The Daily Francis

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2011-11-16T14:53:00.001-08:00

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I recall, Pocatello in Fall...

2011-10-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

Fall has been so nice here in Pokey! I thought I was going to be freezing by now, but we made it thru soccer season w/o jackets and are now loving the crisp mornings, beautiful leaves and warm afternoons.

Here is a rundown of the last month or two happenings...

Zanna and James both played soccer again this fall and did awesome-- James has a great natural aggressiveness and scored a couple of goals each game...

Zanna improved SO much this year and is a great ball-handler. She had a stellar coach that taught her so much about the game and gave her a great new confidence. She scored quite a few goals and really worked hard...

I love this picture of her looking like a true soccer chick!

Dave was so happy to purchase his own lawn mower- finally! He taught everyone the rules and they all mowed in safety goggles :)

DELETA!

James did great for his first time on rollerblades

There is a classic skating rink in town called Deleta that has been here for years and every month the school has "skating" day where the kids can take the bus to the roller-skating rink and parents can meet them there and skate with their kids for free. We had a blast teaching the kids to skate and Dave even took Mia out in the stroller (they have strollers there that you can borrow for free-- love small towns!)

Zanna tried the classic skate and stayed close to the wall most of the time :)

no caption needed.

In Sept. we had a great visit from Mindy and Bryce and the kiddos, but I don't really have any pictures besides these two. The kids played so well together and they even got to attend our Primary Program so that was fun. We love finally being close enough to family to have fun little weekend trips and look forward to many more!

This is Mindy and Bryce's little guy formerly known as Matthew Brent Mildon. At 10 months old they legally changed his name to Kaiser and call him Kai. People thought they were a little crazy, but I love the name and am happy they are happy and finally content with his name :)

Daddy's helper

Like most kids, Mia is obsessed with water and with our cars so this was the PERFECT activity for her

Zanna and James are on the same Jr. Jazz basketball team and they were both so excited after their first practice so we stopped and got them their own bballs to practice at home. I wanted to get Mia a playground ball and luckily they had one that looks like a basketball because wanted to be just like Z and J. She is now obsessed with balls too...love it!

A couple weekends ago Matt, Court and Isaiah came to visit and we had a great three days with them

Mia loved the Jello and we had brownie cake with peppermint ice cream layered dessert-- an old family favorite :)

Courtnee did some face painting and nail painting and the kids loved their new looks

James smeared his a little and added to it, but it was a really cool batman

Last Sunday we carved our pumpkins and like usual James was hesitant to get his hand in the goup!

Mia thought it was awesome!

another obsession...the vacuum.

On Wednesday we went apple picking on some people's property in our ward--it was a beautiful, beautiful day!

Mia wanted to take bites out of all the apples...

James aka "Johnny Appleseed" was our best climber

and Dave was our best picker...they were a little higher than our little step-stool could reach

I tried to be as helpful as I could, and did pretty well with this big belly of mine (32.5 weeks)!

Funny story...

We were just picking and enjoying the orchard to ourselves when all of a sudden these 10 cows and bulls came trotting down the hill and straight towards us. At first I thought it was fun to show Mia the cows so close up, but when I realized they were coming right at us, I got a little nervous. We quickly circled behind them and sadly, our best bag of golden apples was left on the ground and the cows went right for it and started eating our hard-earned apples!

Normally we wouldn't be nervous around cows, but it was these bulls and their stare-down looks that got us running to the car!

Their best apple-faces...

We bought an apple-peeler and made yummy apple crisp for dessert!

On our last cabin trip (Oct. 6-7) we were lucky enough to enjoy the first snow of the season!

Mia loved it and ate a nice lunch of crackers and snowballs.

We actually lost power in the cabin for about 4 hours and had fun in our pajamas playing yahtzee, ping pong, eating candy, shooting dart guns and we took a walk to see the snowy views.

Dave won for best outfit.

a Mammoth adventure...

2011-09-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, actually it wasn't really too mammoth- just a great weekend up to Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone for the Elk rut and beautiful fresh air!

We were lucky enough to meet up with Grpa and Grma Francis at the cabin on Thursday night and the kids loved an early morning 4-wheeler ride with grma--aren't they cute, I just love this picture of the three of them :)

Dave had an "I've arrived" moment on this trip and I had to take this cheesy picture of it. It's been his dream for so long to own something other than a minivan and a couple of weekends ago we bought this suburban and he LOVES it! As we were driving up to the cabin in the suburban with the kids happily sleeping in the back, on the way to Yellowstone (one of our favorite places) we just realized that we were finally doing what we had been talking about for so long and it just felt really good to be here after 8 long, great and tiring years!

the new Francis Fam cabin...isn't she a beaut! (more pics from our reunion this summer to come)

We headed into the park on a rainy, Friday morning and our eyes were peeled for wildlife.

This guys was our first sighting and I think I was more excited than the kids :)

later on in the day, we shared the road with this guy

We wanted to be part of the 3million people that come and visit Old Faithful every year!

and there she blows

The purpose for our trip was to see this guy...and he was proud of it!

Every year the Elk come to Mammoth Hot Springs in mid Sept. to October for the rut and it had been years since we had been and wanted the kids to see these guys up close...and they did.

Bad pic, but this bull is gathering his harem to head up the hill for the night. He stood up, bugled and the group followed--it was an awesome scene to watch.

Mia loved sitting on this bear statue at the post office

We woke up to this lady right outside our cabin doors and it was so neat to see her up close and have a little breakfast with her :)

After morning elk-viewing, we headed up to the hot springs and they are amazing and unlike any other formations I've seen

We drove through the park for more sight-seeing and had to get a picture of this old touring bus...cool.

and of course, because I am the mother of this family, we had to get ice cream. Check out this double decker bunny tracks cone-- this picture doesn't even do it justice!

This was at Canyon Village Deli if anyone is going up there anytime soon :)

We stopped at the falls and saw this beautiful double rainbow

mia and dad

We also walked the Norris Geyser Basin loop, which I can't believe Dave and I had never done before. It is the hottest geological site in the park and filled with a huge variety of hot pots, mud pots, geysers just a steamy, awesome sight to see

We ended the trip by seeing this bull elk relaxing in the grass with the ladies nearby.

During the trip we saw buffalo, deer, bald eagle, lots of elk, brown eagle, coyote and even a very far off wolf (a first for us). What a great first trip for the kids (first since they can remember) and I know we will be back here many times over the years if anyone wants to join us!

Our first early morning...

2011-09-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

This is what I found yesterday morning when I came around the corner.

She is only 16 months, but ready for school--she was so proud of herself!

Mia is quite the opinionated, independent, "tell you what I want" kind of girl and I am very glad she is staying home with me because I'm not sure the other kids at school could handle her "my way or the highway" attitude--we've got some taming to do before we let this one out into the world of elementary school!

Today was the first day of school and I think I was more excited than the kids were. I am not excited to get up early, be in total "routine mode", make lunches and go thru piles of paperwork....but I am excited for Zanna and James to meet new friends, learn new skills, climb the monkey bars, eat in the little cafeteria and use all their brand new school supplies- sounds fun, eh?

The night before the 1st day of school-- jammies and ice cream sandwiches on the porch before bed :)

All the cute neighbor kids waiting for the bus this morning at 7:25am.

It was a lot chillier this morning (it's like someone knew the month had changed today) but there was a lot of energy in these kids and it was so fun to see them with their friends ready to go.

