May 2019

May is always busy. Our days were filled up with volleyball, basketball, and swimming, state testing for Hazel, dentist appointments for the kids, several birthday parties to attend, and making lots of treats and cards and gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Gemma's kindergarten class had a darling Mother's Day Tea, with treats and songs and cute cards they'd made for the moms.

My family totally spoiled me on Mother's Day. Todd and the kids had been working in secret for days beforehand, making lots of love notes for me that they hid all over the house. I found messages in my makeup bag, my underwear drawer, the flour bin, my purse, the shower, my closet, and several other locations - so many that I was still discovering them for several days afterward! Hazel and Todd woke up early and made cinnamon rolls from scratch, so yummy! All day long, everyone was extra sweet to me and did all the work in the kitchen. It was wonderful.

The Oakland Temple Open House ran through most of the month. We spent our family scripture study time for a week before prepping the kids on why we have temples and how sacred and meaningful it is for us. It was a great experience to be able to walk through with them and share our testimonies of temple work and eternal families with them in a way we hadn't done before.

Later in the month, I was able to go back with my good friend, April, and share with her some of the greatest doctrine in the gospel of Jesus Christ. She was happy to learn about something that I hold so dear to my heart.

Usually we bike or scooter to school, but when we slow down and walk, I get to see cute bonding moments between my kids like this one:

On May 19, we met Todd up in Sacramento during his drill weekend to attend the Change of Command ceremony. He passed the leadership baton on to his old friend from flight school, Joey Burke.

Here they are, learning to fly Blackhawk helicopters, back in 2008:

It's been an emotional change for Todd, winding down and preparing for his retirement from the Army, which will happen next year. He prefers to work hard and be useful, and the fewer people he has to answer to, and the more responsibility he has, the happier he is. It's difficult for him to step down and take a backseat for this last year of his Army career, but it was either that or add another year and another deployment to his time. I am grateful for the sacrifice he is making in favor of his family and his mental health.

I was surprised to realize I probably don't have a picture of Gemma in a Blackhawk yet. I feel like I've got a bunch, but they're most likely of Hazel and Jack. Lucky for us all, I figured that out in time to snag one or two!

Hazel's class put on a play about the California Gold Rush. I helped out with the sound system, so every day for two weeks, I was at the school for an hour while they practiced. It was a big commitment, but fun to be a part of. It took me back to my drama days as a teenager. I loved it so much! Hazel claims she hated every minute of it. Her least favorite part was having to do the Macarena in front of an audience. Ha!

That same day, Todd came and spoke in Gemma's class about flying Medevac helicopters as part of their unit on community helpers. Most of those little guys weren't around to see Todd's big show at the school last year, but a couple of them were there and remembered how cool it was.

Also that same day, Jack had a field trip to Del Valle, an huge regional park in the area with a lake, hiking, and camping spots. It was rainy and cold, so he wore his winter puffy coat! We've had some crazy ups and downs with our weather the last little while.

Jack has also been studying Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with some visiting teachers from the Shakespeare society out here. The class performed an act from the play and everyone had one line. He claims he had no idea what it all meant, but he's looking forward to the opportunity to see a Shakespeare performance over the summer. When Hazel did this in second grade, the theatre troupe was also performing A Midsummer Night's Dream, so she was able to follow the plot and whisper to me what was happening. Jack and I will be going to Othello, which I know nothing about. I guess I'd better study up before we go...

Gemma, spunky little thing, is looking forward to first grade, but has shed some tears about leaving Mrs. Coon. She's starting to read a little on her own, but still prefers to listen to someone else read to her. She will often go out to the front yard and play against herself in tetherball. She's fierce and comes back in sweaty.

We drove down to Sunnyvale to watch our "California cousin" Nova perform as Ursula in The Little Mermaid. She did not disappoint! She was evil and funny and belted out her songs and completely stole the show.

On Memorial Day, we trekked up to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. We made a quick stop at the Japanese Tea Gardens because we could get in free before 10:00. The kids took lots of pictures, with the idea that they will recreate them in drawings or paintings over the summer. It was really pretty.

Our main purpose in coming, however, was to visit the De Young Museum of Art, which had an exhibit of Claude Monet's late work. Monet has always been one of my absolute favorite artists, and Hazel is also drawn to him and his style. It was an incredible opportunity, and I'm so grateful we were able to go.

