November 2018

I can't say it enough: we LOVE growing tomatoes in our backyard!

Fall is my favorite season. I love the changing colors and the perfect mid-day temperatures.

We had a day off of school for Veteran's Day, but our veteran, Todd, had work. So we ventured out to Chrissy's part of the Bay (Newark) and visited with her cute kids and Suzanne and hers. It was a strange, off day and someone was always cranky (Jack was the one pouting during this group shot), but it was still well worth getting together. 

Our school had a food drive dance party. We went and shook what our mamas gave us.

Jack often comes home with vegetables still in his lunch box, which then become his after-school snack. One day, his stalling got creative.

We trekked out to Utah for the week of Thanksgiving. We camped at Missy's house in Lehi, but ventured near and far all week. We visited my Grandma Holley in Ogden, and then met up with my brother Scott and his family at a children's museum while we were still up there.

That evening, we had dinner with Stephanie and Joe Hadfield. Stephanie was one of my freshman roommates and dear friends at BYU. She and Joe lived in Mountain View the same handful of years Todd and I first moved out to California, and the four of us used to meet up at the Hadfield's apartment on Sunday evenings to play games and eat popcorn. It was a pleasure to reunite with them after a decade and catch up.

The next day, we met up with another of my freshman roommates, Kelsey Navasard, and her family.  Kelsey and I have done a better job of keeping in touch long distance, so it didn't feel quite a surreal to see her again, but man, it was fun to visit with her. We got a tour of their brand new house and hiked with them in Provo Canyon. My kids were fascinated by the ice formations they found.

That evening, we had a heartwarming reunion with our BYU best friends from when Todd and I were dating. Brittany Marinos (Johnson) and Suzanne Seamons (Gille) lived next door to me the year I met Todd, and Tim Lundell was his roommate. (We called their other roommate, Gundy, and visited with him via speakerphone for a few minutes as well.) I last saw Tim during Todd's last deployment, but it had been forever since Todd saw him. Brittany I'd last seen when Hazel was a baby, during Todd's first deployment, and we hadn't seen Suzanne since I was pregnant with Jack. We met up at Brittany's house and let all the kids run around while we had dinner and laughed and reminisced. It was the kind of good that goes deep in your soul. 

Lucky us, Brittany had scrapbooked some of our best pranks so we could look back on them together and giggle. I had a thing for finding treasures near the dumpster and putting them on friends' porches in the middle of the night. The spring before it had been a fridge. That fall there was a cement parking barrier. Brittany had a truck, but we needed some extra muscle to move it. Hence, we invited the cute guy who'd been hanging around my apartment to join us. Aaw, mine and Todd's first prank. Heart, heart, heart. Later, there was a couch that needed a new location. Hey, how about in front of someone's front door? Ha! College was the best.

Stolen possessions led to magazine cutout ransom notes. Bras were hung on doors with notes promising to always lend my friends support. That Richard Simmons cutout made his way back and forth between our apartments multiple times. Todd's lemur was kidnapped. We splashed ketchup on a door and pretended it was blood. We remember poor Tim got stuck cleaning that one up. Whoops.

These were my people in my most memorable years. It was like a dying wish to see them all again in the same room, only no one had to die. I can't wait to do it again. Hopefully it won't take another decade!

After all the friend reunions, there were all the turkey dinners with family. We feasted at my parents' house on Thursday, and at Missy's (with almost the entire Bonner clan - just missing Erika and Steve) on Friday. We counted our blessings and deepened roots with the people who matter most to us.

My kids were stoked to get some snow our final morning and have a couple hours to play in it with the cousins before we had to leave.

The sun was just going down as we drove home from the airport. Todd declared it the perfect time to pick up our Christmas tree, so we stopped at Home Depot on our way home and snagged one!

As soon as we were settled back at home, we switched into Harry Potter birthday party mode for the Hazelroo. I spent some serious time sewing scarves in house colors, while Todd brainstormed how to play the perfect game of Quiddich from our zip line. 

Hazel had a Hufflepuff cake, and a great party.

We played Bean Boozled with Every Flavor Beans. Jack had the best expressions! Imagine eating jelly beans flavored like puke, sour milk, dirty dishwater, and dog food. All because you're hoping you'll instead get a pear, coconut, or buttered popcorn. So not worth it. But for some reason, the kids thought it was! It sure was funny to watch.

We also planted mandrakes (gingerbread boys in chocolate pudding). The kids had the clever idea to use their scarves as earmuffs, and they had a fun time screaming and moaning like baby mandrakes every time they pulled one out.

