A Visit with Fam

Pod had meetings in Canada in June, and Mamo accompanied him on the trip. They stopped in California for a visit on their way home, arriving Tuesday afternoon, June 30.

The scariest thing happened when we got back to the house. Mamo and I were in the family room. Pod was taking their luggage upstairs. We heard a loud noise. I thought Pod had dropped a suitcase down the stairs, but we didn't hear him say anything. I called out to see if he was OK. He didn't answer. Again; no answer. Mamo and I went into the other room and found him lying at the bottom of the stairs with their big suitcase on top of him. I just stood there stunned while Mamo pulled the suitcase off him. Her voice broke as she asked if he were OK. He was really pale and sweaty, but he said he was OK and started joking about it nearly immediately. He had been carrying his briefcase and the suitcase up the stairs and was about 2/3 of the way up when he thought, "What if I fall?" And then he fell, sliding all the way down to the landing with the suitcase on top of him the whole time. He said he tried to count how many times he hit his head on the metal railing as he slid, and he counted at least four or five. It took him a while to feel normal again, and he was so sore that afternoon that he had a hard time walking. We are so incredibly lucky that that was the extent of his injuries, however. No one is allowed to fall down our stairs ever again. Terrifying.

I had planned to take dinner that morning to a family in the ward with a brand-new baby, but I didn't manage to get it done before I picked up the parentals. I'd put the main dish together the night before but still had to make the salad and drop everything off. Pod, crippled as he was, went with me that afternoon while Mamo stayed home with the girlies.

Mamo and Ever did a lot of crafting Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday. Ever loves crafts, and Mamo is so good with that stuff. She brought lots of supplies with her. They made a ladybug, an elephant mask, and a tiger mask, and they did some coloring:

When Ever finished coloring the bear, Mamo asked her what she wanted to name it. Ever said "Kailah" - the name of a girl in the ward (Kailah Raleigh). Then she added, "Doctor Kailah." So Mamo wrote "Dr. Kailah" at the bottom of the page. I laughed every time I saw that and every time I heard Mamo mention the name ("Should we give Dr. Kailah a bow?").

On Thursday, July 2, we drove up to Ventura to visit Dee and Shan and fam. We got away later than planned, and traffic was horrendous. We checked into our hotel, picked up some Mexican food, and headed over to the Deetrixes'. It was about 8:00 P.M. by the time we got there, so it was a late dinner and a late night. We chatted and hung out for a while, and we didn't head back to the hotel until about 11:00.

Mamo was very kind and helped me get the little girlies to bed. (She did this both nights.) After she left for her room, I went into the bathroom to get myself ready for bed and noticed a gigantic spider. It was a daddy long legs, I guess, but it was bigger than usual. I decided reinforcements were necessary. I called Mamo, and she said she'd send Pod over when he got out of the shower. I was so tired, but I waited until Pod came to my rescue. I hate that I'm such a wuss.

I forgot the pack n' play, so Wrenzo slept peacefully on a blanket on the floor. It's kind of nice when they can't move:

A note on the hotel: It sucked. Pod and I did some research on places in the area. There was nothing very cheap. In the end, Pod decided to go with the Priceline crap shoot and hope for the best. We got the Clocktower Inn. The hotel was composed of two old buildings, which were supposed to be charming but really were just filthy. The cleaning staff didn't help matters. Apparently all they did was make beds. The floors weren't ever vacuumed. There was hair on the towels and in the shower. When I got into bed that first night, I picked up my phone. In the dark, I saw these teeny tiny bugs all over it. They jumped when I tried to get them. I was terrified they were bed bugs or at least an indication that bed bugs were also present. I didn't know what to do and just hoped for the best. After we got home, I noticed that Ever had a bunch of gnarly bites all over her body. I sent these pictures to Jim to ask for his input (he was on the trek with the youth):

They went away, and we haven't seen any signs of bed bugs at home. Thank goodness.

Friday we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo. It's a fun little zoo. The kids' favorite attraction was the little artificial-grass hill for cardboard sliding. They could have stayed all day.

