4 years old

Our Little Bug turned four! Hard to believe actually. She requested corn on the cob, ham pizza and a tart with no berries on it. Don't we all love custard cream filling?! Luckily, only after two stores, we were able to find some corn on the cob! She blew out all the candles on her own and when someone tried to sneek her wish out of her she said, 'I can't tell you or it won't come true.' I give her a couple of years before she is smarter than both Andrew and I combined. We love our Bug!

6 years

Our six year anniversary came and went! We had reservations and a babysitter set up for a weekend getaway, but unfortunately my grandfather passed away a few days before hand (weeks short of 100). So, instead we attended a funeral and dinned on funeral potatoes! We will have to use the weekend getaway another time.

Although missed, we were happy my grandfather was able to be reunited with his wife after 25 years.      

dog walking

This is not a particularly great photo, but the memory is sweet. Since my dad's original cancer diagnosis we have been out to California quite regularly. He is usually unable to really go anywhere, so, Bug and papa have a tradition of taking Rascal out for daily walks to get some much needed fresh air. It is so sweet to see the two of them walking hand in hand down the hill together.

cousins

Z and Bug

happy halloween!

Our little pink and blue superheros. Bug has a blast this Halloween and kept wanting to go to "one more house" while Tank was very hesitant at first, until he figured out they were giving him candy. Go figure.

I title this one, 'the joy of Halloween.' Oh to be this young again.

Go A's

Now, I have to admit that since Little Bug came into my life I have not followed the Oakland A's very well. But, around August, I started getting word of how well they were playing and was so excited for them! We recently got back from California and while there I was so pleased to go to an A's playoff game with Bug. It was so much fun and I had a great time reminiscing about childhood afternoons spent at the park. Pretty sure Bug was most excited to be able to scream as loud and as long as she could stand.

work

We believe in putting our kids to work.

 

This is really me trying to get that last layer of grout dust off our floors. 

floors

When we first moved into our home the flooring was mostly carpet. It was a faded blue that looked gray in some areas. We knew it would have to go eventually, but we figured we would wait a few months and let things settle. However, while walking in for the first time as homeowners we were greeted with a strong odor of dog. The old carpet had to go right away. So, out it came and we started researching flooring ideas. We ended up putting in a tile that looks like wood throughout the home (minus the re-carpeted bedrooms and two baths, which are future projects).

It was such a process! Really, it was such a process. We just finished a couple weeks ago. First, we had rip out the old subfloor under the linoleum.  Then we had to lay down backer board with thinset and screws (no joke, each board has about 60 screws). We learned that this may have been overkill, but we sure didn't want anything to go wrong so we followed all the instructions.  I had no idea screwing in hundreds of screws with an electric drill would make a person sweat so much. Then, we had to put down another layer of thinset for the tile. Finally, we had to grout the whole place. Technically, it needs to be sealed, but at the moment I refuse to admit that any more work needs to be done and am calling it good. Plus, our hands are just recovering.

So, here is the old carpet, ripped out and sitting in a heap on the side of our house.
 

Oh, we were still bright and happy at this point. Laying down our first room of backer board.

Yes, Tank is holding a sharp knife. He is cutting holes for our registers.

My parents came out twice within a month's time to help out. My dad definitely earned his keep. He is caring a big bucket of thinset here. FYI everyone, it is worth the $25 drill mixer attachment to not have to hand mix that stuff. We figured that out oh, two thirds the way through this project.

Laying thinset on the backer board to tile.

Bug had a blast for the five minutes she spread thinset.

And now the grout. Imagine your whole house with a layer of mud on it. Then add a frantic mom armed with a sponge in each hand trying clean it up before two kids swarm and track mud everywhere.  I may have gone a little crazy that week.
 

I also had to add this picture because Andrew had his heart set on these flush registers. We didn't put them everywhere, but a few spots have fancy registers.

A shot of the final floor.

We have many more house projects in process, but thank heavens this one is done!

32

Andrew had a birthday and turned 32! I knew he had his eye on getting a big blow torch to keep a handle on the weeds in our front yard. We have a lot of rocks out there and weeding in between them gets difficult. He was quite surprised I actually got it for him. It was pretty fun getting a big smile out of him. He now, however, wants to rig the torch to get an even bigger and more effective flame.

We spent the day burning weeds and in the evening we enjoyed our local fair. Little Bug loved the rides, Tank enjoyed his first foot long corn dog and Andrew and I liked the rodeo.

moving day

I actually did not take any pictures of us moving. It was no fun of course and will take years for us to get over. Not because anything went particularly wrong, it is just a lot of work. And each subsequent move we do it gets a little more painful as our family grows and stuff accumulates.

So, while packing endless boxes, I made an amazing discovery out of desperation. Tank loves playing in the car and will be quite happy there for a solid hour. That's a big deal for a mom trying to get stuff done. And from the looks of it, he apparently has been waiting a long time to get his chance at the wheel.

