Flashback Wednesday - Beach Camping

I know I'm a couple days early with this (and Flashback Wednesday just doesn't have the same ring to it) but....I wanted to post now and get some family members jazzed for our upcoming outing this weekend...beach camping! As a family growing up, we did this almost every summer. If we could score campsites we went to Carpinteria (near Santa Barbara). But more often than not we ended up at San Onofre (south of OC) where it's not as fancy but just as fun.
The picture above is from one of those beach camping summers.

- Yes, this was the 80s. I'm sporting my favorite Esprit T-shirt, pegged jeans, and permed hair of course (I'm the one standing, if you couldn't tell).
- My best friend at the time, Christy Igarashi, came along and so did her Flojos. She and I did everything together. We rode our bikes to Target and the mall, made chocolate pudding, listened to George Michael and Janet Jackson, sewed scrunchies. Fun memories.
- Our snazzy van even got in the shot.
- is Karis scowling or just eating?
- actually Saunja looks annoyed too. Well, we'd all just woken up and we were hungry.
- Kam is smiling
- Heather Ainge!
- Camille's hair is awesome
- our tents are so tiny. They're gonna be HUGE this time around.

We'll be heading to the same old camp grounds this weekend for loads of family fun, beach sand, and a whole lot more people this time around.

An appointment is the only way to go

Today I went to the DMV, with both kids. I was prepared for whatever, especially since it began with 5 minutes of circling the parking lot along with 10 other cars, hunting down the next person ready to leave. I finally parked blocks away in some random parking lot.

As I walked in with my "small" double stroller there was a single-file line of over 100 people. That was the Non-Appointment line. I looked to the left for the Appointment line. That was my line, with only 1 other person waiting! I filled out my paperwork, only paid $22 for my replacement license, the lady helping me actually had a sense of humor, and I was out of there in 15 minutes. And since Owen had fallen asleep on the drive there and Lucy played with her farm animals, the kids made it easy too! Is it weird to say the DMV was almost a bright-spot in my day? Yea, that's weird. It's still an annoying place (and I swear, I never see another person there that looks like me. I don't mean that in the wrong way. I'm just saying, why are all these other people, that I can't really relate to, flooding the DMV every time I go there?)

Pioneer Day Celebration? Fireside?

Did anyone catch the Pioneer Day Celebration Concert on Sunday night? We tivo'd it from the BYU channel and tonight I decided to skim through it. Um....am I missing something?
I was expecting something similar to the Christmas Devotional, you know, hymns inter-mixed with faith-promoting pioneer stories told by the Apostles. Afterall, it was advertised as a fireside on a Sunday evening. But aside from a great rendition of "Come Come Ye Saints" and other medleys by the MoTab, I didn't find it Pioneerish at all but more like a lame excuse for an Osmond Smackdown Reunion Finale. I mean SERIOUSLY, it was nothing more than an Osmond family concert highlighted with old photos, old video clips, "funny" banter, Marie's (flat) voice, and plenty of cha-cheeeese. I mean, sure. They can sing. Not something I would choose to listen to (which is why I skimmed through it in 10 minutes). But um, I guess nothing says Pioneer Day like the Osmonds? Maybe only in Utah?...

Nasaly

Lucy loves to talk and sing these days. We knew all along she had something to say since her jibberish was often non-stop. But as she's started speaking, we've realized an oddity. She often speaks through her nose. It's mostly when she makes an "s" sound and you can hear it best when she pronounces the plural of something with an "s" at the end. I've tried to capture it multiple times on video but it's never as funny or as good as it is in-person. The nasal-ness just doesn't come across as strong as it really is. But here's a fairly good clip. I ask her to say the words Prince, Please, and Fruit Snacks (so you can hear the nasal "s" at the end):

A friend-ly week

I love these sorts of weeks. We spent most of our days hanging out with friends and family and having fun.