We have really lucked out with these great kids living just a couple houses away!

So happy!!

(I must have told a good joke :)

Zanna - 7 yrs old, 2nd grader

James - 6 years old, 1st grader

And they're off!

Everyone came home safe and happy after a great first day!

We had chocolate chip cookies for a snack and lots more friend time before going to soccer.

Dave and I had a very relaxing morning--we played with Mia, cleaned the house, went and looked at houses, lunch at Costa Vida, looked at suburbans and made it home just in time for the bus.

I think it is going to be a great year!

more summer pictures to come...

can you say BOY??

2011-09-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

This is old news to many... but in case you haven't heard-

We Are Having a BOY!!!

Dave and I both like even numbers so we were so thrilled to see this baby cooperated.

Due 12.20.11...only 3.5 months to go, crazy!!

Here are some other cute ones...

I live in Idaho...

2011-08-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight I took the kids to the Bannock County Fair in Pocatello while Dave was at work and I just realized how much I was analyzing this new place that I live by what was going on around me. It probably isn't fair to judge a town by what you see and hear at the county fair, but here goes...

The quilts were good, the crafts were mediocre, the bottled peaches were pretty and we did see one big zucchini-- but they had nothing on the Amish and I knew I wasn't in Hershey anymore! I used to LOVE to drive down to Lancaster County and just drive around the farms, see the men out in the fields with their old-fashioned plows and horses, buy fresh produce from the stands on the side of the road where there was always shoe-fly pie and whoopie pies for sale too and just take in how beautiful, simple and peaceful it was out there. We also used to go to the Farm Show every year in Harrisburg and comparing that to tonight's fair made Bannock County feel pretty dinky, small-town and I have to say it...pathetic. The animals, the scenes carved out of butter, the huge arena for horses shows, the room full of the best farm and fair food you've ever had and the most amazing home-grown produce made the Farm Show a must and something I just might go back for one of these years (Micki, I know you will come with me!) I loved living in Hershey and think I will always miss it, no matter where I am.

Moving on, I knew I wasn't in New York anymore because the parking and the admission were both FREE and there were no lines! We parked amongst a bunch of big rigs with our new Idaho license plates and just walked right in...loved it! I didn't see any name-brand $1000 strollers, like you see all over Central Park and I saw many belt buckles and boots that weren't "in-style" but actually just what people wear everyday. I didn't see any nannies watching the kids, just lots of dirty happy kids running around barefoot while their parents sat back and enjoyed the Karaoke and dirt bike tricksters. The ice cream treats were only $1.00 and I really new I wasn't in NY then and we all got our own instead of sharing one for the whole family! I did miss the evening fireflies, the option of kosher or non-kosher food, the lack of cultural diversity among the folks and the option of taking the train home since I was tired by the end of the night (but it only took about 10-minutes to get home :)

This place was definitely not Palo Alto! There were no recycle and compost bins next to the tin garbage cans, nothing was organic and I didn't see one person who had ridden their bike to the fair! The kids weren't pulling out Trader Joe's snacks from their mom's bags and I didn't see one pair of Vibram fivefinger shoes walking around. We did see lots of people getting their exercise by shaking it on the karaoke dance floor, some cute dance numbers in the finals of American Idol Talent of Pocatello and all the kids got a great cardio workout on the bounce houses, greased-pole climb and sumo-suit wrestling. I loved our year in expensive Palo Alto because we were able to bike, scooter or walk just about anywhere and I felt very safe there (except for the few sketchy park dwellers behind our house :) I haven't met too many people here in Pocatello yet, but I'm hopeful they'll be as great as those in Palo Alto, New York and Hershey because I miss my friends!!

It's fun to think about all the places we've lived and the experiences we've had over the last 8 years that have led us to this point. We are still settling in here and figuring out if this is the place for us, but so far Dave loves his job, the kids have made some really nice friends on our street and Mia is loving a house big enough to have her own room and to run around in! I love having the park and walking trail behind us, a washer and dryer, a dishwasher and our printer all under one roof-- it is a dream come true!

Thanks for all your help and support getting us here, and go to your County Fair this summer-- it's an eye-opening experience!

Hershey Days

New York Days

Palo Alto Days

(had to put a picture of my laundry shed from little house in Palo Alto :)

The Fam at Half Moon Bay

Kindergarten at its finest...

2011-06-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

We've been out of school for a little over a week now, but I just keep thinking about James' year as a kindergartner and how lucky he was to have Mr. Morris for a teacher. What a great teacher!! I cried on the last day when I had to say good-bye to him and his beautiful classroom and just didn't want the year to end for James. James has also cried himself to sleep a couple of times thinking about leaving Mr. Morris and his friends in kindergarten.

Mr. Morris started every day with singing on the rug with his guitar and Mia and I would often stay to hear the song--which she loved and the kids loved to see her "dancing" to the music. He had the most organized classroom and the kids did so many projects and experiments and really learned how to learn.

Mr. Morris spent a lot of his weekend at school going over homework and preparing for the following week. His life seems to be totally revolved around the kids and his classroom and I just couldn't believe all the time and dedication he put into the projects, field trips and performances. The kids performed many different times throughout the year and always had costumes and were well-prepared and excited to show what they had learned.

Mr. Morris is one of the most kind, calm and likable people I have met and I think our standard for teachers as been set to the top and it will be hard to find another teacher as organized and devoted as he was.

Here are some pictures of James' year and a glimpse at the costumes they wore (so cute) and activities they did...what great memories!

first day of school

Mr. Morris and James

learning about other cultures

James' summer birthday celebration

Zanna got to join us for treats for J's b-day

The Graduation Celebration--dancing, singing, diplomas cookies and a very memorable night for all the kids and families!!

These kids were great performers!

costumes

singing with the guitar and actions

ready to graduate...

the diploma

love my guy and his silly faces...

the fam

one of my favorite pictures--makes me teary

singing on the rug

halloween

crazy hair day

Chinese New Year Parade...with homemade dragon

Mexican Dance Performance- love this picture!

James and Emmy...his great buddy from school and church!

Cinco de Mayo perforance-- you should see him shake his little hips!

The Last Day of School

Singing "walk around the room" just like on the first day of school

saying good-bye to Lydia...the teacher's aide in both Z and J's classrooms

James and his buddy Benjamin

The last picture at Barron Park School-- we will miss you!!!

I may seem a little emotional about all this, but what can I say- I'm pregnant and it truly was a GREAT year!

Here's a little video of the last day of school song with Mr. Morris playing the guitar...sniff sniff

the rest of the story...

2011-06-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks for being excited for us and our crazy news!

I am 13.5 weeks along right now and feeling pretty good. I've had the nighttime nausea and have thrown up a couple of times....for the first time in all 4 pregnancies, but I can't complain compared to what some people have to go through! We ARE going to find out BOY or GIRL this time (last two were surprises) and should know end of July-ish.

The craziest thing about this timing is that Mia and the baby will be 19 months apart, exactly the same distance as Zanna and James--I guess that is just what works for us. So, two pairs with 5 years in-between, who would've thought!

We knew we wanted a friend for Mia, but this was a little sooner than we were expecting and we were a little surprised, but very excited after it all sunk in. Our Christmas season will be a little different than we were expecting but a great way to celebrate and be together. Another crazy year of moves and babies!

Moving news...