It's one thing to see his work in print form, in books or on posters, but to see the real deal in person took my appreciation of his talent to a whole new level. The layers upon layers of paint were fascinating to me, the color choices, the size of his pieces and the scale of his work, were all amazing. I was just blown away by how we could walk through room after room, looking at nearly 100 paintings, and every single one of them was incredibly beautiful. He really was a master.

We had to wait about an hour after we got there until it was our turn to see the exhibit, so we had wandered through the other parts of the museum beforehand. When we came out afterward and discussed what we had seen, Jack said, "It's a good thing we looked at the other art in the museum first, because it doesn't look as good after seeing Monet's." It was phenomenal seeing such high-quality work. Every piece was awe-inspiring.

I put in a few hours in Gemma's kindergarten class, giving each of the kids a one-on-one reading assessment so the first grade teachers have a benchmark of what level each student can read at. It was satisfying for me. I need to find more volunteer opportunities to use my skills like that.

I spent most of May trying to eat low-carb to lose some weight. I'd gotten fed up with the extra 10+ pounds I've been carrying around, particularly the ones that hang over my waistband. I just didn't feel good, and finally felt motivated enough to put in some effort to take better care of my body. Well, the first four pounds came off in ten days, and it felt fantastic, but after that, I hit a plateau and that made the low energy and feelings of deprivation harder to deal with.

I started praying about it, asking Heavenly Father to help me know how best to take care of this wonderful body He's given me. And then I started studying. I looked up information on sugar and how it can be as addictive as heroin. I looked into the Paelo diet and their aversion to grains, the idea of eating fresh meat and lots and lots of vegetables. I watched a documentary about plant-based diets and thought about whether or not animal food products were good for me to eat. I read a book about processed foods and thought a lot about all the additives in the foods we buy. I studied the Word of Wisdom and prayed some more, and then it was like a fire was lit under me, and I felt an enlightening. I felt drawn to take the good from all the ideas out there, and see how it aligned with the Word of Wisdom. I felt compelled to make some changes in my family's diet, such as reducing the sugar we use and switching to whole grains. I've decided it's time to break up with highly processed foods and try to stick to ones with only a handful of ingredients, all of which could be found in a normal household kitchen. I'm excited about the idea of working with a lot more produce, and being thoughtful about the sources for the meats we eat.

It's a lifestyle change, and I'm taking it slow, but I'm definitely feeling passionate about it. I've been able to eat bread again, and I'm still losing weight. I'm feeling more energetic, more clear minded, and, to be honest, liberated. I feel like I was definitely given personal revelation on how I can treat my body and my health more mindfully, with more respect and more love. I'm just getting started, but I'm feeling like it was exactly the right direction Heavenly Father wanted me to take myself and my family. I'm feeling really grateful for how open communication with heaven feels to me right now.

I've been to the library and picked up every cook book that I thought might give me some delicious inspiration, and I'm working on a new collaboration of recipes to use, but honestly, it's really pretty simple. Just eat quality-sourced food as close to it's natural state as you can, as often as you can. Along the way. love where you're at and celebrate the journey.

April 2019

We've got a formal dining area in our house that has been this awkward space since we moved in. Two of its four walls have huge, double wide openings, bigger than you'd need for a set of French doors. We keep the computer in here, and when we bought the piano, we added that to the space, but it's always felt like we weren't using it well. There's absolutely no need to use it as a formal dining room, as the kitchen has a large space for a table and is right on the other side of one of the open walls. It would have been hugely redundant to add a table in here. 

We thought for a while about closing off the walls and making it into another bedroom/guest room, but that idea went down the drain for multiple reasons. It's super expensive. The only windows are skylights, so there's no way to darken the room when people are sleeping in here. And perhaps the biggest reason of all, we only have two bathrooms, and after speaking to multiple real estate agents, realized we wouldn't regain the money spent when we resold it as a 5 bedroom, 2 bath. 

