So, I just posted a picture-less post about Raegan and first grade. I stood up to find Evan, and this is how I found him....

All by himself in our pathetic little sand box.

Now call me crazy, but this was almost more tear-worthy than sending my first child off to first grade for the first time.

Im missing the noise, but he's missing his little playmate/buddy/friend/enemy/compadre.../...sister.

We miss ya Rae (written with a lil lump in the ol throat).

Well...Im the awesome mom who marked the date of Raegans first day of FIRST grade wrong on my calendar. It was only a week later.

Im the best mom, I whipped out my camera and shot a picture of her on her first day of FIRST grade dressed in her perfectly new and manicured little outfit...SYKE!

Im that really unique mom who was actually excited for her first day of a full day in school.

Im that kind of mom that doesnt want to be 'THAT mom' and cry once she is gone. Oh, but I am. Not a lot, just a little.

BUT...I am ok though, cause I WAS home when she walked through the door after her FIRST day of FIRST grade...and I will always be home when she walks through the door after her first day in anything. I will always be her biggest fan, I will be her most curious fan, and I will always love her with this indescribable love that is oh so scary at times.

Most importantly, despite my messiness as a mom lately, she LOVES first grade:) It fits her like a glove. Now I just have to fill my house with music or something. ITS TOO QUIET.

garden fresh:

tomatoes, zuchini, anaheim peppers, onions, and some giant sugar snap peas.

yum.

i get some sort of weird high when i finally get to pick these items...

and eat them.

New job can wait...

So, a lot has changed around here. Well...I guess not a lot, but it really feels like my world has been tipped upside down and turned inside out:) But that can wait for a later time. Better yet, I sat down with my amazingly brilliant and very intuitive 4 year old and had a little chat about mommies.

Went like so:

*I tried to sneek in a few minutes of a recorded 'So You Think You Can Dance' when Evan popped in and sat right by me...needless to say, I changed the channel after 30 seconds**

Evan - "moms dont watch shows"

Me - "really?! why not? what to moms do?"

Evan - "they make stuff. for us. and we sit down. not the moms though."

Me - "so moms dont sit down"

Evan - "nope."

*now intrigued with his perception of what mommies do, I prodded for more*

Me - "what else do mommies do?"

Evan - "um, well, they sit on the computer. and work. and....OH!...and they can drive!! and they can do laundry too."

Me - "ya. what else?"

Evan - "oh ya, um, they can do a garden too. and they can cut the grass so its not itchy."

Me - "thats so cool huh. moms are pretty cool huh Ev. What do moms do when you fall down and get an owey?'

Evan - 'OH! they put a bandaid on. can i have a gummy bear...2 of them?"

*so, surely i jumped up with a smile and got him 3 gummy bears. and that was that. what a pleasure it is to be Evans mommy. i will cherrish those little conversations forever, and will certainly miss them when their gone*

This sums up my childhood in the summer:

friends.

silly faces.

swimsuits.

green grass.
sprinklers. popcorn.

and of course....

being outside all . day . long!

Pure Bliss:)

Happy Birthday Farrah!!! Big 30....Good times!! Leaving California...not good times :(

What more can you say about Farrah that isn't already said? She is the best!!! A wonderful Mother, Daughter, Friend, wife, Sister, Sister-in-law..... We spent the ENTIRE day at the beach to celebrate. She had a blast paddle-boarding and tanning. I could go on and on about Farrah but you guys know how long that would take. She is a do-it-all Mother who loves her family, friends and neighbors.

I didn't upload these pictures in the correct order. Farrah decided that she would get out on the paddle-board. She has spent the week laying around and chasing the kids. Here is the end result. She did really good and only had one spill. We came down to the beach every single day we were here other than one day that we went over the mountains to the Santa Ynez River to visit the White Rock swimming hole. My family used to head up there for FHE all the time. We would pack dinner and swim the afternoon away and head back home. So many cool memories. We will upload those pictures later.

No that is not a shark. Farrah got to spend some time with the dolphins who were swimming all around her the whole time she was out there. A few got within feet and sort of freaked her out. No big deal....just another day in paradise a.k.a. Carpinteria. :)

Cool shot of Farrah and I paddling out with the islands in the distance.

Don't hate!!!....

Farrah sunning while Brion keeps the little ones occupied. He was a stud and the kids absolutely worship him. No lie. And wait until you see the family photos we took yesterday up at Toro Canyon Park. He is a phenomenal photographer and better guy. Really..!!!!