The kids and I are leaving California on July 2nd and driving to Utah (with Mindy- yay!) to hang out while Dave finishes work here through the 8th. The movers are coming--let me repeat, THE MOVERS ARE COMING (yes, the hospital is moving us and our moving "coordinator" has told us to call him if we ever feel like we have to lift a box--so amazing!) They are packing, loading, hauling and setting up out stuff in Pocatello. Dave will oversee the move here on the 12th and then come out to Utah for a few days and then we will meet our truck and stuff sometime that third week of July.

So, I will be in SLC July 3rd-16th if anyone wants to play!

We are very excited to see what Pocatello has in store for us and are hopeful that we will love it there and love feeling more settled after all these years. We have always been blessed with great friends and have learned to love to places we have been so just hoping that will happen again.
We are renting a house for now and will look to buy something once we get there and can scope out the homes and neighborhoods more closely.

We are sad, sad, sad to leave our friends here in Palo Alto and have really loved it here and all the amazing things there are to do and the all the great food to eat!! The friends we have here have made this year so much fun and we will really miss our school, ward and great people all around us-- we hope to come back and visit!

So...that's our news-- big changes and crazy times!

you might be surprised by this but...

2011-06-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in what we'll be doing this Christmas, watch our little video :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IFcmrCsoWU

Love,

Mel and Dave

Due date: 12.20.2011

Clear Lake with the Peachey Family!

2011-06-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break we were invited up to our neighbor's lake house about 3 hours from here and it was SO RELAXING and FUN!!

We stopped at Muir Woods on the way up and enjoyed all the Redwoods and banana slugs and then had a beautiful drive through vineyard and wine country to Clear Lake.

Muir Woods Pics

Clear Lake

Cindy and Lizzie Mae

James F. and James P.

The water was FREEZING and James was the first one in---Dad was SO PROUD!

I am very PROUD to say that even I dove in...just so that I could get Dave to stop calling me a cold-water wuss. It was breath-takingly chilly but I did it!

We all took turns in the kayak and it was great exercise and really relaxing at the same time--if we ever live near a lake we will definitely own one of these!

even zanna could do it solo and loved it!

she learned how to hoola-hoop and is now really good at it

a nice evening stroll with my girl

we got introduced to Geo-cashing...

the gang...we will sure miss this guys!! we have loved being their neighbor this past year and have loved all their yummy dinners, afternoons in the park and Marc has mowed our little strip of lawn every week-- thanks guys!!

we were introduced to SPAM sandwiches-- a lake tradition and really tasty!

Mia diggin' the SPAM

We never wanted these couple of days to end!

Dave found a rope swing and had to show off his Tarzan impersonation...

Grma and Grpa came to town...in April!

2011-06-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is soooooo overdue, but very necessary to post about because it was such a wonderful trip with my mom and dad! They flew into Oakland Saturday morning and picked them up and drove across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco for the day.

Salmon Sandwiches, clam chowder and crab salad on Pier 39

heaven on earth...

After lunch we headed out to Alcatraz Island to tour the prison--something we had all been wanting to do since we moved here, loved the boat ride out the Island!

I didn't even tell them to make these faces...they actually really like the audio tour and it was fun to see them getting so into the stories and history of the Prison...what a crazy place!

view from the Island

pit stop for Mia

After the tour we headed to Ghirardelli for some big ol' sundaes and they were delish!

Everytime we go to San Fran James begs me for this Ninja sword and I finally gave in...he was the happiest little ninja you've ever seen!

After church on Sunday we made a picnic and had the best afternoon at Foothill Park. We hiked around, played frisbee, saw deer, and even caught some little lizards. It was just very relaxing and the kids love every minute they get to be with Grandma and Grandpa.

We had a yummy salmon and chicken dinner and then finished the night off with some serious rounds of American Idol Karaoke...it was pretty funny

and even Mia was on her game...

On Monday morning we skipped school and headed to the California Academy of Sciences--an amazing place for kids and adults with so much to do and it is right in Golden Gate State Park- so beautiful!

Here are some of the pics--I had fun playing with our new camera for some close ups of the animals...

albino alligator

the garden roof

After the Science Academy we decided to make a quick drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods to see the beautiful Redwood trees. It was raining pretty good when we got there, but we braved it and it was well worth it and smelled so good and fresh!

We were so sad to have to say good-bye on Tuesday and Mia just couldn't believe they were already leaving!

This was priceless one-on-one time and we are so glad that you both got to come out and play with us. Thank you for all the fun and for the spoiling--we love you so much and can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks now!

Cinco de Mia!!

2011-05-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl turned 1 last Thursday and we had one fun Cinco de Mia fiesta!

We partied at the park around the corner from us and had about 20 adults and 25 kids for dinner, pinata, bubbles, cake and flan, and a special visit from Senor Neil :)

We loved celebrating our little Mia with so many great friends, thanks guys!

the flower basket cake

birthday girl

the clan

the shrimp griller

the menu: Shrimp and Chicken tacos with pineapple, 7-layer dip, fresh guacamole, watermelon, mexican rice, mangos, fruit salad, chips and salsa and it was sooo yummy!

We got these fun apple juices at Costco...I know it looks bad, but I couldn't resist :)

shrimp and lime skewers for tacos

Mia loved her first juice box

i LOVE this picture because of the man in the background...he is always with us :)

Cupcake Time...

the little chick pinata that Dave picked out :)

We didn't get to do our Neil Diamond Christmas party this year, so we had to bring him out to the fiesta-- he was loved by all!

opening presents from Grandma after the party

ready for bed after a GREAT night!!

We can't even put into words how happy this little girl makes our family. Zanna and James still fight over who gets to sit by her at dinner almost every night and love to make her laugh and help take care of her. She loves to "sing" with Dave and has some sweet dance moves and is adding to her repertoire ever yday. She loves books, dogs, emptying every drawer in the house, is obsessed with the vacuum, Loves all meat and loves to cuddle with me and always pats us on the back when we pick her up from her bed. She waves, claps, does all sorts of animal sounds- elephant being my favorite, she just learned to fold her arms for prayer, she gives kisses and hugs, and smiles at everyone we walk past with her big teeth and darling grin.

We love you Mia Charlotte-- happy 1st birthday!

Disneyland!!!

2011-05-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

WE DID IT!!

Last weekend we did a whirlwind weekend to visit the happiest place on earth...

We drove down thursday after school, did Disneyland on Friday, the beach on Sat. and drove home that night exhausted and happy!

the classic pic

Dumbo line

her first horsey ride

we loved how many rides you can do as a family

even if they make you feel a little sick :)

Woody and Jessie...so fun to see them in 'real' life

The new Jedi Training show is AWESOME and the "dark mal" (according to James) was really pretty scary!

a special moment with Cinderella

Ariel

and Mulan. James didn't want to talk to the princesses, but Mulan made a special effort to talk to him and it was pretty cute

It's a Small World--Mia's all-time favorite ride...she was "oooohhhing and aaahhhhing" the whole time!

the cuties

Zanna was SO EXCITED to get these Mouse, Bride ears and was prancing around the park all afternoon

The Matterhorn-- loved it!

Fireworks show was incredible!

Last ride at 11:50 pm!

Getting some treats on our way out...nothing like sugar tubes for the kids, turtles and chocolate covered s'mores for Dave and ice cream for me at 12:30 am!!

Good-bye Magical place-- we loved you!

