Dad beats me to it on his site so you will have to hear it again. 

First of all, most evenings we haul all the dinner food stuffs out of doors and eat on the deck as the house by then is an oven and quite unbearable.  The boys have been getting home later than usual since work has been so busy and so dinner has been later.  I have been feeding Serra~V earlier because she just doesn’t like to wait sometimes.  Anyway, we were all sitting around eating leisurely as SV went around finding plums that had fallen from the tree and making a mess of herself.  I looked over and she had white junk all around her mouth, and dribbling down her chin and was attempting to spit it out.  I figured she had found some side walk chalk and was munching on it as usual.  I stared to notice however, that intermixed with the white was bits of green and brown.  AAARRGGHH!  She had happened upon some bird feces and was foaming at the mouth with it.  Talk about gross. 

Friday evening we went to Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium.  We parked near where we though our seat were.  We were so off we had to walk to the complete other side.  We ended up going through security 3 times though and had to have the diaper backpack searched three times before we finally found the correct gate.  For those of you that haven’t been to a game, during the short breaks when I think they are going to commercial for TV.  They show people from the crowd on the jumbo screen.  Well, Brian, Serra, and I made it on.  It was weird to look up and see yourself big as life up there, not to mention the huge zit on my face.  43,500 people have now seen that zit. 

Yesterday as I was doing computer stuff in the back room I heard a loud bang and worried crying from Serra~V~ coming from the living room.  I ran in there expecting to find the flower vase knocked over with water all over her.  Instead, she was on top of the piano.  She had knocked down the music holder which was the bang and was perched precariously, and worried about the situation she had gotten herself into. 

She climbs anything she can nowadays and is therefore an even bigger and somehow cuter menace than before. 

Last night grandpa volunteered to tend the boogus while mom and I went to Relief Society.  When we returned 2.5 hours later we were informed that she cried the whole time until about 20 minutes before we returned.  She simple turned off the crying, said “HI” and that was it.  Chipper V until we returned.  Weirdo. 

Somemore…

Herearethemuchawaitedtrippictures.  Phaseone.

Saw Pirates of the Caribbean.  And as Lola would say, STELLAR!  It was really good, especially if you are a pirate freak like me. 

Ok here we are well into July and now I have to try to remember what happened last month.  I had to review my Xanga entries to refresh my memory. 

At the top of the list is that we are ready to get a place of our own.  The California housing market has different plans for us however.  We have made several offers on places we really liked, that would serve us well while Brian completes his MBA at Pepperdine.  On one place we were even the first offer that came in as it came on the market that day.  By the following day, 8 additional offers were made and ours was not ‘chosen’.  It is definitely a sellers market.  The worry is that we will be buying high and then the bottom will fall out from under the market, and when we need to sell we won’t be able to.  At this point we are just going to have to trust that the Lord knows what is best for us and when the time is right we will get the home in the right place.  It sure is tough waiting when we feel ready though. 

Serra~V~ has turned into a real kid.  Since she turned a year old in April, she has started saying a few words, throwing fits, and is a regular little menace.  A cute menace though.  She loves to empty shelves and drawers and leaves a path of destruction wherever she goes.  OK, it’s not that bad, but she has leaned to say “No, No, No”!  if that gives you any clue to what she hears a lot from everyone.  She still charms people wherever she goes, saying Hi! and recently her own version of Hello.  Her voice is very contralto which is pretty funny in a kid her size.  We love her to pieces and it melts her Daddy’s heart when she runs to him with her arms up, and her mommy’s heart when she cuddles up and says ‘ahhhhhh!’

Brian is busy with work and school.  They both heated up with the weather.  I don’t know how he stands it.  School is incredibly demanding and he barely finds the time to complete the assignments with church and work demands.  But somehow he does and maintains an incredibly positive attitude.  I can’t think of a time when he has complained about any of it.  I am so thankful that he has such a wonderful work ethic and takes his responsibilities to us so seriously.  I know too many women that are forced to work because their husbands feel they need to contribute a share of the income as well.  What a difference it has made and will make in the kind of family we can raise to have a parent with our children all day. 

For the fourth of July weekend we flew up to Salt Lake and spent the week at Brian’s family cabin above Park City.  We left on the 2nd and returned on the 7th.  His family is getting so spread out that it is getting really difficult to get us all together around the holidays, so his mother planned this weekend and invited any and all to attend for Thanksgiving in July.  It was great!  All of Brian’s siblings were together for the first time in 2 years and many of their extended family on the Gee side were able to make it up for the feast as well.  Yep!  That’s right!  Turkey, stuffing, about 5 gallons of mashed potatoes, pie….the works.  The difference is that we ate on picnic tables outside on the deck and in the evening watched fireworks in Park City from the top to the mountain.  The weather was incredible.  Delightful.  

Dwaine and Diane, Brians parents planned the event and provided food and sleeping accommodations.  Eric and Tracey (Eric is Brians older and only brother) were there with their 3 year old Erica, and 1 1/2 year old Maiah.  Serra loved to play with them.  It is interesting to watch her learn to play nicely with other kids.  She learned not to pull hair and hit.  Other kids don’t like that apparently.  Holly was there with her husband Ian.  We had to share them with Ian’s family who live in Salt Lake, but I think they did a good job of juggling us all and keeping everyone happy.  Adriane and AmyJo were there and the three wiener dogs, Ernie, Harvey, and Rocky.  Then Diane’s  older brother Joe, his wife Jennifer, and a few of Joes kids, Joanna (and her boyfriend BJ), Christina, Brennen, and Gabes.  Diane’s little sister, Carolyn, her husband Steve, and a few of there kids, Monica (Monica’s kids, Brock, Hallie) Emily, and Brinton.  Plus a few of Erics friends came up from Salt Lake and everyone brought their pets.  Serra~V~’s floor space around the high chair was spotless for the first time ever.  So I guess that makes nearly 30.  Not a bad turn out.

A bonus as well was many of Dwaines sibling were in town to meet a potential husband of one of his sisters, Jo.  Dwaine’s family is more spread out and we rarely see them.  I was able to finally meet two more, Brian’s Aunt Jo, and Uncle Laffe.  They were both very charming and friendly.  Wes and Elliot were the only sibs not there, and Wes is the only one I have not met yet.  We spent the 5th with them and many of those cousins and aunts and uncles.  Of course, they put on a feast too, so we were quite stuffed by the end of the weekend. 

By late Sunday morning all that was left was Holly, Us, and Dwaine and Diane.  It was so quite.  We took naps and Julie and Jared came up to say hello. We visited and had dinner.  Then they went back to Park City where Julie had a conference.  After they left Brian and I took a four wheel ride together around the mountain.  It was so quite, except for us, and we found some beautiful forest areas that took our breath away.  We really enjoyed that bit of time to ourselves. 

We were up by 5:30, cleaned up the cabin, loaded up, and arrived back in LA by noon on Monday and dropped Brian at work, where he didn’t stop moving all day.  He went straight to class that evening and didn’t get home until around 11pm. 

It has been a busy week for him as he catches up on school.  I didn’t see him yesterday until 10pm and Serra~V~ didn’t see him at all.  We will go in for lunch today, so she doesn’t forget who he is. 

Sorry there are no pictures.  It’s not as if there aren’t any.  We actually took around 50 this weekend, but my computer with the download capabilities is being fixed and so we must all be patient.