More water fun

The rest of the time in SoCal was spent in the backyard pool at my parent's house. The kids literally got in 4-5 times a day!





I told Dean that I thought it was a little funny that a kid that wears floaties can do a flip into the pool!


We did a few other things. I went to the temple with Dad on Friday morning while Katie watched my kids. It was lovely. Why don't I go more often?

Saturday I went shopping with Mom to buy Girls Camp stuff while Drew and Dean were off at CalState playing computer games. They thought they were so big to go with the teenage boys, but Grandpa stuck to my rule of no "shoot em up" games. They had fun anyway.

Sunday we visited SB 2nd ward where there are about only 4 families left from when I grew up there. I guess I've been gone a while.

Monday, Grandpa took us to a San Bernardino 66ers game (aka Spirit Baseball) Lots of fun, but the highlight was when Drew got chosen to be the Jr. Announcer of the game! He announced the batters during the 6th inning. They took a video of it, and the girl said she would email it to me. Hopefully she does. He did a great job, I'd love to show it to y'all.

It's always nice to go home. The kids are already planning what we'll do when we go back. It involves a lot of swimming.

Beach Boys (and Girl)

We're back from our week in Southern California!

On Thursday we went to Corona Del Mar, the beach of my childhood, with my mom, Karin and her boys. What fun! I understand now why my mom only took us to this beach growing up. It's small, with relatively few beach-goers, and it's in a little bay so the waves are mellow. I only had 2 little moments of panic. I lost sight of Edie for about 20 seconds and Drew went a bit too far out at one point and I pictured myself swimming out to get him fully clothed. Both situations turned out fine.

Other highlights of the day:
*Evan ate a lot of sand.
*Dean and Drew helped a new friend build seats into the side of a giant hole.
*Edie and Adam chased waves together. So cute. At one point the wave caught them and started to carry their little selves away, but a man nearby picked them up and set them on their feet again.
*Austi refused to stay where we could see him. The little stinker first wanted to play with the seagulls and then with the lifeguards. Good thing he's so dang cute!
*Drew learned to boogie board.

Here are a few of the bazillion pictures I took that day:











And because some of my readership have requested more pictures of the grown-ups:





Drew Boogie Boards:

I have a video clip of Drew wiping out, but I think he'd appreciate it if I kept that one off the blog. (If you want the url for it, let me know!)

Karin has more pictures over here.

Tomorrow, or sometime soon, I'll post more about the rest of our trip.

YAY! He's clean!

After many months of fighting the bath, Evan has finally seen the light. Bath time is now fun time, and I'm glad. Since he's started eating "solids" he gets very messy, as all you mamas know. Baths are now necessary every day.

I know the video is probably cute only to me, but whatever.
It's my blog.

And to keep you all informed, Evan's name has been unofficially changed to Bubba. We rarely call him Evan. Pie calls him Big Boy. I call him anything from Mr. Fussy Pants to Shnookums to Stinky or Fuzzy, whichever seems appropriate at the time. The kids have latched on to Bubba. So Bubba it is, or any of its derivatives, Chubba, Hubba Bubba, etc.

Weekend Fun With the Righters

I'm back from a lovely vacation to the Righters'. Evan and I got to North Carolina on Thursday and left early this morning. It was a short trip, but I loved it.

We met up with the Yeagley Girls twice while I was there, and by "Yeagley Girls" I mean Ali, Karen, Liz and Dave. They introduced me to the expansion packs of Settlers of Cattan. Very fun, but I'm still a bit confused by most of it. We went out to eat twice, and I'm still full from all the wonderful food. And I'm pretty sure I laughed more in the last four days than I have in the last four months. They are so much fun!! The only thing I missed was not getting out to Ali's house to say "Hi" to Scott and meet the Handrattys. Next time, I guess.

Little Hyrum is much cuter than in any pictures you've seen. If you haven't seen him in person you are really missing out. He's so pretty! (in a very manly way, of course) And very pleasant, too.


Evan's first airplane ride. He did great, although he could have slept more.


Emily was very tolerant when the giant baby rolled over to meet the little baby and almost smushed him.


We are still the cute ones of the family!

Thanks Em and AJ! I had a great time!

Dean is 6!

Dean's friends came over after kindergarten today to have some lunch and cake and car races. Dean wanted a "Cars" birthday party, so we figured it would be fun to have some races and hand out a Piston Cup to the winner. The kids decorated little wooden cars and then raced them and had lots of fun. Dean was only a little upset that he didn't win the Piston Cup, by the time it was present time, he had already forgotten about it.






The party continues for me, I'm off to Emily's tomorrow! Can't wait to hold that cute, cute baby!!!

Wow! Look at all the leaves!

That's what Drew said soon after he put on his new glasses for the first time. I felt a little bad that I had been denying him clear vision for so long. He's been telling me for months that the white board at school was blurry. I put him off until I got a note home from the school nurse telling me that the routine vision screening for second graders showed that he probably needed glasses and I should make an appointment soon. I don't think that will get me nominated for "Mother of the Year". Oh well.

Drew spent the evening talking about his new glasses, and what if someone at school made fun of him, and how he's the 3rd person in his class to have them, and what happens if he sleeps in them, and could he brush his teeth while wearing them, and why is everything so tippy, and he feels a little shorter with them on, etc.

I think he's adorable in glasses.

We've only just begun

to party!

Birthday season at the Fardanesh house has begun and is in full swing. Today, of course, was Dean's and Edie's birthday. Edie had a little party this evening and Dean's friends are coming over Wednesday after school to party hardy. We don't do "friend parties" every year, we save those crazy events for every other year. I'm going to need a couple years off after this month is over.


Aunt Beebe gave her a "birthday girl" crown and sash and Edie wore them proudly. Isn't she just the cutest little 3 year old?


Edie and her one little girl friend. She has a few other friends, but they are boys and she refused to invite them because she was convinced that only girls could come to her party. When her friend's brother and her 2 boy cousins came, she didn't seem to care that boys were there. After all, they brought presents!


Dean is crossing his eyes on purpose. It's his latest talent.


Gift opening is the craziest part of the party.


Edie sang "Happy Birthday to You" to herself. Very cute.

Stay tuned for pictures from our next birthday party!