California; or blogging is dead.

In August, we were lucky enough to go with Sandi's family to California for a week.  We had a great time seeing the sites, eating In-N-Out, and not having any real responsibilities.  We went from Boise to Upland, where Sandi's grandma lives, and went through Oregon/Winnemucca.  DO NOT GO THIS WAY, at least if you are going to Upland, because while the kids were champs, Sandi and I were at our wits end for the last hour or so.  (DIE ADELANTO!).  I did come up with a driving system that worked well for the nightmare that is travelling in Southern California, in 3 simple steps.  1- Go with the flow; 2- Cruise control, no; and 3- signal and go.  It may be over simplified, but it worked well for us.

Our first stop was the San Diego Zoo.  The kids were pretty excited to see the different animals, Eve especially to see the rattlesnakes.

 EVE THERE'S A BEAR...oh wait...

 I know you can't tell, but right behind the kids is a sleeping cougar.  It was pretty sweet.

 After a day at the beach, we headed to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland.  We were quite fearful of what as going to happen towards the end of the day with the kids, but again, they were champs and no tantrum was to be found.  Claire, however, did fall asleep during the fireworks.  Go figure.

 Eve was excited for the Jedi training (shut up, Ty!) but in the end, chickened out before facing Darth Vader.

 Claire was super excited to meet Mickey Mouse, to the point of screaming and jumping up and down.  Mickey was quite gracious, and played peek-a-boo and gave Claire a big hug.  Eve was essentially unconscious and didn't believe we met Mickey until we showed her the picture later.

 Waiting for the parade.  Which was better than I expected.

 The happiest place on earth thankfully has a lot of people on call if your battery is dead when you get out.

 More beach time.

 Brief interlude to Paris...in Las Vegas for the fountains.  Thanks Jeff!

 I also surprised Sandi (SURPRISE!) with a surprise party on the 30th.  The surprise is helped when done 10 days late.  A big thanks to Heather and Emily for really doing all the hard work and showing Sandi that she is loved, even if she is 30.

And I don't know if that picture needs any commentary.  Maybe we'll post again soon.  But don't hold your breath.

Gameapalooza 16: Sorry!

Tonight's offering was Sorry!  (Or, if you prefer, you can read that in the super sarcastic voice you would use when playing it with your siblings when you were younger).  We actually received Sorry as a gift for our wedding (or we purchased it with Target giftcards, same thing) and it has been a standard in our home for just as long.  Sorry is a classic.  Simple enough to play many times and easy to do so because you don't really have to come up with a strategy.  For example, in the second game we played tonight, I eked a win against Sandi because I drew a 3.  A 4 would have been a completely differently ball game.  I can imagine that Eve will get her playing time in soon enough, and then we'll be able to really enjoy it.

Mike: 8

Sandi: 9

SORRY!

Gameapalooza 15: You sunk my Battleship!

After a long, long respite, Gameapalooza has returned!  I know you've been waiting with bated breath.
Tonight we put on all our naval regalia and  played the old standard, Battleship.  Really not too complicated, not that involved, and marginally exciting.  If you haven't heard of it or played, you might not have actually had a childhood.  Just saying.  And even with all that, it still beats Word Mastermind by a mile!

Mike: 6

 Sandi: 6.5.

Soccer and Halloween

Eve was marginally excited to test her skills at soccer this fall.  The games were a littler earlier in the morning than her parents wanted, but she had a fun time, even if she didn't want to kick the ball.

This might be closest she got to the ball all season

This is how the games usually looked.  The pack on one side of the field, Eve on the other.

 Getting in her athletic stance!

And the greatest part, a small trophy.  That she insisted on taking just about everywhere for the next couple of days.

Eve later stated that she won a trophy like "our favorite golfer, Phil Mickelson."  She then stated that she wanted to win the trophy that he did.  So, watch for Eve to win the British Open sometime in the future.

Halloween party with the Pearce cousins!

Before Claire had an unfortunate meeting with the ledge of the hearth on her increasingly steady feet (though not quite there).

The cutest little fox and raccoon you've ever seen!

A side angle so you can (sort of) see their tails.

C Bear looking at the camera.

And Eve, who when running, looked like a scampering little fox.

Easter! Mike's Birthday! 2 GIRLS! Projects by Sandi!

Yes it is time to update the blog a little. 

First up, Easter.

Mike's Fabulous Birthday.

 

A Bunch of Pictures of My Girls. 

 

 

 

 This is how Eve does her own hair, now we have a blackmail picture for when she's older.

 

Me and My Sis!

Bunch of Projects: Cars Mat for Eve's Bday, Denim Quilt I've worked on for about 2 years (I just finished it tonight!), and Wedding Cake.