Gemma had a belated Thanksgiving song performance with the other kindergarteners. It had been delayed because there had been fires in the area the week before Thanksgiving break that made our air quality so bad that school got cancelled. The kids had been having indoor recess all week, and we'd been limiting their outdoor exposure in efforts to protect their lungs from the smoke and ash in the air.  There was even one day that Livermore had the worst air quality in the entire world. The experience sure made me grateful for a lot of things: blue skies, fresh air, a safe and unharmed home, and the ability to help others in need.

October 2018

Gemma is obsessed with horses. She has multiple toy horses in varying sizes, from Lego to American Girl doll. She was recently invited to a horse-themed birthday party and came home with a stick horse she can ride. Score! Our neighbor was giving away a horse dress up, and we were lucky enough to snag it. She gasps in delight whenever she sees a horse while we're out driving. She loves every book with a horse in it. Her dream is to own a horse ranch when she grows up.

We had Luna with us for the first two weeks of October, and then she was with her parents the rest of the month. She's getting bigger, talking lots more, moving lots more, and wedging her way deeper into our hearts.

Jack is developing best friendships with two boys from school, Adam and Jonah. We try to have them over to play as much as possible. It's easier with Jonah, because he lives just 10 or so houses away from us. It's fun to see Jack feeling comfortable with his buddies, being silly and playful, and being smart and creative with them. Neither boy is in Jack's class this year, but they all three gravitate together at recess, and their friendships are proving strong over time.

Sometimes we luck out and have Kate Ellsworth over to play. She's Hazel's age and in our ward, but she's one of those magic kids that pulls everyone together. When she's over, all three of my kids have a friend to play with. (Even when it's pouring rain outside!)

We had school off the first Friday in October, and spent it well. In the morning, we went hiking at Brushy Peak with Hazel's friend Adrianna's family. It was tough work with the stroller!

That afternoon, Suzanne Hope brought her crew up from Sunnyvale and we went to the awesome local corn maze. Although, first we had to check out the animals and the corn box at the pumpkin patch.

General Conference was awesome. Everyone was excited to hear the announcement that starting in January, church meetings will be shortened from three hours to two. Todd and I talk often about how to better use our time on Sundays to study the gospel with our kids. We're excited about the challenge to make our worship more home-based.

Todd flew over the house one evening while he was out getting hours. It's always fun when the kids get a chance to run out and wave to him.

We had parent-teacher conferences. All the kids are doing great in school. It's pretty awesome when your biggest pet peeve is that your kids read too much.

My game night group had a getaway weekend and it was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. We all went out for dinner and then spent the night at a local hotel. We brought music and games and snacks and just played and laughed and talked late, late into the night. Everyone was pumped and silly and happy to be there. It was one of those times that just makes me smile in satisfaction every time I think about it. We literally just played game after game after game until two in the morning, and gabbed and connected and left refreshed and recharged.

Me, Elaine, April, Kirstan, Katie, Joleen, and Karrie

Todd blew me away with his amazingness and took our kids to San Francisco for the day while I was out with my game night girls. They rented a canoe at Golden Gate Park, found a great place to fly Jack's kite, toured the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, rode a taxi (Uber, actually, lol) and who knows what else. When the kids came home, they could not stop talking about how much fun they had. What a dreamboat Todd is. He came home early from work on Friday so I could head out, had a pizza and movie night with friends that night, and took our kids on a city tour all day the next day. I was blown away with how cool and supportive and fun he was. He tricked me into falling more in love with him while I wasn't even spending time with him!

We drove down to Santa Cruz to check on Luna, and took the kids to the Henry Cowell Redwoods while we were there. I remember being so amazed by those trees when we first moved out here (in 2005!) and it was kind of sad to me that they looked normal-ish this time around. We really live in an amazing place, full of beauty. I hope I appreciate it enough.

We had Red Ribbon Week at school, with different themes to dress to each day to pump the kids up. I always love crazy hair day.

Halloween contained itself and all its parties to under one week this year, which I appreciated. We had the school carnival on Friday night, then the church trunk-or-treat Saturday night, followed by festivities on actual Halloween (a Wednesday this year) with a school parade and trick or treating in the evening. Lots of fun, but all at once, so it didn't overtake all of October like it sometimes does.