We slept in the next morning and then a great morning swim at the hotel pool...

we ate lunch at The Elephant Bar...really yummy new place for us and then headed to Santa Monica Beach for the afternoon.

It was a perfect beach day and mia loved the sand

we didn't do suits at first, but Dave and the kids quickly changed in the car and DOVE IN!

we are really going to miss California!!!

P.S. -If you are going to Disneyland anytime soon and want tips on how to avoid lines, what to see and do and how to have the best experience from an expert that used to work there, let me know and I will forward you the precious info!!

thank you Easter bunny... bok bok

2011-04-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

31!

2011-04-24T14:25:00.001-07:00

I turned 31 at the beginning of the month and it was a GREAT birthday....with a rocky start.

I woke up expecting Dave to let me sleep in...but that didn't happen and I very grudgingly did the morning routine--breakfast, lunches, hair, teeth brush, drop-off etc. and came home quite bugged thinking that Dave hadn't even remembered it was my birthday.

I was hoping to go for a hike or something with him while the kids were at school, but he was still asleep when I got back so I left without him and went and "hiked the Dish" with Mia.

I had a great hike and came back a little happier.

I thought we were going to go to Half Moon Bay for the afternoon with the fam, but when Dave got up he said, "be ready at 4pm--we're going out tonight!"

When the kids got home from school they went and ran an errand with dad and then we partied...

We had a ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins (thanks to Groupon) and I got spoiled with cards, a laser hair removal machine :) a new camera backpack (that is awesome!) and a new sports watch, something I've wanted for years. I also received cookies, chocolate, flowers and cards from friends and really felt loved!!

Thank you everyone for making my 31st a great one!

And, thank you Janet for watching our kids for the entire night so that we could do dinner and a movie...something we hadn't done in a long time!

We ate delicious Persian food in Mountain View and the grilled lamb and tzatziki hit the spot!

We then saw "The Adjustment Bureau" and it was pretty good, but just fun to be out on the town with a hot date!

Thanks Dave, for surprising and spoiling me...sorry I thought you forgot it was my birthday-- you did a GREAT job!

Other happenings...

Mia eating Zanna's hair

Conference Morning Breakfast

James learning to be a man

Zanna's field trip with Dave to the ranch

self-explanatory

breaking out!

a daily disaster

Jedi training birthday party...it was a big hit!

a new view...

2011-04-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

We got a new camera...a Canon D60 SLR and we are loving it! I still feel totally overwhelmed by all it can do, but this is one of the first pics I took with it and it just makes me happy :)

The stare down!

mia and adam...3 days apart

check out this smile! she's looking so much older....sad

mia and dad cueing up their dance song

their favorite is "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band

one of the many messes I clean up all day, everyday

Project Runway...

Zanna and Brooke LOVE to do make-overs on themselves and this time did outfits as well as hair and make-up so we went outside for some shots

naturals...

love the pink earrings :)

End of new camera pictures.

Juana Run?

This was the name of the 1/4 mile race the kids did a few weeks ago and it was awesome to see them getting a little nervous, trying their best and running their guts out!

Our neighbors did the race as well and so we had a big cheering section

another fun place to play and make LOTS of noise

She loves these chairs and I just couldn't resist this ruffle-bum picture

She's getting closer and closer to walking and is loving the "cruising" stage

This is the first time she got in "trouble" by Dad. He told her "No" in a dad-tone and she did not like it!

Playing with her ~~ninja~~ brother

The Oakland Temple

Our ward had a temple trip with babysitting on the temple grounds so we were really excited to get to go together for the first time since Mia was born.

The grounds are gorgeous up there and I was in love with all the spring flowers and tulips--reminded me of the flowers on the SLC temple grounds at our wedding

the fam.

After the temple we had lunch at Fuddruckers-- we hadn't been there since we lived in Hershey and pigged out on burgers, fries and onion rings! Mia had a pickle and tomato appetizer...

We only have another 21/2 months to live here in Palo Alto and are can't believe how much our life is going to change again very soon! We have decided to rent a house in Pocatello so that we can get up there and figure exactly where we want to be and do all the house searching from there (not that we aren't already obsessed with doing it online) but figure it will be much easier when we are already in town. Dave is already lining up his schedule for his new job and will start mid-July. The hospital has it's grand opening this month and he is pretty excited to work in a brand new ED--nice.

Mia will be 1 in a couple of weeks (May 5th) and Zanna and James look like teenagers! Not really, but they act like it sometimes and always want to use my phone!

Life is good.

Monterey in Style

2011-04-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Dave did it again.

He managed to set up a sweet gig for the family to enjoy a little getaway in Monterey for a couple of days on the hospital tab while he helped at an Ultrasound conference for a few hours.

We stayed at The Clement Monterey...a gorgeous hotel on the water that I wish I could live in someday!

It had been raining for quite a while in Palo Alto and our little house was feeling so damp and dark, so it was a heavenly to be in a place with Central Air, a big beautiful bathroom with a heater :)

(we have been surprised how cold we feel here with the humidity and single-pane windows in this old house)

this was the funniest pool--just a long, skinny rectangle against a large wall but it did the job and the kids were so happy to be swimming again!

Even mom got in the water this time...

and little Mia couldn't resist either. her suite didn't fit her, so she swam in her diaper and onesie-- kinda ghetto, but we were the only ones there :)

the hotel deck

waiting for our food to come

While Dave was at the Conference we visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium...I'm SO GLAD we bought a membership when we first moved here because we have definitely taken advantage of this amazing place-- the kids LOVE touching the BAT RAYS

we had a fun evening at Dennis the Menace Park...

Zanna and James on the HUGE TRAIN at Dennis the Menace Park

Zanna rook climbing for the first time and she touched the top she was so happy!!!

and then walked over to the beach so Mia could talk to the birds...

We ended the night at The Turtle Bay Taqueria and I had the best shrimp tostada and chips and salsa!

Mia was asleep at dinner, so she was pampered with dinner in her bath and I'm sure she could get used to this life at The Clement too!

St. Patty's Day for James

2011-03-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

The Day Before St. Patrick's Day...

James: "Today we learned about these little guys that are really greedy and want to steal your money."

Me: "What? What guys are you talking about, robbers?

James: "No, those little guys that are really greedy....I think it starts with an "L."

Me: "Ohhh, realizing what day it was tomorrow...Leprechauns?

James: "YES! Leprechauns!! The are little men who love gold and you can try to find them at the end of a rainbow, but they live in green fields so that they can hide from people. They are really sneaky and clever, even though I don't know what that means, and they wear green and are always trying to find your money."

Zanna: "Are you sure that they are real?"

James: "Yes, I think so because I learned about them in Kindergarten."

It was such an enthusiastic conversation and I loved hearing James going on and on about these little greedy men that chase rainbows and hide in the fields looking for gold!!! (I mean really, how cool is that?)

The next day at school (St. Patrick's Day), all the Kindergartners found "Gold" scattered around the playground equipment and grass and they each brought a baggie home feeling very rich.

James: "Mom, if you go to the bank and they won't give you any money I will give you some of my gold and you can buy stuff at the store with it."

later that night...

James: "Mom, at school we made a chart with three rows- YES, NO and MAYBE and every child put their shamrock in the row about if they believe in Leprechauns. I put mine in the MAYBE row, but now that I found the gold, I am going to move it to YES."

