it had been dressed. He was disturbed to see nothing but white frosting and informed me, "um, Mom you need to do it over." He preceded to describe his cake from his last birthday in great detail. Happily, he heartily approved with the final outcome. By the way, Kevin and I were also so lucky to have train cakes for our birthdays this past year. It simplifies planning. Brock went nuts when he saw it. Brock ate little cake, gagged on the frosting but enjoyed his fork. He kept his focus on the camera, saying cheese at regular intervals. Kevin finally made me put the camera away so he would open his presents.