Dirt

This was the coolest thing ever - according to my kids. Both kept yelling, "This is so awesome!" I think the truck driver got a big kick out of how excited they were to see him and how enthusiastically they cheered as he dumped the load.

First load 10 cu yards of DG (decomposed granite)...

Zoe cheering....

The first pile....

Watching the truck back up for his 2nd dump....

Using her hands to show how the truck will dump.....

Too Sunny.....

Second Load: 4 cu yards of double mix soil....

The after math......

Yes our dirt arrived earlier this week and we can now proceed with planting our garden and putting in our back yard. Doesn't it look like work?

Old Toys - New Fun

We pulled this out again after several months of storage.

Noah and Zoe had fun playing all afternoon and I was able to get some much needed garage cleaning done.

Open Wide!

Noah and Zoe had their first trip to the Dentist earlier this month. They both did very well - or should I say we as parents have done well so far keeping their teeth clean. Both got x-rays . Noah had a cleaning and a fluoride treatment. Zoe just got her teeth counted and I was informed that she had a few more teeth that haven't come in yet. I was amazed that both kids cooperated and there were no tears shed.

Noah waiting patiently in the chair....
Watching the Dental Assistant get the stuff ready for the X-rays....Opening wide......

Showing off her new Ariel toothbrush.....(Noah got a Mater toothbrush)

They both can't wait to go again. Noah in 6 months, Zoe in 1 year.

Southern California

Here are a few highlights from our Anniversary trip we took earlier this month.

We woke up bright and early to drive to San Francisco to catch our flight to LA. After a scary bus ride to the Car rental terminal at the LAX airport we were on our way to see the famous Los Angeles Farmer's Market. We were able to meet up with Dan's parents and walk around awhile and partake of some yummy Korean food, gumbo, crepes, and PinkBerry frozen yogurt. After spending a few hours at the Los Angeles Farmer's Market we headed to the Getty Center. Here is a view of one of their lower gardens. Next time I hope to have more than 30 minutes to explore all the beaty it has to offer.
After the Getty Center we headed to our hotel in Hollywood. We took a quick walk down "The Walk of Fame." I was surprised that in our party of four I was the only one who had seen it before. Here's a picture of me with Mickey in front of an old theater Disney owns.

After the "Walk of Fame" we parted ways with Lyn and Mike. Thanks for the summer wardrobes for the kids and Dan's new fancy camera. Later that night we enjoyed a peaceful meal at PF Chang's.

The next day was the Ellen taping. After a lazy morning we had a nice lunch in Burbank before heading over to the studio for the taping. It was a lot of hurry up and waiting, but a party from the moment we parked and stepped foot in the waiting area. The taping was cool - especially the 3rd row seat to a mini Black Eyed Peas concert. But, I must say it is much more relaxing to watch it on TV. Between all the dancing before the show starts and during the segments you get quite a work out. So much that the person sitting by Dan wondered why she even bothered to shower and do her hair before the show. The next day I was feeling muscles that I forgot I had and my voice was hoarse from all the screaming. Here is a picture of the fabulous prize that should be arriving on our doorstep in the next few weeks.

A great gift for a non-drinker! We are kind of hoping that William Sonoma will take one of them back so we can get some cool kitchen gadgets. Since it retails for close to $350. After the show we walked around the mall for a bit and then had our final peaceful meal at the Outback Steakhouse.

The next morning started way too early, so we could drop of the rental car and catch our 9am flight - that ended up being canceled by the FAA in San Francisco. So, we spent a lot of time at LAX airport waiting to find out how we were going to get back to SFO. We finally arrived in San Francisco at the time we had planned to be back in Fernley. I guess everything can't go according to plan. We stopped by IKEA in Sacramento to pick up a few quick items before grabbing our kids at Grandma Sandi's and heading home. We had fun watching the episode when we got home late that night and pointing out our ourselves to the kids. They had fun dancing around in their new Ellen DeGeneres shirts. (I'll post a pic later...)

It was so nice to have a weekend to remember what it is like to be a person - not just a parent. And to get the opportunity to appreciate your kids more.

Thanks to all who made it possible.

On a side note: Ellen DeGeneres has become an authority figure at our house as a result of our trip. After asking them to do something they often ask: "why? Cause Ellen DeGeneres says." I think it's pretty funny, but am all for whatever works to get things accomplished around here. Some of the often heard phrases from our kids are: "Ellen DeGeneres says pick up your toys," "Ellen DeGeneres said take a nap," and "Ellen DeGeneres says wear your seat belt."

Don't get me wrong they both know who the real boss is, or I'd like to think they do. However I do get a lot of "because Heavenly Father....", or "Heavenly Father says..." from Noah.

And We're On!!

Let's play a game of "Where's Waldo" and see if you can spot Dan and me in the audience on Ellen's Cinco de Mayo show. Hint: 3rd row behind Tony and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas came right by us during their opening song.

If that's not enough try again on May 14th during her interview with Anderson Cooper. Hint: the 14th was a partial taping - watch for his dancing segment.

And We're Off!

Just a couple more hours until we start our fun filled weekend.

The bags are all packed.

The house is even clean.

Now we just have to wait for Daddy to get off work!

Grandma (and Burbank for Mom & Dad) here we come!

Another Noah Update

Here's the latest on Noah.

We saw his Doctor this past Wednesday. He hasn't had an episode in 4 weeks - since we started the Zantac and this is the longest we have gone. Plus he has gained 2 pounds in the last 4 weeks. All very good news.

Since we've ruled out all of the really scary life threatening stuff with the blood work and MRI, we have decided to be less aggressive at this point and wait on doing anymore invasive procedures. We're not exactly sure, but he may just have a stomach acid problem and the Zantac is doing the trick.

He is due for his 4 yr old well child check up in 3 months - so we are going to observe him until then. I'm going to try and figure out if there is a common trigger that sets things off, or if there is a pattern of events. At that point if he is still having trouble, or if things get bad again before then, we will be referred to a Pediatric GI specialist.

So, it is still a waiting game and a bit of a guessing game, but we are very happy with the results so far.