Ever fell by the pad-encircled tree and could not for the life of her get out of that hole. She kept trying and slipping until Shandie finally took pity on her and took her slippers off so she could get some traction.

Pod had to take a turn on the music maker. Forever a kid at heart:

Ever, passed out spread eagle, and Pod, flipping the bird:

We went out to eat and then drove by Deetrix's office in Carpinteria. We let the kids play at a little Native American park near his building. (Among other things, there were animals on which the kids could climb.) Then we walked down to the beach for a minute. It was cold and getting late, so we headed back quickly. It was fun, slightly stormy weather.

I was exhausted Friday night. Unfortunately there was some sort of outdoor rager going on by the hotel, and music blasted until close to 11 P.M., I think. The girls were so tired they slept through it. I lay awake, too tired to read or do anything else, waiting for the music to end. SO irritating.

Saturday, the 4th of July, we decided to try to see the town parade, which came super close to our hotel. It was crazy crowded, and we had a hard time finding the parade (and finding the Deetrixes, for that matter). Turns out that's because it's not really a parade; it's just half of the citizens of Ventura walking. It was all very confusing. There were a zillion vendors set up in the street, but we really just walked by everything trying to find the parade. Ever enjoyed watching the kids in some dance school perform on a tiny stage at the end of Main Street. Then after we found Dee and Shan there, we walked back down the street in a bit of a hurry because we had to get back to check out of our hotel. The Deetrixes were adorably patriotic in their attire:

There was a folksy band playing under the green tent, and I would have liked to listen longer. 

(Betsy and Ever had greeted a Chick Fil-A cow on our way back down toward the hotel, and they got hats out of the deal. That's what Ever's wearing in that video.)

After we checked out of the hotel, we had lunch at a pizza place and then went to the most wonderful Baskin Robbins in the history of the world. They have so many more flavors than any other BR I've ever been to, including chocolate mousse royale, Mississippi mudd, and peanut butter and chocolate - everything except fudge brownie, which is seasonal. I'm gonna have to go back there every time I visit Ventura. It was truly magical.

We went back to the Deetrixes' and enjoyed their enormous and amazing pool, which we had pretty much to ourselves. I stayed back at their place for a while and let Wrenzo nap. The kids were still going strong when I got there. Pod was a sport and got in with them. He spent a lot of time launching them off his shoulders. Ever is getting much more brave.

Betsy jumping:

Ever jumping:

Tristan entertained Wren before we hit the road:

When we first arrived at the Deetrixes' complex, I said something about how it reminded me of my friend Shannon Kimball's place. (I had stayed with her once at her condo in Ventura.) As we were packing up Saturday evening, I realized Dean Drive (the street name) was very familiar, and I remembered that like the Deetrixes' place, Shannon's was right by a Lowe's, which she found convenient while renovating. So I called her before we took off. She wasn't home, but sure enough - her place is in the same complex. Small world! 

We drove back in the evening and made great time. There was no traffic, and for at least an hour we drove through amazing fireworks. They seemed to be going off right by the freeway and all over. We must have seen about 100 different shows. We couldn't have planned it better. 

Sunday we went to church and napped in the afternoon. That evening Ever came up to me and said, "Daddy said he asked you to marry him, and you said no. Why did you do that?" I responded, "Because I was crazy." She said, "That makes no sense!" with both hands out for emphasis. Daddy might want to watch what he tells that one. We played cards after the girlies went to bed, which is always fun. Mamo and Pod left Monday. We were so glad they could visit.

June (and Ever is Funny)

Some of our June occurrences:

Ever played with play dough:

I got probably the last snuggles I'll ever get from Wren the Baby. She's pretty much out of the snuggle phase now.

