A Day of Firsts

Elias had his first day of school on Monday. His first of many.

It was the first day that two of my boys were in school at the same time.

Haven's first day ever without Elias for an extended period of time.

The first day that Elias wouldn't be there to help me with Simeon.

My first day sending a child to school. The first day packing a lunch for Elias. And, the first day letting Elias out of the nest after almost 6 years.

I'm pleased to report that Elias' first day of school went well. The first thing he said to me was, "Mom, there are so many rules". I asked him what all the rules were and he told me that he didn't remember. Oh no, we're in trouble. No really, Elias is a sweet kid and I know he is going to do great. I asked him if he made any friends and he said he had, but that he didn't know their names. In fact, after his third day of school he still refers to a particular boy as the boy with the black shirt. I just love seeing my little man taking everything in.

I feel I must report on the first day of school for the rest of us. Well, without Elias teasing her Haven was as quiet as a church mouse. It was cleaning day at the Counihan house. Thankfully Simeon took a 3 hour nap and Haven was seriously stoked that I let her clean the toilet. Does it get much better than that? I have to say that it was a nice first day to begin the rest of my life, or at least for several years to come.

Now that we have finished the 3rd day of school I can tell that Haven is not excited to be without Elias anymore. After being home for 10 minutes she says that she wants to go get Elias. She even socializes differently with other kids without her big bro there. I know it's only a matter of time before she defines who she is without Elias.

On a sentimental note I just have to say that I love being a mom. Sometimes I want to pull my hair out of course. However, my kids are my greatest adventure. I love my husband and the support he gives me in being at home with our children. Financially I know it's hard, but our family is the most important thing. Heavenly Father has blessed us for that.

Happy 9 yrs.

On August 6th Ben and I celebrated our 9 yr. anniversary. Ben and I were married in 1999 though he had my heart long before that. This picture was taken when I was a senior in high school. Now 12 years and 3 kids later we laugh a lot more and have become truly best friends. The celebration of our 9 years was much like our marriage, fun with a few bumps and detours along the way. I made a reservation at the House of Prime Rib for 6:30 pm. Did I think to find out exactly where it was? No, of course not. I drive passed the darn place and notice it every time I drive down Van Ness, but on the night when I actually have reservations to eat there I can't quite remember where it is. Basically we missed our reservation. I found myself quietly crying while Ben drove aimlessly around SF. All I could think about was that I had a 2 hour window before Simeon would have to eat again and I was wasting that 2 hours stuck in crazy San Francisco traffic. This was not how I pictured spending my anniversary. However, Ben pulled through. While I thought he was driving aimlessly around the city he was actually looking for 'The Stinking Rose', an Italian place we have been wanting to eat at for a long time. He found it, we ate delicious Italian food loaded with garlic (not exactly romantic), we enjoyed each other, and even made it back in time for Mr. Sims to eat. At least one of us had our heads on straight.

This pan WAS full of steamy herb olive oil garlic cloves. Along side a loaf of fresh bread this made a heavenly appetizer.

Ben and I highly recommend this place to anyone who loves garlic. The food was good and there was an eclectic, artsy, yet funky atmosphere about the whole place. Benny, I love you my little garlic clove.

Our Friends the Romeny's

One of my good friends from Utah came out to visit us with her two kids. Jessie was my life saver the last year I was in Orem and we had been missing their little family a bunch so this was a welcomed visit. We had a good time touring them around one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Here are a few highlights...

The first day was absolutely beautiful. The sun was out, though you can't tell in the picture, and the breeze was pleasant. The kids bathed in sand while Jessie and I did what we do best, sat and talked. Jessie literally left a part of herself in San Francisco. She got a bad sunburn do to this beautiful day and was peeling her entire visit.

We took the kids to play at Alamo Square park. Anyone who watched the sit com 'Full House' knows why this would be an attraction. Here we are in front of the 'Painted Ladies'.

We also went up to my parents house in Auburn to enjoy the summer in the pool.
Thanks Jessie, Alyssa, and Owen for visiting us. Thank you Brandon for letting us borrow them. You are all welcome at any time.

On the Subject of Birthdays...

DANDANN HAD A BIRTHDAY IN JULY! However, summer craziness has kept me from blogging about it. You are a truly good man and amazing grandfather. Happy Birthday to you.



MELISSA'S BIRTHDAY IS TODAY! You are beautiful in so many ways. Happy Birthday little sister. I wish I could share in the festivities with you today, but many miles separate us. Oh well, enjoy the day and I hope you get spoiled.

Simster Update

I love all of the different stages of my babies, some more then others. The 4-6 month stage however, is my absolute favorite. Simeon is smack dab in the middle of this delicious stage and I am loving every minute of it. Some milestones for Simeon are: He plays with his toes, he yells and shrieks just to hear himself, he laughs, he rolls over both ways, he puts everything in his mouth, he is sleeping from 8 pm- 3am most nights, he spits up like a champ, he can hold toys and play with them, and he is increasingly obsessed with his daily dose of rice cereal, SURPRISE! At Simeon's 4 month check-up he weighed in at 19 lbs. and he has the rolls to prove it.

Simeon has a willing smile and loves to interact with just about anyone, especially Dad.

Introducing Elias #2 and x2 (Elias was big, but not that big)

My little Sims is definitely the 3rd child. "Oh Mom can't get to me right now. I guess I'll just go to sleep right here".

When Simeon smiles it's as if you can see into his soul. This is probably my favorite 'Simeon feature'.

I couldn't be more pleased with my sweet, easy going, happy little guy. I look at him and wonder how we ever functioned without him.

Ben's White Coat Ceremony

In July Ben received his white coat signifying that he is now able to work on real live patients (with supervision of course). The ceremony was nice and I was able to enjoy it thanks to Rocia for watching my kids. Ben's Dad, Mom, and Grandad all came to support Ben in reaching this milestone in his schooling.

It was of course a beautiful crisp and blustery day in San Francisco.

My cute dentist and I. Don't tell anyone, but I think I might have a crush on him.

The proud parents. We love sharing moments like this with them.

Having Grandad there is the whip cream and cherry on top.
YEAH BEN!!!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

At the end of Ben's Summer break we went as a little family to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The kids are all about marine animals right now, especially sharks and whales. They of course enjoyed it. We saw many different kinds of sharks including hammerheads and white tips. There were sting rays, a giant octopus, giant tuna, jellyfish, sun fish, sea otters and many other amazing things. The aquarium also had a tide pool section where we were able to touch different sea creatures. I had this fabulous idea to take Simeon in the stroller instead of our usual tactic of putting the giant in a baby backpack. Well Mr. Sims wanted nothing to do with the stroller so my bag had a lovely ride in the stroller while Ben and I traded bearing the weight of our chubby cherub. All in all we had a good time. Afterwards we went to a cute little greek restaurant where Haven and Elias overdosed on hummus and pita bread, Simeon drooled, and Ben and I had Falafel and Gryro sandwiches. Was the Monterey Bay Aquarium worth it? Absolutely, however next time I will go on the off season when there aren't so many people.

Not Your Average Girly Girl

Since Haven was little I have been desperately trying to get her to play with girl toys, but to no avail. However for Haven's last birthday Grandma Hancock got her a Polly pocket Beauty and the Beast edition set. The set comes complete with several dresses as well as this cloak for Belle to wear. I thought we had finally found the perfect girl toy because Haven was pretty much obsessed with them. At least this would be one "girl" toy that she would play with. However, days later I found this T-Rex sporting a lovely purple cloak that he borrowed from Belle. Sweet Haven, I guess she just can't help it.