When I walked James to his classroom the first thing he did was walk over the chart and change his shamrock to YES.
I was talking to his teacher, Mr. Morris, at the time about something else and as I was talking I noticed Mr. Morris watching James change his answer and smile.

Mr Morris: "Wow, he just changed his answer. I've never had a child do that before, that is very good thinking."

(I couldn't help but smile and have a little proud parent moment :)

James just needed some concrete evidence and once he saw the gold, it was a solid deal-- Leprechauns Live!

time flies when you're having fun!

2011-03-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a little update on the Francis clan from the last couple of weeks...

CRaZy HaiR DaY!!!

Chinese New Year Parade

All the kindergartners paraded around the whole school showing off their dragons and it was cute to see all the "big kids" cheering and clapping for them-- i love James's face here, so proud!

Saturday morning cartoons with Dad after the night shift

Legos, legos, legos

We took a little trip down the Monterey Bay Aquarium with the Asay family and had a great time with other million people that had the same idea that day :) It was a rainy Saturday on a holiday weekend so we were expecting crowds, but let's just say I'm glad Dave wasn't there because I think he would have lost it! The kids always have a great time together and we ended the night at Chili's with the best Avacado Burger I've ever had!

oh the faces of James...

Mia LOVED the birds and was talking non-stop to them..."Ooooh, oooh, oooh!"

the huge, dinosaur looking fish

our new favorite place to bathe Mia that doesn't break our backs-- i love her steamy head

peek-a-boo

Mia just got her first toothbrush and loves to brush with the big kids!

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get to be apart of my friend Meagan's 30th birthday party-- a

"sail-abration" on the San Francisco Bay. We had a sail boat all to ourselves (about 30 gals) and we motored out to the Golden Gate Bridge and then sailed back while eating brunch and enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather. The Captain said it was the nicest day they'd had in two months and it was just a perfect day out on the water.

Thank you, Benj for planning this AMAZING party-- every detail was fabulous and you truly should teach lessons on planning parties!

Thank you Dave for playing with the kids all morning on only about 4 hours of sleep... this was a real treat for me!

Meagan- the birthday girl!

the flowers around Pier 39 were so lovely-- they reminded me of my wedding day :)

Zanna lost 2 teeth last week and now has the cutest, jagged smile on the block!

Here is our cute, little house with our beautiful pink blossoms.

The flowers are blooming all around here and I am loving my walks and even went running for the first time the other day in a long time. I was a little sore, but it felt great and I am excited to sign up for some races in the near future.

I can't believe we only have about 4 more months to live here!

Happy Belated Heart's Day!

2011-03-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Valentine's celebration night with our friends and neighbors the Friday before Valentine's Day. We all got sitters (we used the baby monitor for our kids next door) and ate a delicious meal of Cioppino (see recipe and end of post), salad, bread and red velvet cake for dessert. The meal was amazing with all the fresh seafood-- king crab legs, scallops, jumbo prawns, clams and mussels and we played a little "how well you know your spouse" game afterwards that was very informative and funny!

Thanks Peachey family!

(lame that we only have a few pictures)

The kids and I made a TON of cookies and had fun delivering them to various neighbors, people in the ward and they loved bringing them to their primary classes.

When the kids woke up I had a Valentine note waiting for them on the table to read during breakfast. It was really cute to see how excited they were about something that really didn't take too much effort, but it meant a lot to them.

Zanna read hers MANY times that day and the days following-- it's the little things that make them happy :)

Dave picked up some little gifts for them and it was fun opening them up after school.

Dear Suzanna,

You a such a beautiful girl and we feel SO lucky to be your parents! You are a wonderful older sister and a friend to everyone you meet! It is so fun to see you growing up and learning many new things that you are great at- drawing, monkey bars, trying new food, bike riding, reading and dancing. We love you SO incredibly much and wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Love you Sweetie,

Mom & Dad

Dear Jameson,

We love you SO much and are very LUCKY to be your Mom and Dad. You are a special guy with a BIG heart who loves animals, treats, bikes, wrestling, fruit, your 'guys' and making people laugh. Thank you for adding so much fun to our family and for all your GREAT hugs! We love you more and more everyday and hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Love you buddy,

Mom & Dad

Dave even got me a gift this year-- a traditional box of chocolates, which I totally loved and freely took bites out of whichever one I felt like and then put it back with no stress:) AND a warm, cozy, soft, awesome, cools, pretty North Face winter jacket that I LOVE and never want to take off! He is trying to make sure I don't freeze my buns off in Idaho next year :)

Here is the Valentine that Zanna wrote to me a big, pink heart:
Dear Mom,

Happy Valentines Day!!! I love love you!! Me and James and Mia are so thankful for all the work you do for the Family like make dinner, take us to school, buy us toys!

Love, the Family

Dear Mia,

Happy 1st Valentine's Day, Sweetie! We are so lucky to have you in our family and LOVE you to pieces! You have such pretty eyes, the cutest round head and such soft, silky baby skin. You make the cutest little faces with your new teeth and we are amazed by how much you learn everyday. You have made our family so happy this year and are such a special girl. We love you Mims!!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Davey,

Wow! I can say that I have never been happier with us than I have been lately and am more in LOVE with you than ever! I think we have both made some great steps in the right direction of selflessness and am SO grateful for you as my husband and friend. I can't wait to spend forever with you & love all your funny quirks, your squinty eyes and huge biceps :) Happy Valentine's Day- love you so much!!

Love,

Melle

(I don't have a picture from Valentine's Day so I'm using an old, classic instead :)

For dinner we had heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphey's (our first year trying it- pretty tasty) and just had a fun night hanging out as a family.

James's video skills...pretty cute!

Peachey Family Cioppino

Sauce:

1 lg onion 1 lb can tomato puree

1 bunch green onions 2 cans tomato sauce or 1 lg can stewed tomatoes

1 green pepper 1 cup white wine (optional)

2 cloves garlic Large can or bottle of tomato juice

1/3 cup olive oil ½ bay leaf

1 bottle clam juice 1-2 Tbl salt

1 12oz can whole clams ¼ tsp pepper

1/3 cup fresh parsley 1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp thyme

1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

To make sauce:

Chop veggies and sauté onion, green onions, green pepper, and garlic in olive oil. Add clam juice, juice from whole clams (reserve clams for the end), tomato puree, sauce, stewed tomatoes, wine, and spices. Add tomato juice to dilute consistency, etc. Add all the spices and simmer for 1-2 hours. You can simmer all day, or turn off and let it sit on your stove until you are ready to do the fish. Bring sauce to a boil again just before adding seafood

Just before serving, cook and add seafood as described:

Seafood:

1 lb white fish (any kind works) – cut into 1 inch chunks and add to sauce 20 minutes before serving

Large prawns (as many as you would like) – Rinse and Soak in cold water. Drop into sauce about 2 minutes until serving (they are done when they just turn pink)

Clams and Mussels – scrub and rinse shells. Bring to boil in pot of salted water. Take out once they open. Any that do not open, throw away (no good). Put these in each serving bowl to pour the sauce over when serving.

Clams from can- pour into sauce to warm

Scallops – Cook in olive oil and butter in hot skillet until just done (about 2-3minutes per side, depending on size) Put in serving bowls to pour sauce over.

Crab (either legs or whole crab, whichever you prefer) – Crab is already cooked, so you can just steam in large pot to warm again and then place in bowl when serving.

Add 1/3 cup of fresh parsley to sauce. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and bread for dipping.