One day I went into the garage to do something, and as I was heading back to the door to reenter the house, I saw a long skinny thing partway on the mat by our door. It was brown with a yellow stripe on the back/top, and it was rather skinny. I could only see one end of it; the other end was behind and/or under some items on the ground and the shelving unit. I was sure it hadn't been there when I stepped from the house into the garage. I deduced that it must have moved there on its own while I was in the garage. I looked at it only long enough to realize it had to be a snake. Then I ran out of the garage and closed the door to try to trap it in. (Apparently a dumb idea.) I knocked and knocked at the front door, which was locked. Jim was feeding Wrenzo and did not let me in. So I had to go around the house and get his attention through the french doors by the family room. By the time he went to look for it, the snake was nowhere to be found. I was very unhappy about that, especially because I had closed the garage door and was therefore sure it was still somewhere in the garage. I had to do laundry the next day and was so scared about going out there. I never did see it again. Eventually the garage became less frightening, as I decided the snake must have gotten out. I recently realized that because our garage door is bent out of shape, there's a section under which a skinny snake could slither even when the door is down. Maybe he got out right away through that opening after I closed the garage door. Or maybe someday we'll find a snake carcass somewhere in the garage. Eek.

On the afternoon of June 11, there was gunfire at our local Target - the store, not the thing at which you're supposed to shoot. It's the store that's basically across the street on El Camino Real. The one I frequent at least twice a week. A couple was confronted by store security when the guy tried to shoplift a stylus pen worth $53 to go with the cell phone he had just purchased there. (Yes, he paid for the phone.) There was a scuffle, and the shoplifting dude pulled out a gun and shot it twice at the ground. Everybody ran for cover, and the couple escaped in a black BMW (apparently a $75,000 car). It was all caught on video by surveillance cameras. Turns out the couple was wanted in connection with some armed robberies. They were arrested the following day in Orange County after they were pursued by police, crashed their BMW, ran off, and held a man at gunpoint and stole his truck. I'm so glad this riffraff comprises my neighborhood. Fab. If there are any more shootings, we may need to move.

Jim's sister, Dawn, came for a brief visit Father's Day weekend. She arrived Saturday evening and stayed until Sunday evening. She had just gone on a mission trip to Mexico, where they helped at an orphanage and taught about Christ. She had a great experience and met some wonderful people. She flew in and out of the San Diego airport and took a bus across the border. She arranged to visit us for a day before catching her flight back home. It was great to see her, introduce her to Wren, and reintroduce her to Ever. 

On Sunday night (Father's Day), we went to the Karners' to have dinner with Derrick (Mel and kids were in France) and the Oddous (Paul and Susan and kids). That pretty much made it Mother's Day because I didn't have to cook. 

All Jim got for Father's Day was this tie Ever made for him at the YMCA. The kids apparently all thought they were fish:

I LOVE the child care at the Y, and I'm so happy to be exercising regularly again. It really helps that Ever wants to go to the gym and do crafts.

Ever loves baking with me. She scrapes every last little bit out of the bowl. No drop left behind by this treat fiend. She'll lick for five minutes after I'm sure there's not enough left to taste:

We went to the San Diego County Fair. We spent too much on ride tickets, and Ever was in heaven. She rode by herself whenever she could, including on a good little roller coaster. One of us accompanied her when she wasn't tall enough to ride alone.

In an uncharacteristic move, we skipped all the fair food. The only edible we got was lemonade, and that only because of the heat.

We saw the animals, and Ever was brave and fed some this time:

We watched the pig races. Cute little guys. We also discovered a weird new rodeo-type sport where the people race around cones on horseback (one competitor at a time) while shooting at balloons. They get penalized, through the addition of seconds to their time, if they don't pop every balloon. In the beginning I became verklempt during "The Star-Spangled Banner," as always:

Then we watched the action for a little bit. The first girl looked really cool. She leaned really far forward as she rode, with her gun-wielding hand stretched out in front of her and her super-long hair flying straight out behind her. She looked fierce (to use a word I generally despite) and old-timey, like a female John Wayne or something. The other competitors weren't quite as fun to watch, but here's one:

Wrenzo had been passed out in the Moby wrap, like this, since the fair parking lot:

But the noise from the guns woke her up. She ate the wrap for a while:

