Ocean Beach

In perfect Arizona tradition every summer when I was a little girl, we would come to the beach for the week. We stayed in a dumpy little hotel across the street from the beach...it was dirty and it was paradise for me! Ocean beach has a surfing beach, a swimming beach, tide pools (where we would get sunburned combing through the shells), a peir (where we loved to walk at sunset and admire fishermans' catches of the day) and cliffs to walk on (and chase crabs on!). My Mom came to this beach as a little girl and now we have brought Kimball! They have since cleaned up the beach hotel, but the memories remain!We told Kimball the whole way to California that we were taking him to the beach to play in the sand. When we arrived, we had to unload the car. Well, Kimball and Corbin found the sand toys and Kimball kept saying "Beach Mommy! Beach!" as they dug in the left over sand on the patio!
I was excited to take Kimball to the real beach...but for him the highlight was the ocean. He loved the waves! He clutched Dusty's hand to be sure not to be swept away by the waves, but he kept dragging Dusty back to the water line. He would giggle as the water tickled his feet and belly laughed as the wave would knock him over!For dinner, we went to an Ocean Beach landmark...Hoodads for the best burgers and fries! It was even featured on the Foodnetwork's show, "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Kimball loved eating next to his cousins! Besides the good food, we love reading all the personalized liscence plates all over the walls...some of them are hilarious!Next, we walked on the peir and saw seals jumping and an 8 inch rock bass someone had caught. Kimball wasn't too sure about the giant pelicans flying overhead. He loved running on the peir though! We rounded out the evening with a trip to "Lighthouse Icecream" that has the best waffle cones around! I loved introducing Kimball to my family's traditions!

Melting in Arizona!

We loved our time in Arizona...although we were melting from the heat! We drove down to Arizona starting the afternoon before Father's Day, Saturday. (It came early to our house!) We rolled into Provo at 8 am, slept for a few hours (Uncle Tom thanks for letting us crash at your house!)...visited Dusty's Grandmother (GG) for a few hours and continued on to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, we picked up Dusty's Nana. She drove to Arizona with us. Kimball had a blast with Nana.
We were in a hurry to see Cory (Dusty's brother just returned from his mission) and to spend time with Jessie Heal before her wedding. Kimball loved playing ball with Cory and giving him hugs. Mandy was able to help clean Jessie's house and make corsages and boutineirs (sp?) for the wedding. It was fun to meet all of Pete's family...they are so much fun! Jessie was a beautiful bride. During Jessie and Pete's first dance, Kimball thought it was his turn to shine. I think we watch too much "So You Think You can Dance" because he rolled on the floor, posed, and leapt around them during their dance! Kimball loved dancing at her reception...for over an hour! He and Corbin (his cousin) danced and danced and danced...until they were on the floor. Dusty had fun decorating the car...although all the credit for the racy messages was given to his brother!
While in Arizona, we had a fun swim party at my Mom's. It was fun to watch Kimball try to be a fish in the water! He is so cute with his cousins...he loves them so much and alwys wants to play with them.
We mostly hung out with Dusty's family...his aunts, uncle, and grandparents. It was so fun! We had lunch together, went to the movies, and laughed at each other's stories. Dusty made us chocolate souffles! We also made pretzels with Dusty's family. They used to make pretzels every Sunday when Dusty was little. Kimball was covered from head to foot in flour by the time we were finished! Kimball loved playing with his "Lala and Papa." He will miss them terribly when we are back in Seattle!

Father's Day

I have been blessed to have an incredible Dad. He has taught me so much about communication, flexibility, and patience. I remember snuggling on his lap as a little girl as he read Uncle Remus stories in his best "Southern" accent... fleeing the tickle monster and riding my favorite "horse." I remember his cool hands on my head giving me blessings when I was sick or hurt. As a teenager, I remember him holding me as I cried over not making the choir I wanted to...teasing him about his smirk and loving how embarrassed he got...walking in on him saying his morning prayers and watching him read his scriptures on his exercise bike every morning. I remember the proud smile on his face the day I got married as he held back tears. I am so grateful for such a great example of the priesthood and fatherhood. Thanks for always being there for me Dad!

Then, there is Dusty's father. I never met him, but I love hearing stories about him. I know he was a great man by the man that Dusty is. He was very frugal and taught Dusty great money management skills. He also was a big tease...Dusty definitely follows his Father's Example! He had a great testimony of the gospel that sustained him through the final days of his life. I am glad he shared it so often with his son!I am also blessed to have a great Father-in-law. Jim is such a great example of patience and sacrificing for those he loves. He is always trying his best to make those he loves happy. He is also very concerned about politics and our country. He is very well informed. I love to watch him play with Kimball and how patiently he will toss the ball to him for hours!
Dusty is the other father in my life. He is the father of our home. I love him more everyday! It makes my heart swell to see him doing puzzles with Kimball...patiently drawing motorcycles...helping Kimball be reverent during the sacrament whispering the stories of Jesus into Kimball's ear. I love the joy on Dusty's face as he peeked at my pregnancy test (I was too scared to look)...the emails he sends me every week about the baby growing inside me...the way he snuggles close in the morning and measures my belly to see how much it has grown. My heart melts as we kneel in family prayer and I hear Dusty pray for our little family! I am so lucky for all of the great men in my life!