So Yummy!

The Meester-8 & 9 month update...

2011-02-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

Who wouldn't want to wake up to this little face-- what a FUN age!

Because it's California, we just keep this in the garage and put her out here when the kids are riding bikes or we're working outside

Mia is surrounded by all her favorite things here...besides me :)

This past month or so she's discovered the piano and loves to play on it and listen to Zanna and James play too, she even claps after their performances :)
She also LOVES to dance whenever she hears music and l love seeing her bouncing to the beat

A true bonding experience for us-- her first McDonald's cone (not the ice cream yet :)

Mia's two bottom teeth came in at 8-months and then we were surprised to see these fangs come in next...we think she's just trying to keep up with all the Vampire hype these days :)

9-months old and sweet as ever!

"So Big"
This was her first 'trick' she learned at 8-months old and I was so excited to feel like we were really communicating!

Sweet girl

She's already being a stinker and pulling off her headbands!

Bath time is always a happy time :)

Playing at Bol Park-- she loves Zanna's lunchbox :)

She still Loves to eat, but is becoming a bit more picky. She actually didn't grow at all between December and now so we are going back in for a weight check in a month. She seems chunky, healthy and happy to us so we're not worried-- it may have been wrong measurements or the fact that she's been sick, we'll see...

This is her FAVORITE place to hang out right now-- the changing table. She LOVES to play with all the lotion bottles, Aquaphor, wipes, neosporin tubes etc. and holds her legs out so you have to sit her down after every diaper change...fun times.

Mia thought these chocolates were for her-- not yet babe!

Mia LOVES tissues, napkins, paper towels- any paper product really and gives you the stink eye if you try to take them from her

resting between push-ups

Finally pushing up more and not hating being on her tummy so much

digging for treasure

Playing puzzles for the first time

the giggly girls

Mia LOVES dogs, has learned to "bark" and gives Maddie kisses daily--so cute!

this one is for you mom :)

no words to describe...

2011-02-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

IN THE WINTER!

Dave was asked to give a lecture at an Emergency Medicine Conference in Yosemite last month so the whole family got to go (thank you Stanford!). It was only about 5 hours away and even the drive was beautiful too! We stayed at the Inn at the Falls and just loved having this little getaway trip to the mountains. Our pictures don't capture the beauty of this place because you are just surrounded by these cliffs and mountains and peaks, but I kept telling the kids to take pictures in their heads and when we got home, right before James fell asleep he said, "Mom, I still have those pictures in my head."

enjoy...

We stopped for pizza on the drive and Mia was showing off her new trick...

"SO BIG!!"

girl party at the hotel...

and, yes, my eye was infected this whole trip so I look like the sister in Meet the Parents who got hit in the face with the volleyball

hiking up to the falls

how funny and cheesy is this?

half dome

the Lower Falls

the view from our hotel

sunset on Half Dome--amazing!

what's cuter than little polka dot baby bums?

our version of a hot tub this trip :)

we found a playground at the elementary school for Yosemite Valley and it was quite a scene to be playing on the bars and slides with The Falls, Glacier Point and Half Dome in sight

the weather was perfect... everything was beautifully covered in snow, but it was sunny the whole time we were there and just cold enough to need a jacket but not freeze.

I loved the fresh mountain air and sun on my face!

we even got lucky enough to see a family of deer come down from the mountains to the village right in front of the Ansel Adams store

just having some snacks with Dad

These last few pictures are on the drive out of the park and there really are no words to describe the beauty and grandeur of this place! This is El Capitan-- granite face formed by glaciers

we stood at this same spot almost ten years ago when we first got married and lived in Cali for the summer...fun to see how we've changed :)

What a BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, BREATH-TAKING, FUN, RELAXING trip!

We are hoping to come back when we can do more hiking around in the summer....let us know if you want to join us!

mini me's

2011-02-09T23:28:00.000-08:00

Heather and Anthony came to see us in January and is was so fun to see our little babies together for the first time! I saw Anthony when he was only 6 weeks old but this was the first time my family met him and the first time Heather met Mia so everyone was so excited for this visit.

little minis of us...

I think this picture shows how much our babies resemble us

We took a little stroll around Stanford campus and it was our first time being "moms" together...how fun after being best friends since 5th Grade :)

our trusty side-kicks

no, we didn't mean to dress alike but great minds do think alike...

Heather and Mia bonding over apple chips (heather's obsession) and puffs (Mia's obsession)

we girls love our food!

Saturday morning we "Hiked the Dish" and let me remind you that this was on JANUARY 22nd!!!

It was beautiful!

Zanna and James LOVED playing with Anthony and talked about how cute he was for days after they left. He is such a fun little guy and reminds me so much of his momma...

We headed down to Half Moon Bay and the Fitzgerald Preserve to play in the tide pools and just enjoy the ocean air. It was a little chilly but the view, the waves, the sea anemone and the sea lions made up for a little wind. I am really going to miss living so close to the ocean...

We were just walking along and came upon all these sea lions basking in the sun (the long, rock-like looking things in the background)

the babes being babies...they felt so big up on the bunk beds!

and here is what we did most of the weekend...EAT and make REALLY big MESSES!!

These little guys kept us busy and I learned from this trip that I need to let Mia just feed herself and make huge messes and be happy about that (thanks for reminding me of that Heather and Anthony!)

Heather and I went out on Friday night to "Plutos" on University in Palo Alto after taking and hour and a half to decide on a place! We walked up and down the streets with the babies asleep in their car seats and I'm sure looked pretty funny to everyone else.

We made muddy buddies, peanut butter cookies, and chocolate/oatmeal/cranberry cookies with powdered sugar that were amazing!! I love hanging out with this girl and am soooo lucky to have her in my life. The visit was too short but very sweet and I loved seeing Heather as a momma and getting to know Anthony. Thanks for coming honey, we all love you guys!!!

Welcoming in the New Year!

2011-01-31T00:08:00.000-08:00

WELCOME 2011!!

We are trying to live it up out here in California since we are only here for one year and that means swimming at any chance we can get. When the temperatures were in the 60's and the sun was shining--Dave and the kids were in the pool!

Another thing we love out here-- riding bikes in January with our cute neighbors. This was our train of kiddos we took to the park and often how we look going to school (this is only two families, ours and the Pearsons :)

We were so lucky to get a visit from Gabby, a special friend from NY!

She comes to CA for work and made a special visit to come see us. This kids were very excited to show her everything new and we had a great brownie filled visit-- thanks for coming Gabby!!

Mia's new bib from Ikea...she is now out of the Bumbo and in a regular highchair, making messes on a regular basis...

I have never been very good about letting my babies just make messes of themselves every meal....it's just so... MESSY EVERY MEAL!! I have always liked feeding them with a spoon and wiping them up constantly but I am trying to let go of that tendency and just let Mia do her thing.

It is actually very fun and funny to watch and I know she is so much happier when she is in control... here's the proof...

Bon Appetit!

One Month Ago...

2011-01-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

We had a 2 WEEK!! visit to UT this Christmas and here is the rundown of another great trip with the fams.