* We went swimming multiple times and Lucy is in love with her life-vest swim suit. I bought it for her last year but it was still a little big so we pulled it out this year and she totally gets it. She rarely wants me to hold on to her. She wants to float around by herself. She's still figuring out how to dogpaddle but she does pretty good on her own:
Owen in his tube. He must be frightened by the large insect climbing up the side:
* We played at friends' houses. Rebecca's shady yard is perfect for a Thursday morning playgroup. The kids adore her dogs:
And the moms get to chat:
Lucy looks for dogs:Fallon sports a cute bathing suit:And here's Max, just kickin back on the blanket:
* We went to the Wading Pool. A friend told me about this public park one city over that has a wading pool during the summer. There's a lifeguard who checks the PH levels so the water isn't too yucky. Of course he spends most of his time telling the kids, "no splashing! no jumping!" Hmmmm....kids and water = splashing and jumping. Oh well, he can keep yelling all he wants. I don't think they'll stop. Here are the kids waiting patiently for him to check the water levels:
Ellie and Owen:
Some of the moms. Yay, I'm in a picture! (thanks Doris).
Megan, Me, Annie, and Sherri:
Hannah and Sammy:
Annie and Camdyn:Little Elijah enjoyed the pool party too. For some reason I can't get enough of this little guy. He's so cute!More poolside chatter. This time Doris joined the photo-op:
Karla and Paige:
By 4:30 most of the other kids had left so our kids had the pool all to themselves. Grace and Caden had some great twirling moves. Here she is in action:
Lucy wasn't feeling the best so she mostly wanted to sit out of the water and watch the kids play. Owen kept her company:
And eventually she just wanted to sit in the stroller:
By the time we made it to the sand toys, however, she was boisterous and happy again:
Great park. We'll be heading back! Especially because I find this site so funny. Old Armenian men playing cards. Reminds me of Central Park with old men playing chess:

* We went downtown to go shopping. Some of my girlfriends have been wanting to go to the fabric district for a while so we made an outing of it and all the dads stayed home with the kids. The thing I like best about this picture was the lady who took it. Funny character. Too bad I didn't take her picture! Me, Megan, Sherri, and Karla:

* We had In N Out for lunch. This picture doesn't really say In N Out but here's what Owen looked like the whole time we were there. He's such a happy guy these days:

* We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house and hung out in their beautiful backyard.
Lucy finally rode their trike for the first time:
And so did Casey:
Grandma got to hold the babies:
and we got to go see Dark Knight! We both loved it. It lived up to the hype. Great acting, great writing, interesting themes, a very adult movie. Can't wait to see the next installment one day.

* We had great family time Sunday evening. We drove around town and stumbled on a park with a live jazz band. So we walked around and listened to music. And of course,

* We ate Otter Pops:
We feel blessed to have great friends and family nearby to hang out with. You make our lives more interesting!

Flashback Friday - Willard, Now and Then

We were at Casey's parent's house the other night and found this picture of them. Too adorable.

circa 1967. Ogden, Utah. Engagement photo:

And here they are today:

Both Parry and Linda grew up in Ogden but they came from different backgrounds. Parry grew up on a farm, while Linda's family lived in-town and owned a store called Owen Grocery. In fact, when Linda hung out with girls from the "country" she would trade candy from her parent's store for their fresh farm-grown green beans. Funny, the things we place value on.

Well, eventually they found each other (at the old age of 23. haah) and I'm sure glad they did. I'm happy to be part of their Willard legacy. They are wonderful in-laws and I'm glad we live close enough to see them often. I'm sure one day they (or we) will move away and the visits will be less frequent. But for now, Lucy gets to run around Grandma and Grandpa's house, playing with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, reading books with Grandma, singing songs, and enjoying the full-attention of two wonderful grandparents. If Lucy would let her, Linda would probably hold her all day long. We love you guys!