We had awesome Harry Potter-themed family costumes this year. Hazel was a Hufflepuff, I was Professor Trelawney, Gemma was (a totally darling) Hedwig, and Todd and Jack were Lucius and Draco Malfoy.

Hazel's best friend, Aarna, was a Slytherin. They commiserated together on the back row as the entire fourth grade danced to Michael Jackson's Thriller in front of the entire school AND parents.

We ran into Adam and his family while we (and the rest of the city of Livermore) were trick or treating at Winding Stream, or what we refer to as "Halloween Street." I'm sure I mentioned this last year. This street is over the top with decorations and is a total party. There's even live music. I haven't talked to one person yet who didn't go over there on Halloween night. It's tons of fun, but is probably at least part of the reason why our neighborhood is empty and we had to go looking elsewhere to have a fun night on Halloween in the first place.

September 2018

Lucky for us, a friend from school let us know that a theater nearby was showing the Harry Potter movies for a week, so all the kids donned their cloaks and we headed over for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

We had Labor Day brunch with Suzanne and Chrissy and their families. We were all excited to see Suzanne's new rental house - so exciting for them to get a place with more space! - and, of course, everyone was happy to feast on cinnamon rolls.

Luna likes to wear Hazel's shower cap to match me while I shower.

Luna climbed up on this mat at the big kids' gym class and then refused to try to climb down herself. She laid up there and cried for fifteen minutes before finally attempting it and seeing what a simple task it was. She's a stubborn little defeatist.

Gemma has been exceptionally cute lately. Todd and I are so sad that she's growing up.

My favorite playdates are the ones where my kids run off happily and I don't see them again for an hour; meanwhile, I can wash the floor or accomplish some other long task. But the kind where the kids need me to help them make homemade play dough or squishy colored pasta can be fun, too.

The kids had their annual fun run fundraiser at school. Everyone put forth a great effort and had a good time. Hazel ran non-stop - like a machine! like her dad! - and Gemma melted my heart walking laps holding hands with her two best friends from kindergarten, Ellie and Imogene. Jack and his best friend Adam kept each other going strong the whole time.

We went to the Dublin art festival, Splatter, for the second year in a row. It did not disappoint. It's very creative and low-key. The kids made egg drops, used pastel chalks, sprayed walls with watered-down paint, and watched cloggers dancing jigs.

Jack's teacher assigns them individual points when they're on task or otherwise making good choices in class. Each Friday they can cash them in for prizes. Jack was super excited to spend his on a day using the teacher's chair.

Todd's primary class earned a party by bringing their scriptures to class week after week, so we hosted them in our backyard. It was a blast seeing all those nine-year-olds on the zip line and playing tetherball. Our backyard is seriously the best!

Todd surprised me on my birthday with an overnight getaway and a Norah Jones concert. Chrissy and Gordon watched our kids, and we had a much-appreciated night out, talking and relaxing and enjoying ourselves. I've got the best husband! I feel so lucky and grateful to be married to him.

We stopped in a chocolate shop down the street from our hotel in Saratoga and picked out some treats. They were lovely, but we couldn't really enjoy them, knowing as we ate them that each piece cost five dollars! There hadn't been any prices listed, and we were a little shocked when the saleslady gave us our grand total. I'm sorry, but they weren't that good. It kind of ruined them for us. 

We've begun a massive garage clean-out project. This load is all the Home Depot returns that have piled up in a corner over the past year. Lucky for us, the store took them all back.

Gemma was thrilled at the opportunity to sing in a school assembly, some songs about apples with all the kindergarten. She was adorable, of course.

And, lucky for me, the assembly was a two-fer, as Jack was awarded Student of the Month as well. He said later that he was hoping he would get picked, but he didn't really expect it and was taken by surprise.

The school had a grand opening for their new maker space. Hazel was totally in her element, making this marble run while the other kids (and adults) ogled at her paper and tape mastery. The girl's got skills!

Our friends, Richard and Karen Anderson, invited us to go boating with them. We usually go with them several times each summer, but we have all been busy this year, and this was the first time we all got out together. I wasn't looking forward to it because I don't enjoy getting behind the boat, but I'm so glad we went. It was a super happy day for all of us, and I soaked up my time at the front of the boat snuggling my kiddos and cheering my family on. It was seriously a fantastic family day and I feel embarrassed that I grumbled about going. I don't have to get on the wakeboard to love boating! Jack and Hazel were so cute out on this RAD together, chatting and laughing. Jack insisted on documenting the day in his journal after we got home, which is a big sign that he's had a truly stand-out experience.