Play Group at the Park

Yesterday, we were supposed to go to the splash pad in Bellevue. Kimball was so excited and kept asking me if Alyssa was going to be there...he has fond memories of the splash pad in AZ. He was very disappointed when we got there and the splash pad was under construction! We chose the only week in the summer it is under construction. So, there we were in our swimsuits hanging out at the park!We did find a ball that spun as water came out of the ground! Kimball's two favorite things...balls and water! He coerced all of the other play group kids (whose Mother's were sensible and brought their swim suits to change into!!!) into getting their clothes all wet playing and splashing in the water.After play group, we went to the Crossroads mall for lunch. It was fun to be out with the girls and have some adult conversation while Dusty was away. It was a little difficult juggling children and conversation, but so worth it!

29 Days without Rain!

Seattle had a record tying 29 days without rain in May and June! Today, we would have broken the record, but the rain is back! Dusty actually began to miss the pitter patter of raindrops hitting the window panes! Kimball and I however, will miss basking in the sun and playing in his wading pool. Although Kimball keeps insisting he wants to go to the "big pool." He is happy splashing around with the measuring cups!He even pushed his slide closer to the pool all by himself, so he can relax in the shade and loves crawling around and around in his pool! What a funny kid! Of course he wouldn't look at the camera, he is definitely his father's son!

Peas Please!

Our pea plants are out of control! Kimball loves going over and snapping off a pod and finding the "balls" inside. What a tasty healthy snack for our active little boy. We have an abundance of peas on our plants. Does anyone want any peas? They will keep producing as long as we keep picking...

Cravings

So far my cravings haven't been too weird. Mostly Doritos at 3 am or chicken pot pies for breakfast. Of course, I love the standby of macaroni and cheese! But last night, I was craving the salad dressing from Olive Garden...so to celebrate Dusty getting to see Cory (who just got home from his mission) on Dusty's way to a conference, we satisfied my craving. I loaded up on the salad and the kitchen kept messing up Dusty's pizza. So, they comped our meal. Kimball loved the desert, as you can tell from his little face! We had the doughnut type things (I can't remember what they are called), but it comes with a chocolate dipping sauce. The manager brought us caramel and raspberry sauce too, apparently they keep them in the back. If you try the "doughnuts" definitely ask for the other sauces, they were amazing! Dusty, these may become a new craving too!

Relay for Life: Race for the Cure

Last Saturday, Dusty participated in a Relay for Life team from work. He ran about 32 miles total! For those of you unfamiliar with Relay for Life, it is a fundraiser for cancer research and patients. Teams get together and must have someone on the track running (or walking) for the whole 24 hours. Dusty lost his Dad to cancer just over 5 years ago, so this activity had special meaning for him! Dusty camped out all night and ran and ran and ran! Kimball thought the tent was fun and kept calling it his house! In this picture, Kimball is trying to lay on his arm like Dusty!Kimball and I went down to see what was going on and cheer Dusty on. I thought we would only be there for about an hour...four hours later, we left! Kimball loved "racing" with his Daddy on the track. He kept going around and around! He didn't want to stop! It was so cute as he would look behind him to see how much he was "beating" people!People began to notice this cute little boy with his engaging smile and began to cheer for him as he would run by! Kimball ate up all of the attention. Each time they would run by me, Kimball would say, "No, Mommy!" as I would reach for him to let him rest.By his ninth lap, I was getting worried and started getting water and snacks ready for him when he finally stopped. Our little trooper was half way into his 12th lap (the end of 3 miles), when he suddenly stopped. He looked up at Dusty and said, "Daddy help!" reaching up his arms. Dusty picked him up and carried an exhausted Kimball back to me.The next day at church, Dusty bore his testimony about how we struggle with different cancers of our souls. We run and run until we are exhausted. Then if we reach up our arms, our Father will lift us up and carry us the rest of our way.After Kimball recovered a little bit, he colored a luminary for the ceremony that night. They lined the track with dedications to cancer patients and survivors. They also wrote"Hope" in the stands. Kind of fitting that they used light because our Savior, the light of the World, gives us hope in the darkness of our lives!

All Caught Up!

I have been working on documenting our Arizona trip...so scroll down and enjoy! Now, I just have to get caught up on what has been going on since we got back...before we leave next week for Jessie's wedding!