We left at 8:30pm, drove all through the night, and headed south toward Vegas to avoid the storms and chains needed to get over the pass at Tahoe. We only had to stop twice to get gas and feed Mia and we arrived at 11:30am exhausted but so happy to be there and so happy that we didn't have to buy plane tickets this year! We loved having our own car too and didn't have to mooch like we've been doing for the last 7 years :)

We pulled up to Mindy and Bryce's house to meet our newest little nephew, Matthew Brent Mildon, who was only 4lbs. 12oz and one week old (he was 3.5 weeks early). He was the sweetest, tiniest little human I have ever seen in real life and Mia just looked like a GIANT next to him.

so, so teeny!

we all needed naps to recover from the drive

On Sunday we went to church with Dave's family and were so surprised to see Mike and Dexter walk in...this was our first time meeting Mr. Dex and we couldn't believe how handsome and happy this guy is--he just smiles every time you look at him.

that night we went to the 19th Annual Christmas sing-a-long at my cousins' house and Dave and I were Mary and Joseph this year...

the kids loved dressing up and playing with all the cousins and aunts and uncles.

The food is always sooooo good and this is definitely one of my favorite traditions of Christmas in UT

Aunt Rach looking gorgeous as usual

Mindy with her new little guy

The night at the lights was pretty chilly but very beautiful

we met my family at Dimple Dell rec center for a little swimming party. the water was a little chilly for my liking but we still had a great time and got out when everyone's lips were purple :) this was Mia's first real swimming adventure and I think she loved it!

Christmas Eve morning pancakes

the kids loved chasing Dex around and were doing races with him up and down the hallways

her favorite sleeping buddy, snail

Christmas Eve gift exchange with Francis fam was AWESOME-- the kids were so happy to finally get a pillow pet and Zanna was just jumping up and down and hugged me so tight with excitement. we all got very spoiled and stuffed full of yummy dinner and we just love this night together.

cute Grandpa feeling the joy of Christmas with the babes

Grandma is having a deep thought here :)

Wii are now in business at Grandpa and Grandmas!

no, we did now coordinate our peach shirts :)

Christmas morning before the kids...

and After.

Zanna got Julie, her first American Girl doll and James got a sweet Batman Castle from Santa

and Mia got her first candy cane

We headed over to Mike and Amanda's for a delicious Christmas brunch, a new tradition this year

and Mia showed Mikey the love

we then headed down to Scott and Andrea's to spend Christmas day with the Mumfords and eat more amazing food, open presents and play, play, play.

Mia and Matty eating waffles :)

Dave hates our pillows and when we napped at Mindy's he loved their pillows so she gave it to him for Christmas :)

James got a cool skatepark for all his tech decks and was soooo happy!

Family lunch at a Thai place in American Fork

can you see the family resemblance here??

we met up with Taylor and AnnDee for some "sledding" on the road pulled by a 4-wheeler. Sterling met us there too and it was a fun afternoon. I was all decked out to sled but it was really cold so I stayed in with Mia and was a little sad to not get my "play in the snow" time, but was happy the kids had so much fun

We had two great Francis family nights out, but I only had my camera one night. We ate at the Porcupine Grill one night (sooooo good!) with just the adults and then we had a Fat Cats and Neilson's Frozen Custard night with the kids-- we love those two places, especially in one night!

Grandma and Mims

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We were so happy to get to be a part of my fam's traditional mixed-up dinner New Year's Eve night and loved the celebration attire this year.

James and Dave taking their menus very seriously

this one just makes me laugh :)

the gang

sweet Eliza

I got all my utensils in one course--oops!

Mind and Andrea and little Matthew

the IT guys trying to get the slide show ready

the kids and Grandma hot tubbed in FREEZING temperatures at 11pm!

mom out at midnight popping fireworks and blowing horns

watching fireworks in the neighborhood

Even Mia was still in party mode!

What a great trip and we are so lucky to have such fun families who love to be together!

THANK YOU to our parents for spoiling us this year (again!) and for all you do to keep our families close. We love you and wish you a HAPPY 2011!

(PS- we also loved seeing our Hershey Friends, the McCanns and Gina and Melanie but didn't take any pictures--lame, but so fun to catch up again :) And, we had a great night out with the "Neil Diamond" clan but didn't get any pictures of that either! Next year...

Cousins from Idaho...

2011-01-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

the first week of December brought the Idaho Mumfords to California for a little visit and we had a FABULOUS trip...how could you not with this bunch!

A view from Foothill Park with Maria, Alison, Lucy, James, Isaac, Zanna Goldie and Harrison--what an awesome crew!

Goldie is quite the little cilmber

We had a blast with our cousins and felt so lucky to get this one-on-one time with them

Even making a face like this, she is still so beautiful!

Alison and I making our best Miss America smiles

After Foothill Park we headed over to Half Moon Bay and ran around in the cold waves while the sun went down. Brett met us there after his HUGE test (which he passed with flying colors) and it was great to have that stress over with and just play at the beach.

The kids got soaking wet and were freezing by the end so we headed back home by way of In-n-Out Burger and felt so "Californian"

just a cute little moment I caught...

had to get a picture of the family on THE MANSTAD :)

Instead of going to the lame hotel, Alison and 3 of the kids slept out here the first night they arrived after missing their flight and being in airports all day--we were so glad to finally have them here!

On Friday we headed up to San Fran and of course stopped at Ghirardelli

I had to let her taste...

her first chocolate ice cream at 7 months--and she loved it!

me and my bro

brett and Isaac caught pigeons on Pier 39 and everyone wanted to hold them (except me)

even Mia knew how to hold on

the trolley rides were a highlight of the trip

seeing the city "SF" style

look at all those wreaths!!

the HUGE tree in Union Square...our first time in SF at Christmas time, it was Beautiful!

Hanging out in the room on Sat. morning while Brett and Al were running a 50k and Marathon in the rain, trees, and cliffs of the coast--they are amazing!

Lu and Ria...it was so fun to hang out all day with you great gals!

the little shore in front of Ghirardelli Square with the Golden Gate bridge in the background

For $3 James got a really cute portrait that actually looked like him. (Zanna got one too, but it wasn't as good )

watching the street artists make the spray paint posters---the kids could have watched them all day

cute Mia.

Cute James.

Cute Harry

Cute Goldie.

Merry Christmas "G"

We didn't want to drive away from these cute people and can't wait to play more when we move a little closer...see you in Lava!

Love you guys- thanks for coming out!

Our Pre-Christmas life

2011-01-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

cute picture taken by our neighbor of the little peanut

Zanna receiving her soccer trophy and medal at our end-of-season party...her teammate's house was a Gorgeous historical home in Palo Alto

We joined the Monterey Bay Aquarium and went to a "members only" night where we had the place to ourselves and loved learning more about the abalone, sea otters, starfish, penguins etc.

we love this place!

This is Mia's favorite sleeping friend, snail (very original, I know).

At bedtime we cuddle with snail, say "night-night", sing a song and put her in bed.

We all LOVE snail.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day we went down to a local church to help prepare dinner for the homeless people in the area. The kids and Dave snapped the beans and I chopped a million potatoes. It was great to work together as a family. The kids really wanted to see the homeless people in person--I guess I never realized that would be so intriguing to them

James helping make a graham cracker crust for Thanksgiving dessert

Zanna painting "face cookies". Our traditional place setters for Turkey Day dinner

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday this year because Dave had to work on Thursday. We had the Asay family and Joanne over to paint the cookies Thursday morning and it was great to see these artists at work

Adam and Mia are just 3 days apart and both sooooo delicious!

the kid table with the fun face cookies

these boys can eat!

the babes in bumbos

We had such a great time with these families and the food was AMAZING! We had a dance party after dinner and the kids loved playing together. We are lucky to have great friends here to celebrate with!

