Car Wash

New Car Wash open for business. Look for me on the corner this weekend with my signs. I do cars, bikes, scooters, outdoor riding toys, you name it. There's no charge....it just provides me hours of entertainment. These are some of my services.

I start with the tires. Everything looks better with a squeaky clean tire.

Then I move onto the hood. I use a special soap that should actually be used for blowing bubbles, but that's okay. It doesn't hurt the paint.

I always work with precision and dedication. No spot is ever missed. I wax and shine all exteriors. And wash and dry all interiors.

I clean dashboards and steering wheels.When everything is perfect I call for the customer.Here is a happy customer. Satisfaction is guaranteed."Yipes! I forgot a spot!"I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel special in your car even if it means water in your face.
He is my most loyal customer no matter what. Nice doing business with ya! Come again soon!

Pinocchio

Look at this face.

My friend took this picture of Dax a few years ago and it’s absolutely one of my favorites of him. I am so lucky I get to see this face everyday. It just melts my heart. It’s the sweetest, most endearing, loveable face. His eyes are so big and full of life, his cheeks are still as squeezable and kissable to this day. It’s hard to get mad when a little boy looks at you with this face. It really is.

As you can see, the face isn’t the problem.

It’s what has been coming out of the mouth on this little face that is becoming the problem.

Lies. Little white lies.

How did this happen? How did he figure out that he can blame his brother for the broken toy that he threw up into the fan? How did he figure out that he point his skinny little finger at his brother when I ask who got toothpaste all over the bathroom mirror when he is the only one that can reach the toothpaste. How did he figure out that he can yell his brother’s name when I want to know who dumped out the eighty plus piece plastic tool set that I just picked up (and regret everyday that I bought in the first place) when his brother is strapped in his chair at the table eating dinner and he is the only one running around?

And how did he manage to tell me it was Wyatt again in all those instances when I bent down close to his face and looked him in the eyes and said, “Dax, tell me the truth.”

Oh the horror!!

He knows the story of Pinocchio. He knows that lies grow and grow until they are as plain as the long nose on Pinocchio’s face. Obviously the bedtime reading of this story hasn’t helped.

So, what happens next when he masters the art of fibbing and I no longer can see and hear things without actually seeing and hearing them. Or I can no longer use my mother intuition and skills of reasoning to catch him red handed. What happens when he out smarts me and I don’t really know when he is or isn’t telling the truth.

What do I do? Tell me this is just a phase. How do I make it stop?

Because the only thing I can think of for this little face is to wash this little mouth out with soap. Don’t make me do it.

Monsoons

Dax was born in Utah in December. That’s not a good thing. I couldn’t take Dax outside for months after he was born for fear of him catching RSV. Doctor’s orders. The doctor’s also told us it would be best for him to stay inside until April. April!! That was going to be nearly impossible, but we did try the best we could. Dax had a little jaundice when he was born, but laying him next to a window where the sun would stream in was not an option. There was no sun. I didn’t see the poor boys little birdie legs until he was probably six months old because he was always swaddled up in a nice big blanket. And the snow? Oh, how it snowed. It snowed and snowed and snowed. It did not make much fun for me with a newborn. I think it snowed all the way until April that year.

By the time summer finally rolled around, we had a wonderful time playing outside in the grass and going for walks. Utah has wonderful summers. But they always end quickly and sometimes it starts snowing again by Halloween. And of course, that was the case for Dax on his first Halloween and although it didn’t snow, I think I remember it being 40 degrees at least. We had to swap his cute cowboy outfit for a plush dragon that had covered feet, hands and a fleece hood. Still cute, but not the same when your first trick or treating experiencing is cut down to a 10 minute power walk around the church parking lot to trick or treat out of ward member’s trunk and then hurry home as fast as you can. I’m sure he didn’t care, but I did! Those winter months consisted of staying cooped up inside as much as possible and it wasn't fun.

When we moved to AZ the following March there was record breaking heat, record breaking consecutive days over 110 degrees and record breaking days without rain. Plus, I was pregnant with Wyatt, but that’s beside the point.

Dax has lived in some pretty extreme weather. And although both are pretty miserable, the thing I feel bad about the most is that he has literally only experienced rain a handful of times in his life.

I love when it would rain growing up. It didn’t happen often, and perhaps it wasn’t even classified as rain, definitely not Seattle rain, but more showers. But when it did, my mom always put on a movie for us, popped us popcorn over the stove and made hot hot chocolate. I loved it.

Here, the rain isn’t much like that either though. Here, the rains are called monsoons and it is something to be seen. These monsoons usually happen from about early July into September. They come and go as fast as you can blink, dump more rain than imaginably possible and the rain is dried up faster than even more imaginably possible with the loudest thunder and the brightest lightening, and it is still 112 degrees outside. Trees blow over, play houses are knocked down, trash cans are found down the street, parks flood. It’s crazy!

And it’s that time of year.

