A Few Good Quotes

"There is something so settled and stodgy about turning a great romance into next of kin on an emergency room form, and something so soothing and special, too." ~ Anna Quindlen

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'" ~Mary Anne Radmacher

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A Few Funny Stories from Mary's Kids

I don't do too much babysitting anymore, with our two kids keeping me pretty busy. But I was able to help out a tiny bit one day last week while Mary and Mike had to work. While I was at their house, I had a conversation with each of their two oldest kids which cracked me up. 

Here's the one from Sam -

Sam - "Aunt Esther, remember last year at family vacation, when we played games on the grass and you told everyone what to do?"

Me - "Yeah, bud, I do."

Sam - "Let's do that again."

I agree, man. A scenario where I'm telling everyone what to do? I'm in. =)

And here's one from Abbie -

Me - "Did you have fun this weekend with your Uncle Ben and Aunt Rebecca in town?"

Abbie - "Yes! Rebecca is my favorite uncle."

Me - "You mean your favorite aunt?"

Abbie - "Oh, yeah, my favorite aunt."

Me - "Hey, what about me?"

Abbie - "Well, you're my favorite Esther."

Wow, thanks. I'll try not to let the fact that I'm the only Esther she knows lessen the impact of that compliment. 

Love those kids!

Our Week in Huntington Beach

A few weeks ago, our little family of four got to spend a week at our extended family's place in Huntington. If you know me or you've hung around this blog for a while, you know this place is one of my favorite on earth. Even though it's not far from where we live (and we do love where we live), it feels so special and different. As soon as we pull up and park our car, my soul is refreshed, at rest and happy.

We were a tad worried about going with a newborn and a very busy 19 month old, since the place is super small, but we had a GREAT time. We even extended our stay by one day. It was wonderful.

And here are the pictures to prove it.

We did a lot of this - relaxing, holding Jonah.

And we did a lot of this - playing with Ruthie on the sand.
Jonah hung out (read slept) on the sand quite happily in this sun shade Mary and Mike loaned us. It was so helpful! 
I felt a little like a circus show, getting to the sand with all our gear. Our stroller is so huge, then we stacked a blanket, beach chair, sunshade and beach towels on top of it - as you can see, I could barely see over the top. But it made it possible for us to stay at the sand for 2 hours, which is more than I had hoped for. We went to the sand each day we were there and it was so much fun.

We also did a lot of walking - at least two walks on the pier each day. And we came every day to the little grassy area just off the sand, so Ruthie could have some extra run around time. Our family really enjoyed all the exercise and time outside!

And we left at just the right time. You can't really tell from this photo, but the pier is PACKED out with folks watching the US Open. We left the day it began and were really grateful for our timing. 
It was a great trip and we hope to get to go at least one more time before the cabins sell!

Friday, July 12, 2013

Calculator

For some reason, Ruthie is crazy about my calculator. She spent at least 30 minutes today, carrying it around and punching the buttons. She also holds it up to her ear and says hi. It's pretty funny. Enjoy the pictures of her antics!

                                             





Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Guess Who Gained Two Pounds in Three Weeks?

Not me, thankfully. That's a welcome change. ;) Jonah weighed in at an impressive 9 lbs 12 oz at the doctor yesterday. This guy is serous about his milk!