Dave is such a sweet dad to this little girl and loves feeding her and really taking care of her in every way he can. I just love how cute and relaxed he looks here hangin' out with Mims and I am thankful for him!

Janet is a great friend and I am really sad that we will only get to play for another 6 months :(

This was probably one of the best nights of our lives so far! No, not because we got our own dipped cones at Dairy Queen, but because this was our celebration after Dave accepted the position in Pocatello and we now have a REAL job! (We also went to dinner, but couldn't pass up the DQ afterwards :)

I need to write more about Pokey and our plans, but for now we are just so happy and are looking forward to putting down some roots in Idaho!

James kept begging me to make a gingerbread house so we bought the Costco kit and had a great time putting it together Sunday morning before church

kind of a goofy picture of 3 goofy kids

Zanna making a mud-brick well at "Town of Bethlehem" celebration with a live nativity, live animals, scary Roman soldiers, wood whittling, grape mashing and all sorts of games and activities representative of the time of the birth of the savior...

it was an awesome night!

These were a couple of houses with a TON of lights and a show set to music thru the radio. It was beautiful and they even had a "snow machine" that showered the kid in bubbles

Mia- 7 months

She says "Ha" (Hi) to people to get their attention or as just a friendly greeting and she LOVES to eat anything that isn't baby food. She gives kisses and hugs and is no where close to crawling. She laughs at James the most and loves to pull Zanna's hair.

We love her so much and that sweet face just makes me smile and feel so thankful for her and our family.

7 short years ago...

2010-12-14T15:38:00.000-08:00

this little lady was born!!

Zanna's birthday was on Saturday and we had a whole weekend of celebrations this year! I could tell she felt very excited and special because she has made Dave and I many love notes saying "I LOVE MY FAMILY!" and has said, "You're the best mom!" many times. I really didn't do a whole lot this year, but it has been really cute to see how the little things make her feel so loved and happy.

Zanna has always been a mature soul and she is incredibly helpful with Mia and truly my right hand girl. Sometimes she even gets Mia out of her bed in the morning and changes her diaper and just plays with her while a get a little more sleep. She loves to teach James new things and has always been a great older sister to him (besides the teasing and bossing at times:)

Whenever I go to the school the kids in her class ask if they can have a playdate with Suzanna. A friend in her class said that he wished the school year had just started because then he would have more time with Zanna before she moves...and his favorite state is Idaho now because that is where Zanna is moving--I thought those were two of the cutest things I've ever heard!

I just love my girl so much and feel very privileged to be her mom and get her hugs and kisses every day!

Friday...

The hostess cupcakes we made for her class--we put all the kids initials on them and they thought is was so fun to come outside for lunch and see these on the table.

Showing me her new monkey tricks

Saturday morning...

this year she got to open presents right when she woke up. She LOVED her new "mood necklace" from Grma F. and American Girl books and mini doll from Grandma M!

After this, we headed over to the ward Christmas Party...

Zanna's new friends Nate and Ben Asay invited her to the SF Children's Symphony to see Peter and the Wolf. She wanted Dave to go with her so the Dads and kids went to the city for the afternoon with Joanne, the sweet woman from the ward who got the tickets for this great event!

Later that night we went out to dinner to and Zanna chose a place where she could make her own ice cream sundae! We also picked up her cake at Costco for her party and she was SO EXCITED about this cake, it was hilarious. She didn't stop talking about how beautiful it was and all the little details about it for about 15 minutes straight and wanted to hold it on her lap all the way home. Her party wasn't until monday and on Sunday she pulled a chair up to the opened fridge so that she could admire her cake. I loved seeing her so excited and she definitely takes after me with this love for birthday cakes!

Sunday morning photo in her new birthday dress:)

On Monday after school we had a bunch of great kids over to celebrate. We kept it very simple and had a great time climbing trees, playing with toys and chatting. We sang, ate cake and ice cream and then headed over to the park around the corner where we played, played, played until dark.

(All I did was hang a birthday sign and have the table set up with the cake and snacks and when Zanna walked in from school her face lit up and she was dancing around with excitement...so cute!)

the kids

the moms

Probably the only year she'll ever be eating her cake outside in December!

HAppy 7th BiThDay ZANNA!

Enough of the Stanford sweatshirts!

2010-12-13T00:51:00.000-08:00

This is a long over-due post but we had a fabulous time with Grma and Grpa Francis in October! We visited the Stanford bookstore and scored some sweet sweatshirts that we pretty much wore all weekend...so don't mind that almost every picture in sporting some sort of Stanford attire.

we saw the huge Redwoods...one of my favorite things about going to this place (Henry Cowell State Park) is the smell of Nature...you just step out the car, take a deep breath and are instantly relaxed!

one of my favorites of these three crazies

this one's a framer

Marianne's in Santa Cruz--the Horchata ice cream was one probably the best ice cream I've ever had...and I've had A LOT of ice cream!

We also ventured up to San Fran and explored Union Square for the first time. The kids and I rode the awesome escalators at the Nordstrom mall, we rode the trolley, ate at Cheesecake Factory and explored Britax--the most amazing fabric store I've ever seen! I wish I was an seamstress and I learned that women spend days and days in there conjuring up creative goodies. We got some grosgrain ribbon and flowers to make zanna a new headband and new silky fabric for her to sleep with :)

We also went to our first Stanford football game against my hometown WSU Cougs!

It was a little rainy but fun to be there together and explain the game to the kids.

Zanna loved the cheerleaders and James talked about getting cotton candy the whole time...it was more about the experience than the game!

Zanna had an 8am soccer game--she scored a few goals for her special fans!

Stanford Memorial Church--so beautiful that I almost feel bad posting this picture because it does not even do it any justice!

We loved our time with Grma and Grpa and they were such sports to sleep on the MANSTAD (with an awesome mattress topper) and just go, go, go! Jean stayed for a few extra days with the kids while Dave and I went to an interview in Idaho Falls and they LOVED having grandma all to themselves. They made lip gloss and airplanes, ate pizza and McDonald's and read lots of new great books.

Thanks for a great trip and taking great care of us and the kids---we love you!

funny to me

2010-12-09T01:49:00.000-08:00

funny things...

Tonight while I was doing the dishes I heard this:

James: Brooke is allergic to eggs and peanuts so she can't eat them. I am not allergic to anything.... Well, I am allergic to GROSS food because I CAN'T eat it so I guess that means I'm allergic. Zanna, you're allergic to gross food then too, right?"

Zanna: "Yep, I guess that's right."

every time I see this I smile

another little funny thing....

The day after Thanksgiving I was worn out from all the cooking so I made the kids chicken nuggets, opened up an applesauce and put out some carrots (raw baby carrots). After dinner James said, "Mom, I love you so much because you make the BEST dinners!"

it doesn't take much to please this boy...

Mia loves to eat my face off and will gnaws on my chin with crazy baby strength...it tickles :)

Tonight I asked the kids to sing Mia Christmas songs in the car because she was sad, this is what I heard...

Zanna: "Shepherds, we have heard on high..." and "away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little POOR Jesus, lay down his sweet head."

Last funny thing...

We are moving to Pocatello, ID!

We are really excited, but just the name Pocatello and the fact that we are moving there after all these years of living in some pretty cool places makes me giggle inside :)

details to come...