We’ve had a few monsoons this week. Usually they happen late in the day or in the evening, but the other morning we woke up and it was raining. This never happens. And for once it wasn’t as windy or as much of a trenchale downpour as usual and we were actually able to go outside and play in it.

Dax wanted an umbrella but I couldn’t find one. Why would I own an umbrella in AZ? He insisted on wearing a jacket and hood. I told him he was crazy because it was already 90 degrees at 7:30 in the morning, but that's what he wanted. Wyatt on the other hand ran around in his diaper but I was too embarrassed to post any pictures of him considering we were in the front yard. Okay, maybe there is one. And guess what? They love the rain too!

I love that I finally have pictures of Dax playing in the rain. It only took 3 ½ years, but there you have it! Total bliss.

That is until he jumped in a puddle that was actually a sink hole (another great thing about monsoons and AZ) and got covered in mud and the fun stopped there.

But at least we got some pictures to remember it all.

Weekend Trip

What can you possibly do in CA for 36 hours?

Shop in Cabazon for a few hours on you way into town.

Stay the night with your adorable 89-year-old grandparents that your son admirably calls grandma and grandpa “grape” as opposed to grandma and grandpa “great”.

Eat Pedro’s scrumptious steak and egg breakfast burritos overlooking miles and miles of beautiful ocean.

Shop at Bella Terra where Derek Fisher just so happens to be signing autographs at Upper Deck and the Laker girls are performing.

Disappointed you happen to be in Orange County the very weekend the OC Fair is going on and missing the coveted Swapmeet.

Meet your best friend you’ve had since kindergarten for lunch at one of your favorite Mexican restaurants from high school that still sits nestled in the 5 Point Shopping center.

Drive through the neighborhoods where you grew up reminiscing of the good old days…and in awe of how much has changed.

Stop in at a family friends house to visit and get ready for your very first experience of a Greek wedding.

Drive along Pacific Coast Highway, reminiscing again of your childhood, and soaking in all the sand and sea that you can muster.

Be a guest at the wedding of your husband’s best friend who happens to be one of the most beautiful brides ever.

Tackle Main Street with the other 20,000 people to watch the US Open and shop at HSS.

Spend the evening at the reception at the Waterfront Hilton where your son falls into the fountain outside while waiting for the bride and groom to arrive. Classic.

Decide to ditch out on the steak and Mahi Mahi sit down dinner (that you have been dying for the past few days) in the beautiful reception hall because you have two boys who are about to burst at the seams. Did I mention how beautiful this reception was?

Hop in the car at ten to eight and drive home hand in hand with your hubby while your two little ones sleep in the back exhausted from the busy whirlwind of a weekend.

Man, we have it pretty good.

When I grow up...

I wanna be a cowboy.
And a rodeo star.
I wanna ride around on my horse and tip my hat to all the little ladies.
I’m working real hard on perfecting the sly, mysterious stare those cowboys give in the movies.
I already got down the cowboy strut and do it all the time in my diaper.
I don’t got a mustache yet, but one day I will.
Mom may think I am swearing when I look upset and start speaking crazy talk, but really I’m just trying to say “Yee Haw Cowboy!” and “Let’s Ride!”
I love my (rocking) horse to death---even though it plays "She'll be comin' 'round the mountain". Cowboys are great singers, and so am I.
In my whole 18-months I took to life of a cowboy like a horse takes to oats.
And even though mom may think I put my hat on to run around because it’s fun and I look cute…I really think I’d fit right in to life on the road riding in the sunset.

Boys she's gonna miss me.

Brothers

Brothers. Brothers? Really? Are we sure? Some days I don’t really know.

Look at them? They are so completely different. Wyatt’s hair is verging on white and is bone straight. Dax’s hair is just likes Austin’s. It has curl, it’s coarse and it’s slowly getting shades and shades darker as he gets older. Dax has hazel eyes. Wyatt has blue. They don’t even look like they have the same mama, let alone parents. Dax is so dark and Wyatt is so fair. Dax is skinny and musclely. Wyatt is plumper and heftier (which is not a good thing for Dax when Wyatt figures out he has this advantage over his brother). Dax is right handed, and from what we can tell, Wyatt will probably be left. Wyatt is a people person. He’s social and happy to tell his stories with any stranger. He’ll let you hold him and gives hugs and kisses to anyone. Dax on the other hand reserves hugs and kisses for those special people he knows really well. He’s kinda a loner. Not in a bad way, but in the way that he doesn’t need the company of others to have fun or to be entertained. He’s happy playing all by himself.

In some aspects, they couldn’t be on more different ends of the spectrum.

And yet, in other aspects they are two peas in a pod.

They have the same twinkle in their eye. This adorable, mischievous twinkle that makes my heart melt. They both have a tiny bit of in-toeing, that they’ll most likely grow out of, but it makes them the fastest, swiftest runners, and they look completely the same when they take off across the yard their little legs going a mile a minute. I wish mine could still do that. They make the same expressions. Their “surprised face” is identical with their big eyes and “o” shaped mouth. It’s one of my most favorite expressions they make. They have the same laugh, and when you get them laughing at the same time, you can’t help but laugh at them laughing. They like the same food. I think they secretly communicate at the dinner table and occasionally veto the dinner I’ve made on the same night just so I will make them hot dogs instead. They have the same stubborn, self sufficient, I-can-do-it-myself, attitude. I wonder where they got that?