Why I hate the JoAnns by my house (but keep going there)

• bad fabric selection
• the worst employees (who have very little knowledge about sewing or fabrics)
• understaffed (the same person who cuts your fabric is the person who rings you up. Takes FOREVER to get out of there)
• they ask an obligatory "so what are you making?" when cutting my fabric. When I answer they either don't care what I said or don't understand what I said.
• you know when you're at a store and you ask a worker where to find something and the second the words leave your mouth you realize they are clueless and you'll spend 5 minutes of courtesy time following them around and you just want to turn and walk away? That happens all the time. Why do I bother asking them questions?
• the cashier/cutter lady almost didn't let me pay for my $4 purchase today because I had no ID for my debit card. I explained that my wallet was stolen and that I was getting my new Driver's License next week. I showed her checks that matched the debit card and she was still reluctant. IT'S FOUR DOLLARS!
• of course....they're the closest "quick"-stop for my sewing needs
• with their %40 off coupons you can get some good deals.

Not all JoAnns are bad. But this one drives me nuts. I hate and continue to go there. I'm done.

I wish there was an occasion...

to wear something this adorable:
I could add sleeves to both of these, right?
If you missed Project Runway last night (my summer-TV obsession) there were some darling creations. I love both these dresses. Absolutely adorable.

I LOVE this show! I'm pretty sure Bravo plays reruns all week long if you need to tune in. It's so out of my league to ever dream of being on there. But I love to think about what I would create and see how the designers execute their vision.

growing up

His two bottom teeth have been coming in for a month. And now you can finally see them. Our baby boy is growing up. 7 1/2 months old.

Having a bad day?

$.65 at Sees usually does the trick. Of course, waiting in line with two children while the people in front of you order pounds and pounds of the assorted variety can be stressful. But mmmm. Dark Chocolate Bordeaux.

Old MacDonald

Four months ago, Lucy didn't like it when I sang. I'd like to think it wasn't my voice but just because she was cuckoo. In fact one Sunday I had to take her out of church because she mad at congregation for singing a hymn.
Fast forward to the present and Lucy LOVES singing. For the past month she has asked me to sing over and over and over again in the car. "Another song?!" It sounded pretty wretched the week I lost my voice. I was a great contender for the worst A.I. contestant ever. But I performed as called upon with "Old MacDonald", "Hey, hey, hey", "ABCs", etc.
Then one day, Lucy started singing along with me and she knew all the words. It was too cute! It's as if she'd been storing up song lyrics in her head till she was ready to debut. I probably understand what she's saying more than others since I actually speak her human/gremlin language too. But here's a taste of her favorite, "Old MacDonald". Grandma Willard couldn't get enough of it at dinner tonight:

Corn on the Cob

Most of you know, Lucy doesn't eat. So we were all surprised when she hopped up to the table at Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight and asked, "Grandma, what are you doing?"
"Eating corn on the cob. Do you want some?"
"Okay!"
She studied our methods of eating.And even added all the right "mmmmm!"s and "yum yum"s as she ate.
But don't be fooled by those missing kernels. She never ate a thing but spent 10 minutes licking butter off the cob. We sure had fun watching her though. And as Grandma pointed out, major points for being adventurous and trying something new. Make next time she'll take a real bite.

Big Bear

Yesterday we spent a fun-filled day up in the mountains at Big Bear. My brother-in-law Bryan's family owns this cabin. And they invited all the Suman side to come play.
We spent the day hanging out:
looking at pretty water:wearing pageboy caps:
climbing on the rail:playing in the grass:
sitting on Papa's lap:playing with our other best friends (next to crayons and people), plastic animals:
We danced in our swimming suits:
we put on life vests:
so we could ride the wave-runner:
or play in the tube:
And Casey and Meredith learned to wind-surf:
It looked super hard but Casey stayed at it for a good hour and 1/2:
Whoooooa. Steady, steady:
Excellent skills:
Everyone played in the water, even dogs:
We relaxed in the sun:We took care of kids:
carried purses:and had a yummy bbq:
And when dusk rolled around, time for puzzles:
casting a line:
and hanging out with cousins. Makenna's expression is brilliant. If only I had a shot of Lucy on the other side yelling "Makenna! Owen! Cheese! Cheese!" She's learned from her shameless parents how to get a baby to smile.
Camille and Bryan, thanks for inviting us! We had a really great time. We're glad we came!