The California Fires/Winds

I zoomed in on a big smoke cloud to the north

of us this afternoon.

See that thick layer of smoke in the distance? From a fire

north of us. This is what we woke up to today.

This is what Joel's tomato plants looked like after

the winds (yesterday). A big mess!

This is what our backyard looked like the day

after the very strong winds.

Well, this is California for you! Sunday night, around 2 pm, the Santa Ana winds came strong! They got really bad around 6pm, and didn't slow down until 4 am the next day! We have never experienced something like this. The sky was full of dust and cars outside could barely drive against the wind. Things have settled down now, but we are still praying for Karina and Adam that their condo and that HP will not get burned!

Julianna loves mini M&M's

Every time I tell Julianna she can pick out a candy at the end of our shopping trip (Mom, you used to always let us get candy, remember?), she always goes for the tube of mini M&Ms. I let her eat them on the way home from the store, and this is what she looked like afterward. She even had chocolate on her pajamas (it was a late trip). Little did I know that she would wear these same chocolate-stained pajamas to the emergency room later that night, around 11pm. Turned out she had an ear infection and she's doing fine now.

Joel's School's Homecoming game

Just wanted to post some pictures from Canyon Springs High School homecoming game last Thursday night. We survived all the way until after halftime. Julianna loved the cheerleaders and the music, and Blake wasn't too interested in any of it. The picture shows him right before we left. But, they did have fireworks after they announced the king and queen, and a little finale of fireworks at the end of it, and Julianna was SO scared! She wouldn't even turn around for the next half hour because she was worried about seeing the fireworks. She kept asking me if they were over. But we did have a fun time and I got to meet some of Joel's students and co-workers.

Survey

What was I doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago I was 15 years old. We just moved to Irvine before my sophomore year. I started at Irvine High, and I don't really want to talk about the rest. (Or think about it). Well, I guess it wasn't that bad! I managed to make some friends and move on to college!

What was I doing 5 years ago?

I was at BYU, just married and starting my junior year. Working at the BYU bookstore, starting all my major classes, living in a tiny basement apartment in south Provo.

What was I doing yesterday?
Yesterday Joel was home sick from work (and he really was sick, in bed most of the day) and I was just running errands like usual. I finished inputting all Joel's grades for his classes--grades were due the day he was sick!

5 Places I'd Rather Be . . .

1. Sleeping in on a Saturday morning with no kids to wake me up!
2. At the Celine Dion concert in Vegas with Joel
3. Riding rollercoasters at Six Flags
4. Somewhere I've never been, like Italy to visit Joel's mission
5. On a shopping spree at the Gap, or Ikea!

What would I do with $100 million . . .
What WOULDN'T I do! Of course buy a house, pay off all debts, buy a whole new wardrobe for me and Joel and the kids, travel, give some to family and friends, give some to the church....

5 favorite shows . . .
1. Deal or No Deal
2. Wheel of Fortune
3. 20/20 or Dateline
4.The People's Court
5. American Idol (notice I don't like any sitcoms! I hear The Office is pretty good, though)

5 Favorite Snacks . . .
1. Granola bars
2. Apples and peanut butter
3. Cheese and crackers
4. Oreos and milk
5. Cheddar Cheese Pringles

Five things I hate doing...
1. Driving long distances, especially at night
2. Changing two kids' diapers every day! Well, maybe not hate, but definitely don't like.
3. Shaving my legs--such a chore! Takes too long, but you gotta do it. Sorry, hope it's not too gross for you!
4. Cleaning the bathroom--Joel does it for me, he's so nice!
5. Cooking big meals, especially dinner!

Five biggest joys of the moment...
1. We just got back from Joel's school's Homecoming Game--Julianna got to see the cheerleaders and we all had fun.
2. My biggest joy is actually a secret (well, some of you know and still can't tell). I'll reveal it very soon, I hope. But it is BIG! (no, I'm not pregnant!)
3. I mopped the floor and vacuumed today--a big accomplishment in one day with two kids!
4. I finished my first project for my new freelance editing job and get a new one tomorrow.
5. Blake and Julianna are SLEEPING soundly in their beds....that is true happiness!

Mom, you can comment now!

Hey Mom! Just wanted to let you know that I changed the settings so you should be able to comment on my blog now. No need to remember passwords!

Julianna's First Day of Preschool!

Here she is before we left the house. Very excited!

Here she is in front of the school. Still very excited!

Well, she's a big girl now...she officially started preschool today! Her teacher's name is Rachel--she's young and very nice and as soon as we got to the school, she was there, and welcomed Julianna. I didn't even say goodbye to her--I was in the middle of turning in some paperwork, and Rachel said, I'll just bring her to class now, if that's okay. So off they went. And when I came to pick her up, she was NOT happy to see me. She really wanted to stay longer, even after 3 1/2 hours! So, she loved it and will probably be upset that there's no school tomorrow (Wednesday is the only day she has off during the week). Now all we have to do is potty train her! And that will happen in the near future, now that her preschool is helping out, too. But she is doing well and very happy to be in school!

The Climber / Spaghetti Face Blake

Well, I've been waiting to capture the classic first spaghetti feeding with Blake, and here it is! We were in the middle of eating dinner (Joel wasn't home yet) and I got a phone call. So I just let Blake go at it with his little bowl of spaghetti. When I came back to the table, I could not believe how messy he was. I don't think there was any skin showing--just sauce! He is such a good eater, and that makes me happy. And the picture at the top is Blake climbing into the drawer under the oven. He loves to play with the pots and pans. He also loves to climb into boxes, and now drawers. By the way, it's been a busy week, and that's why I haven't posted in a while. I have been getting Julianna ready for preschool, among other things that will become known to everyone soon, I hope. I will be sure to take pictures on her first day and post them. She is so excited for school to start. More to come soon!