I love how different they are and I love how similar they are. I love that they are individuals and I love that they are cookie-cutters of one another. I love that they are my boys. I love that I love them.

And I love that they love each other.

Just like brothers should.

San Clemente

Throughout the year there are quite a few things I look forward to. Birthdays, putting up Christmas decorations, the day after Thanksgiving shopping, and always always going beach camping in San Clemente.

We have been going beach camping with Austin’s side of the family for at least eight years. Each year there are at least 50 of us who camp. We try to reserve the group campsite that’s tucked back in the corner where we have our own area overlooking the ocean and we all fit comfortably. It’s beautiful and perfect. It has gotten tricker and tricker to reserve this group site and even tricker to reserve it over the week we want to go. There have been times in the past where we have been scattered into three and four campsites or have gone in the early weeks of June where it isn’t quite warm enough. Both ways don’t feel quite right. Somehow, someway this year the stars were aligned and we got the group campsite for eight days. Even better, over the 4th of July!
We have some great traditions while we are there. We always choose a theme for the week and we vote for it the last night of the trip so that we have a whole year to gather things…and trust me, we end up with A LOT of stuff. We also sign up to be on a committee to help plan the next year. There is a decorations committee and the camp is always decorated so festive with the theme and all the families go all out collecting shirts, blankets, accessories and whatever else they can find to compliment the theme. My favorite was when we had a Western theme and someone brought a horsie clock that neighed and galloped on every hour and half hour. Since I had Dax, I have tried to make something for the boys that goes along with the theme. When we had a “boot camp” theme I made Dax a flannel camo blanket. When it was a “baseball” theme, we choose the Phillies and Austin and I wore some of Austin’s old jerseys and I made Dax a matching one. Last year our theme was “superheros” and I made the boys matching capes. This year the theme was “pirates” and I made both the boys pirate bandannas.

Side note, it is virtually impossible to get a picture with both boys at the same time, so don’t mind that most of these pictures will be of them individually.

Each year the activities committee has an obstacle course around the camp. I don’t know why, but it’s one of the highlights of the week and the kids love it. Dax has ran the past few years and this year stood in line over and over again to try and beat his personal record. It is such a riot watching the kids run around. They also buried treasures in a sandbox for the smaller kids and the little ones played in it all week long. Thanks Aunt Miki and Aunt Jenny for all the fun!
Another highlight is the “store”. This is another one of our committees where the committee brings lots of fun goodies for the kids to "buy". The kids earned gold coins and bought coloring books and crayons, eye patches, tattoos, swords…so many fun things. Aunt Lisa and Shauna really out did themselves. Of course, the best part is the beach. Every day we pack the same lunch: PB&J’s, Diet Coke, chips, and peanut M&M’s and head down to the beach for hours of fun. It makes me so sad that I grew up at the beach and my boys only get to enjoy it for two weeks out of the year. With that being said, we truly do our best to make up for lost time and play hard. Each day there always seems to be a vicious game of Ultimate Frisbee where it is at least 10 on 10 and we get the whole beach watching all the crazy guys and kids run around. Austin and his brother and brother-in-law play another silly game where they stand a few yards apart and throw the Frisbee at one another and don’t catch it, but let it hit them and different parts of the body are various points. It’s so silly and funny at the same time and they look like idiots with red marks across their chest where the Frisbee hits them, but they play every day and laugh their heads off. They are known for the dumb games they make up but they are so entertained. The kids dig in the sand and play in the water and have the best time. It really can't get better than that. I know if I still lived by the beach, we'd be there everyday in the summer. For the 4th we went down to the beach early to claim our spot for our huge group and my best friend Ashley came up for the day and visited. Since the majority of Austin's family is originally from CA, there always seems to be a handful of visitors throughout the week. This year we deemed the 'year of the visitors'. The last day of camp we ended up counting all the people we had camping and the total number of visitors and it's outrageous. We had 44 campers in all, 15 tents, 3 trailers and 63 visitors! It was crazy, but it's always fun to have more people at the beach to play with. We BBQ'd and watched fireworks from our beach chairs overlooking the ocean. Dax was so impressed.

One of my traditions is to try and get a family picture on the edge of the campsite overlooking the ocean. We have every year and I love looking back. I am quickly learning though that it is almost impossible to get a decent picture with all four of us looking at the camera and smiling. The boys are so wiggly and never wanting to stay still and look at the camera. It was the same story with these pictures. We never got a decent one, but I am so glad Misti kept taking pictures at our attempt to look perfect even when the hair pulling and goofiness started. Poor Austin got the grunt of the hair pulling. These pictures make me smile ten times more than the perfect, posed one we will probably never have because it's a little window into our everyday life.

We can't wait for next year. We're already planning. The theme? Disney