Anyway, once we had finally closed the door on that idea, I gave myself permission to rethink the flow of the room as a den - with the desk and the piano staying put. I had this glorious brain stroke to make a wall to wall butcher top desk, and Todd loved that idea. We ordered some supplies, Todd and Jack spent several evenings sanding and staining wood, I got serious about decorating, and batta bing, batta boom, we've got ourselves a seriously gorgeous space that is totally functional. It doesn't feel like a black hole in the middle of the house anymore! We are in love with how it turned out. (Now I just need to print out some pictures for the frames.) 

We took the scenic route up to Portland for spring break. I have never enjoyed a road trip more! The whole route was eye candy and I just couldn't get enough of the trees and the coast. We drove through a redwood tree, and let me tell you, it was t.i.g.h.t. Like, we rolled down the windows and the kids touched the tree on each side. Like, there were maybe three inches (at the very most) of clearance on either side of the van. It was nuts. 

We stayed overnight at a beach cottage in Coos Bay. The kids loved exploring until it got dark. 

Gemma found little "mermaid shells" and was the absolute cutest, jumping up and down with pure joy in her eyes, exclaiming that this was proof that mermaids are real! I wish we could freeze our kids in time. 

Our start the next day was slow, and sadly, right away we saw that we had a flat tire. Todd was awesome about having all the kids help turn the crank on the jack, and see how to put on the spare tire. We spent a couple of hours playing hide and go seek at Les Schwab before we were back on the road. 

The bright side about all that is that the flat tire burned the morning hours when it was raining. By the time we were really on the road, the sun was peeking out, making all the lovely beaches we drove past absolutely inviting. We stopped at so many beaches! They had the best tide pools we've ever seen! There were bright turquoise sea anemones and lots and lots of star fish. There were caves and driftwood and cliffs and sand and it was all just seriously an explorers paradise. I think we could have played on the Oregon coast for a week straight and not gotten tired of it. 

We arrived at my sister Emily's house in Portland late Wednesday night. Thursday we drove along the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway and checked out waterfalls galore. Our first stop was the vista house, where we had amazing views and crazy wind. We definitely needed a hot chocolate fix to strengthen us through the rest of our explorations! 

That afternoon, we poured over books at Powell's City of Books for a couple of hours. If we hadn't had a time limit on our parking space, I think we could have stayed till the sun went down! Everyone got to pick out a book to buy as a Portland souvenir, and we read plenty more as we hung out on the floor. We definitely didn't have enough time to do the whole place justice. 

Back at Emily and Doug's, a spout of random quirkiness inspired the kids to give a street performance. Doug has quite the collection of instruments, and Hazel felt pretty confident behind the anonymity of a mask. Keep Portland weird! 

On Friday, Doug took Isaak and our kids to the zoo and a science museum while Todd and I went to the Portland Temple. The Oakland Temple has been closed for a year and a half for renovations, so we have been taking the opportunity to visit other temples while we're on trips. I've loved seeing other temples, but I'm really looking forward to having a temple close to home again. 

We all caravanned out to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. Isaac and I traded places. He had a blast hanging out with cousins in "the Bonner Shuttle," and I got a little extra time to catch up with Emily.

For a while there, it seemed as though the rain was never going to stop - we stalled in the gift shop for a long time - but we lucked out with a double rainbow and a spot of dry sky.

We braved the muddy fields and enjoyed the fields of flowers.

While the tulips were my favorite part of the festival, the kids really loved the rubber duck races!

Saturday we enjoyed General Conference from home, ran around at a couple different parks in between sessions, and found a cool spot for dinner, the Grilled Cheese Grill. 

This place was a huge hit with the kids because you eat inside an old school bus. We came at a perfect time - the only customers who stayed to eat on location - so the kids had free reign to pretend to drive the bus and open and close the door all they wanted.

The place was plastered in old school photos and had a funky mural on the ceiling. It was tons of fun, and the sandwiches were quite tasty.

Sunday we drove home the fast way, and listened to General Conference on the way. The kids got a little cuckoo in the car, so leaving the more scenic route behind was a good call, although it was still a pretty drive.

Hazel started a new sport, volleyball. Todd volunteered to be a parent coach and Hazel's friend Kate signed up as well. I don't know if either of those were what made the difference, but this is the first time we've signed Hazel up for a sport and she's admitted she likes it. Yay! We're all stoked she's found something she enjoys.