Tank is learning all sorts of words lately. At the moment, his favorite word is "out." He says it a ton, especially in reference to wanting to get outside and play. However, whenever I say "let's go outside" he knows that means we are heading to the car. So, I often find him toddling over to his side of the car and hopping in. I think it is pretty funny watching a 1 year old make his way to the car just like a big kid.

papa mark

We have had a bunch of visitors come this summer and help us with our house. It has been so nice and very helpful. There is no greater feeling at the moment crossing 'to dos' off our list. Our last visitor was Andrew's dad, Papa Mark. He helped us patch a dogie door. (The previous owners literally cut a hole in the house. A hole in the house. Who does that?!) And he helped drywall the area where we ripped out a wall. I don't have many before and after shots of our projects. However, I did manage to snap a photo of Tank and papa playing trains together.

celebration of life

It is a little bitter sweet posting this, but while my family was all together this summer we had a celebration of life for my dad. He has obviously had some rough struggles this past year, but we are all grateful he is still with us.

Recently, we got word his cancer is back. He is up for more chemo treatments and a bone marrow transplant. It has been more scary this time around. For one, we are all more aware of what this entails and two, this narrows down his future treatment options and is quite possibly his last treatment option. It is hard thinking of someone who has always been there, to not being there anymore. It is hard to simply think about and very difficult to comprehend. I am so glad he is willing to fight again and as he says, "beat this thing." So, here is to my beautiful parents, there love and devotion to one another and to a God we all trust.
 

kite flying

There is a big field we love right by our house. In the evenings we like to head over there and run and sometimes when the wind is just right we bring our kite. Who knew a big grassy field could be so fun?

 Tank is always pretty interested in that kite.

envy

Little Bug adores her tricycle and loves riding around. Of course, Tank is always watching with much longing. We use to stick him in our snap n' go stroller and push him along side with Bug, but as you can see that stopped being effective. He has taken a more active bike-getting approach. When Bug is not looking he makes a mad dash and climbs up on the trike. He is always pretty pleased sitting on that thing.

yakima

My mother is from Yakima, WA. Every summer growing up, my family would pile into our car and take the 12 hour drive up to visit my grandparents. I have many fond memories of lazy summer days spent in that small city. And every summer there we would walk to the local cemetery with bread in hand and feed the swans.

When my parents were in town a few weeks back, my mom and I decided to take the kids to Yakima and fed the swans. There are a lot of ducks there now and only one swan left, but it brought back some memories for me and put a big smile on my face watching Bug and Tank feed the swans.

first cut

You would think that with my child being almost 4 that this would have happened already or that I would be ok with Bug cutting her hair. Apparently, I am very attached to my daughter's hair. Now I understand what my mom's deal was whenever I cut my hair growing up. However, with all the summer days we have spent in the outdoor pool, I could not even deny it was time. I am sure she needed a bunch of inches to come off, but I made sure the hair dresser only took off an inch. As evidenced by the picture, Little Bug did not share my same sentiment and loved the pampering.

family reunion take 2

A few weeks after our first family reunion, we moved. Two weeks after that, we had another family reunion in the East Bay. Although, we were tired from the move and subsequent construction projects, we had a great time. It did not take long for us to forget about the mess at home.

Being with family was the best. Of all the activities we did together we think the highlight was ifly, an indoor skydiving place. We prepped Little Bug beforehand and she was excited. I was sure once she saw the vertical wind tunnel she would be jumping into, she would change her mind. Her excitement remained. Then I was sure the jumpsuit, helmet, ear plugs, and goggles would deter her. But no, every step of the way Little Bug simply got more excited. I was shocked when without hesitation this little girl jumped right on in that wind. It was quite fun. We all had a blast and I will forever remember Bug's enthusiasm and courage...and how tiny she looked in that tube.

We also had great fun at Marine World, Rock City, Stinson Beach, and simply lounging.



Just fyi, Rock City by Mount Diablo is a real rock climbing outdoor state park. Not an indoor rock climbing wall. I was completely misinformed. I wore sandals and a skirt thinking I would just watch. Little Bug must have loved it because she came home with holes in her pants from sliding down all the rocks.

I hope it does not take too long for us to have another reunion.

home

We bought a house! We love it. At the moment we are having fun tearing down a wall, redoing all our flooring, and painting the majority of the house. We are really happy and really tired. 

oceanside, california

We had a great time in Oceanside at our family reunion! Minus the fact the kids did not get up any later than 5:45am and one night Tank decided to be up from 3-6am. We will never know what happened there. Now 6:30am feels like sleeping in (Bug's usually wake up time). Sometimes it is nice when things are put into perspective for you.

Tanks first take in the ocean. He kept crawling towards it, so he must have enjoyed it.

Little Bug was so excited to be at the beach house. She had been counting down for weeks for the event. Her expectations were not let down. After our first night there she asked if she was going to have to go home now. Good thing we were there all week.

The pier. I could still go for one of those milkshakes.

Many a hours were spent in the sand by all.

Thanks for documenting our trip Hannah.