It was such a different fair experience than we've ever had. For most of my life, I was ALL about the rides. Then in recent years it became about the food, and a little about the shows, and still some about the rides. This year it was all about Ever. I enjoy seeing the animals and catching some shows/events, and it was fun to see Ever so happy on the rides. I'm pretty into the fair. Just wish it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

Wren just gets cuter and cuter. She's such a sweet, happy baby:

I've been wearing her a lot more than I wore Ever. I could never make the Moby work with Ever, but I've gotten some use out of it this time. I've also used the Baby Bjorn. Whatever baby-wearing contraption Wren is in, she freaks me out because she likes to face-plant on me and sleep like that. I worry she's going to suffocate.

We went for an evening walk and enjoyed a lovely sunset. I took this photo:

I wanted to take another to make sure I got a good one, but Ever wouldn't stop dancing:

She sings "Let It Go" and dances around. She's already asking for ballet lessons. Ah, little girls!

I was trying to get the guest room ready for Mamo and Pod's arrival (see next post after it is posted), and I put Wrenzo down in the hall. Next thing I knew, Ever had brought out a pillow and a blanket to get cozy with her sister. She's a silly one.

Some Everisms I wrote down in June:

Ever and I were singing "This Old Man." She kept singing, "With a knick, knack, paddy whack, give a dog a phone!"

Ever says the word "usual" a lot. She says the first syllable correctly, but then instead of the "ual" part she says "uh-ble" I don't know how to write it phonetically, but it's really cute. She also pronounces "supposed" without the "s," so it's, "You're not opposed to do that?" 

I was trying to squeeze and snuggle with Ever because a) I love her and b) I can't control myself around soft, squeezy things. She said, "I just want you to stop loving me this much and just love me when I'm available."

That same day, I was trying to instruct her about something. I said, "If I were you, I would ..." After that she started suggesting to me how to do things by saying, "If I was your age, I would ..." Not sure how "If I were you" turned into a statement about our relative ages. Once she voiced approval of my outfit by saying, "If I were your age, I would wear that." 

I was getting ready to prepare some oatmeal for Ever, and I asked her how hungry she was. This, verbatim, is the conversation that ensued:

Ever: "I'm like 10 hungry. I can eat a 5."

Me: "I thought you were 10 hungry."

Ever: "I can eat a 10. I can eat a third."

Me: "A third of a cup?"

Ever: "Yeah, I can eat a third of a cup. Is that a lot? I can eat 10 inches."

Her understanding of units, measurements, and the like still has a ways to go.

She loves hearing stories about when I was little. She asks for them all the time. I wish I remembered more, but I tell her what I can (with some embellishments, I'm sure). 

Almost every night when Jim and I go up to bed, we find Ever sleeping on the floor in her room or in the hallway. She'll sleep between her bed and the chairs in her room. She'll sleep between her bed and the closet doors. She'll sleep shoved up against the door jam and baseboards. She says sleeping on the carpet is comfortable. This is one of her more comfortable-looking positions:

Out of the blue, Ever told me, "For Christmas I want a skateboard with a violin." I tried to clarify, "A skateboard and a violin?" "Yeah, a skateboard with a violin." She said it over and over, and it was always "with," although once she switched the order so it was "a violin with a skateboard."

She said, "I want to be baptized." We had a conversation about baptism, why we are baptized, why we wear white, cleanliness, etc. Then I asked her why she was thinking about baptism; did she learn about it in Primary that day? She said no. I asked, "You were thinking about it just because?" She answered, "Because I want to make sure you know that Jesus loves everyone."

Jim always asks Ever, when they're snuggling and loving, "Why do we love each other so much?" They go back and forth - "I don't know! Why do we love each other so much? It's crazy!" So one day Ever and I were asking why we love each other so much, and it turned into why Ever loves me. She said, "Maybe because you let me eat treats a lot when I want them." I asked, "You just love me for the treats?" "No," she answered, "because you give me treats and because I just love you." I try not to give her treats too often, but if that's the way to her heart ...