Heat Wave!

Apparently, we have been having a heat wave here in Seattle. There was a heat advisory because the temperature reached the 90's. Good thing we just got back from AZ! I was opening the windows and marveling how "cool" it was here! Every night, I have been snuggling in a blanket with a jacket on because I have been cold! Come to find out, everyone else has been suffering and sleeping downstairs because it is so hot! Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the ward with AC...and I haven't even turned it on! Next time ladies, just tell me and we will turn it on! Last night, a big wind storm came through and the temps fell to the 60's...I have been digging out my winter clothes again! I am glad it was warm/hot yesterday!

Anyway, due to the "heat," we went to New Castle beach park on Lake Washington. Kimball loved the sand and flinging it at anyone standing in the "surf" with him! But, he loved playing with his friends even more! He nearly knocked Abbey down giving her a hug in the water and loved playing chase with Brooklyn. He kept looking for Rachel and Rylee to play with. I enjoyed catching up with everyone as well. I am glad my morning sickness didn't sideline us!

We're Back!

We are back in Washington! It was so fun to visit family and Kimball had a ball playing with cousins (I will back date those posts if you are interested, you will have to scroll down). I can't believe how green everything has gotten while we have been away! All of the trees finally leafed out. Anyway, I just had to show you all a picture of my garden! It has grown out of control while I have been gone! Thankfully Dusty has been a faithful gardener in my absence. He actually had to water the garden because it has been sunny and warm in Seattle while we were in AZ. We have pea bushes not plants!Dusty also bought a container and planted my peppers that I started in March!He hang my tomato plants and planted them too!My squash came up while we were gone. It is all along the back border...I wonder if we will get any squash? I may be dropping it off to people in the fall (hopefully). These are the seeds that I tried to sprout and they just never grew. I dumped the dirt in this pot hoping to plant some rosemary when I got back...now squash are growing and I have no idea what kind they are!I nearly missed the iris blooms by being gone. They are gorgeous! My grandmother and great grandmother loved iris and these are from some of their bulbs...I could never get them to grow in AZ! This picture is for you Mom!I am blooming too! I can't wear my regular pants anymore and we had an ultra sound yesterday to see the baby. I kept telling Kimball we were going to see pictures of the baby. He was so excited! We got there and it was in a little ball. Suddenly he started moving and waving and swimming around! Kimball was so excited and kept waving saying, "Hi baby!" I think he finally understands that the baby is not the freckle on my stomach! He has been kissing all of my freckles and Dusty's freckles saying, "Hi baby!" Hopefully, he gets it a little better now!

Final Arizona Days

We were sad to say goodbye to Arizona! We had some great last few days though! I was able to present the moon rocks to my Mom's school...yep the rocks were on loan from NASA! Way Cool! We visited the Lego exhibt at the Arizona Science Center. My brother Adam and I used to spend hours every Sunday on his lego castle! Kimball loved dressing up like a knight! He walked around the rest of the exhibt in the outfit because he didn't want to take it off! We went to Texas Roadhouse, my favorite restaurant! While in Arizona, I was able to visit with my trainer from my mission and we figured out how to can chicken. We went to Trevor Riches' baptism (my youngest first cousin). It was so fun visiting so much family! Thanks for letting us stay longer Dusty!

Cousin Fun

Kimball loves chasing Landon and following Alyssa around. He loved going to Landon and Alyssa's baseball game! Especially playing soccer with them when it was over! Then, we went to Peter Piper Pizza to eat and play.He also enjoyed Kylie and Alyssa's Talent Team performance. Kimball and Landon had fun chasing each other when it was done! Those two had the most fun together being boys!

Splash Pad!

Another strategy to beat the Arizona heat was the splash pad! We were lucky that Grandpa was able to come with us! He showed Kimball how to go through the "kid wash" and play in puddles as we waited for the Wrides. Kimball had a blast patting puddles and playing with Alyssa! He also loved playing chase with Landon and of course playing with Bebe (Dallin's dog). The kids were so creative as they waited the 10 minutes for the pad to drain before turning on for 20! He had so much fun with all of his cousins!

The Little Gardener

To escape the Arizona heat, Kimball and I spent a few days at Jim and Shelly's cabin. We took all of Shelly's plant starts up to the cabin with us. Kimball thought it was fun to sit in the "Doggy's House" as we loaded all of the plants. Once we arrived at the cabin, Kimball insisted on wearing gloves "like Lala" and helped her with all of her gardening! He rode on Papa's "tractor" and when we go to Lowe's now, he has to go say hello to "Papa's tractor." Kimball also loved to chase after Katie, the dog...they wore each other out! Another highlight, was feeding the squirrels! I loved being in the cool pines and learning more about gardening!