Brion and Grandma Trudy living the rough life.

Not so sure Evan is stoked to take this picture.

At the beach bright and early...

This is the bluffs in Carpinteria. We took our family photos out here last year but this year we went out there to catch lizards and see the seals.

Quick story about the lizard hanging by a noose. Our first Sunday here in Carp we went down to the bluffs to see the seal rookery. I spotted a few lizards and decided I would attempt to catch a few for Raegan. I told Farrah how we used to catch lizards all day long by tying a noose at the end of this long grass, putting it around the lizards neck and whala...you have a new lizard friend. Farrah insisted that this was not possible. You know the rest of the story. I caught two that afternoon with my noose...no problem. We went back this past Sunday and caught a few more for Raegan to have for the afternoon. (No it's not cruel. I take the noose off first thing.)

Farrah is holding the grass while I grab the lizard.

Nicole and her BFF...Oh yeah. Raegan lost her first tooth out here so the tooth fairy had to make the long trek to visit her here in California. I even heard the tooth fairy is better in Cali... :)

California LOVE....

We wanted to give everyone an update on our time here in California... You'll quickly notice that our trip has comprised of....Beach, beach, beach and great company. Weather has been unreal. The worst day was a few clouds on Sunday which meant the Seal rookery and a walk. I thought this picture was great because of a few things. 1) Every time Evan posed for a photo on his birthday he threw up a 4. 2) Raegan just had to join in but they are both so happy to share the spotlight. 3) What is up with Mayci's hair? Any help would be appreciated.
Monday started with manicures on the front lawn. Check out Evan. Can you look at his pose without laughing your head off?

Retired life for Mom and Dad is GOOD!!!! They literally walk out their front door to this. What a life!!! We can't thank them enough for hosting us and taking care of us. We don't want to leave.

Yes I know this is a weird picture but Mayci knows how to steal the show.

Mommy loves her some Mayci...

This little man is in Heaven.

Beautiful!!!
What a great shot. Shawn's hometown of Carpinteria...where the mountains meet the surf...

Raegan loves the beach!!!!

Silly Raegan

Raegan loves the ocean. While Dad went off to catch a few waves of his own Raegan grabbed the board and headed out to catch some surf. She surprised us all and was catching wave after wave.

Dad had to get in on the action today. He borrowed a board from Brion and headed out to Carp Point, his old stomping ground. He had a blast and couldn't help reliving the old days. The waves were small but enjoyable. He said he hasn't had that much fun in a long time.

Happy Birthday Evan

Shawn wasn't sure what to get Evan for his birthday. You can always get another toy that will be in the trash within a month but that gets old. Shawn has a collection of autographs that his Dad got growing up around volleyball legends. Letters from Karch Kiraly and Sinjin Smith just to name a few. When the Sports Illustrated cover below came out Shawn thought it would be cool to have Jimmer sign it for Evan. It probably won't mean much right now to Evan but we will have it framed and in his room from his Dad.

Can you think of a better place to spend your birthday? Didn't think so...we'll be back down there bright and early tomorrow. What a life :)

We love you Evan. Funny story tonight. Evan and Raegan are sleeping in the same room on a couple of mats on the floor. Shawn brushed their teeth and tucked them in. They were having a fun Sunday with a BBQ, walk down to the seal rookery (there were 130 seals on the beach while we were there), another BBQ and baseball at Tia Carlina's house and some play time with some lizards caught down at the beach which caused them to be a bit overtired. You know what that means...not the easiest to get in bed. So about 3 minutes after Shawn left the room he heard Evan yell for him so he charges in the room and throws on the lights ready to put someone on timeout when Evan says..."Dad, you forgot the prayer." Can you get mad at that? No way. We love you Evan. You are the man!!!!

Evan is 4!!!!

So I tried to post a picture from my cell phone last night but it was a pretty pathetic attempt. Horrible picture quality which is weird since I've done it before...Anyways... We are loving California, as usual, and are not quite sure when we will make our way back to Utah. Maybe never....

It looks like we will be celebrating 2 birthdays while here and perhaps 3. Evan was in Heaven on his birthday. We spent the afternoon at the beach catching sandcrabs and chasing seagulls. We then celebrated a bit at Rusty's pizza parlor and after proceeded home for some cupcakes and a nice stroll around the Vallecito block to try out his new scooter.

Hey Utah....

not missing you one bit....