No pictures, but Todd hosted another primary party at our house. I think it was another hit. I remember why I don't have pictures! Todd was twenty minutes late, so I was hosting for him, then hustling to get Gemma and Jack to eat some pizza quick before I took them off to their basketball class. I was hardly there!

Jack and Gemma have done an awesome job with basketball this season. Their buddies Jonah and James are on the team with them, which make practices and games so much fun.

We're wearing this poor kid out. It's a sign that we're ready for summer break when she takes a nap instead of putting away her clean laundry!

We spent the week before Easter discussing Holy Week during scripture study. I loved it! I want to make that an annual tradition. It was simple, and came from ideas in the Come, Follow Me manual. Every night we talked about what Jesus had done that day in His last week of life, and either read a few verses or watched a video depicting a scripture story. I'm grateful for how the home-centered, church-supported focus the Church has introduced has helped me step up my game with my kids. We've had a lot of great discussions about the gospel, and Hazel has said several times that she likes it  and is learning a lot.

On Easter day, we had Suzanne and Chrissy's families up for the afternoon.

Todd made a cool scavenger hunt for the kids, complete with rhyming clues and opportunities to include the smaller kids in the search. He's seriously the best. 

We had a barbecue potluck, and finished that with a chocolate chip tasting contest, where everyone had to blindly vote for their favorite recipe.

Suzanne led the group in a spiritual lesson about Jesus and Easter and the Atonement. Afterward, we went around the circle and everyone shared one reason they were grateful for Jesus. It was a sweet experience to share with dear friends. I loved hearing all the kids testimonies, and sharing mine and hearing those of their surrogate aunts and uncles. I love the support system our three families are to each other.

Then we had a sweet egg hunt in our backyard.

Look how cute these guys were when they were small! Sometimes Chrissy, Suzanne, or I find these darling blasts from the past on our computers and send them around to the group.

Hazel had a field trip to Sacramento. She had to be at the school at 6:30 in the morning and didn't get home till 5. They rode buses and toured the state capitol building, an old schoolhouse, a railroad museum, and a couple other spots that highlighted California history. I missed her like crazy all day and was sad when she didn't want a hug and kiss in front of everyone when she got back. That's the first time she's asked me not to hug her in front of her friends.

I drove on Jack's field trip to the movies to watch Disney's penguin documentary. I didn't take any pictures again! Grr.

Our school district put on a fund raiser with the Harlem Wizards, a traveling basketball team that plays against teachers and puts on a show on the court. It was lots of fun, but not as much fun as either Todd or I expected it to be, sadly. It didn't help that the court was sweltering hot. I hope the high schools use funding for air conditioning before our kids are old enough to go to high school!

Hazel's beauty took me off guard one morning during breakfast, so I sneaked in this picture. She is growing into such a responsible girl. I am constantly reminding myself to be more tender with her. She has a tough gig, being the oldest. She seriously teaches me - through trial and error - how to be a better parent, poor thing.

Jack decided he wanted to learn a Jim Brickman song Todd has been working on, "Angel Eyes," but needed a simplified version. He searched online and was frustrated when he couldn't find one for free. I convinced him it would be worth the four dollars, and he handed over some spending cash. He worked on the song for a couple of hours that afternoon and evening, and was on the piano every spare moment the next day (Sunday). By the time Todd came home from drill that evening, Jack was proficient enough in the song to sound pretty impressive. He has continued to work on the song since, and has it almost memorized. He sounds fantastic.

A few days later, he was at it on the piano once again. I came up, asked him to look me in the eyes and promise me he would never stop playing the piano. His reply was, "Why would I want to?" He absolutely loves it. I told him he was awesome at it partly because he puts in the practice time and dedicates himself to learning it, but also partly because he is gifted in this area; this is one of his God-given talents. We talked about the satisfying feeling he gets in his heart and soul when he plays beautiful music, and I thanked him for sharing his talent because it fills our whole house with that good feeling.

We were at the library and there were supplies on a table for a craft. Jack went over and set to work on it. The sample showed a rainbow coming from a paper plate cloud, with words on each color strip describing oneself. All on his own, Jack made one. I absolutely adore the words he chose to characterize himself: happy, able, loving, including, and kind.

Jack had his first (and only???) Pinewood Derby with Boy Scouts. He made his car look like a cute, friendly tiger. He did not win any races, but it was still a fun night.