OSU vs ASU

We headed down to Corvallis for another football game... this time against Arizona State. We met everyone at Starbucks (of course!) early in the morning and loaded up the motorhome for the journey south. We had lots of laughs (and lots of donuts) on the drive down, arrived in Corvallis, and quickly set up in our usual location. It was our usual tailgating procedure... lots of food, beverages, and laughter... the difference this time was the extra passengers!

Even Charlotte got into the action!

The little girls had a ball being included in the day's festivities. They did a lot of yelling, pop-pom shaking, and cheering for the Beavers! Our seats were in a location that had a spot for them to get up, move, and shake without disturbing anyone else.

It was a nail-biter game! We all were yelling, screaming, and high-fiving the whole time... and the Beavs won! (It looked a little iffy at the end!) It was exhausting! It was a long, full (and great!) day with friends and family. The hard part is always the drive back... Ali and Meri slept the entire way home!

Swim Lessons

We had such a good experience with the OC Pool last year... so we decided to enroll the girls for more swim lessons this September. The loved it! Alison had moved up to level 2, and Merilyn was back in the swim tots class. This time their friend, Alexis joined them, so I had someone to sit and chat with (Alexis's mommy!) during the lessons.

This picture reminds us of the scene from Flashdance... and proves that Merilyn might someday be on the big screen.

September 16, 2010

Happy Birthday, Merilyn Grace!

Photo taken April 2007

Photo taken September 2007, with cousin Johnna Belle

Another photo with Johnna, September 2010

We had a small celebration for Merilyn on her birthday at Red Robin. Gramma and Grampa came, as well as her friend, Alexis. She has definitely gotten into the singing... it's all about her! :)

On the weekend, we had another party with all of the family. Grandma Sandy made a fabulous Strawberry Shortcake cake, Merilyn got more fun gifts, and she got to run around with her cousins. The highlight of the night was the dollhouse from Grandpa Mike. It came with all of the parts and pieces and all of the girls wanted to play with it right away! It was quickly filled with a collection of dolls, toys, and more furniture... Merilyn was in heaven.

Back to School

Can you tell I'm back at work? I started this awhile ago... and finally had time to get it posted!

We've been back into the school year for a whole week! Yay! Things seem to be settling in well. (Ask me again in a couple of weeks when Ali has started bringing home homework and my work load has increased!!)

Ali's principal called us the Friday before school started to invite her in to meet her teacher. Ali was so excited and felt very special. We've definitely been impressed with the principal. We're so grateful that after last year's drama, she's proactive about getting Ali comfortable with a new teacher, grade, etc. (And willing to take the time!)

And... so far Ali's favorite thing about each day has been "school!" Love it! She's jumped right in without hesitation or anxiety. Everything is a joy for her at this point. (Again... ask us in a few weeks!)

Merilyn also started school. She's in the 4-year-old class at the church where she was last year. She also has the same teacher, which thrilled Meri! Miss Meri doesn't have any problems about being unsure of new things. She marched right in with her hands on her hips and announced, "Teacher! I'm here!" Let the party begin.

We found these signs on Ali's bedroom door yesterday...

Alison has developed a need for organization. Everything needs to be in its place; the bed's made, clothes are in their proper drawers, toys are lined up in a particular way... And, Merilyn... just isn't in the same space at this point in her life. On the one hand I can understand how the rules "No touching" and "Merilyn is banned from this room" go together. But, I'm also relieved that Ali isn't a real stickler about the "banning" rule, as they're playing house together right now. Or school, or "Camp Rock", or whatever it is that they come up with. I love their imaginations. And, the need for organization! (Although, I'm not sure about the jeans & long shirts rule?!)

Tis the Season

10 Year Anniversary

While Trav and I were discussing where we were going for our 10 year anniversary (Seattle? Leavenworth?) Ross said, "How about if I give you plane tickets? Where do you want to go?" Really? Are you kidding me? We knew immediately that we wanted to go back to San Francisco. It was an amazing, wonderful trip! We flew out on Tuesday afternoon and arrived in Oakland. From there, we took the BART to San Francisco. We didn't have a clue where we were going, so we ended up taking the long way (extremely long way) to our hotel. We walked over 20-something blocks (a lot of them were up the San Fran hills) with our backpacks and suitcase. Ha!

This shows one of our views as we hiked through the city the first night.

Our first full day in the city was spent walking, walking and more walking. We walked back and forth along the waterfront checking everything out; including a lunch stop to In-n-Out Burger. We've heard what great burgers they have, but haven't had the chance to eat there. They were definitely tasty!

After a day full of more walking, we ended up at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was a delicious dinner, although they were all sold out of dessert. Huh?! We walked around Pier 39 and found a little crepe shop that was super yummy! It seems that our trip was (mostly) full of walking and eating!

August 19th - Happy Anniversary!

The next morning Trav let me sleep in so he could check out the Alcatraz ticket situation. They were all sold out when we were trying to get tickets, but we heard you could get in line at 7am for left-over tickets. However, they'll only sell them to those who are there... you can't buy extra tickets for people that are sleeping in. Trav called me to explain I needed to be there by 7:30 to be guaranteed a ticket. I was about 10 minutes away and it was 7:10 already. He asked if I could get there quickly... (Does he not know how I got ready for most of my days of high school??) I got to his spot in the line by 7:29. He was impressed! :) It was worth it... we got right on and Trav was so excited... we explored almost every inch of that place! Even in all of his travels, he had never been there!

The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the ferry. The fog (smog?) never moved.

After Alcatraz we went back to the room for lunch and naps. (For me!) Dinner was at The Stinking Rose. Mmmm. Lots and lots of garlic!! Then we walked back over to Ghirardelli for a super sundae. Another mmmmm!! (More walking equals more food!)

On our last day we hopped on the F-line to the BART, and on to the Oakland airport. It went quickly and smoothly... we had become quite the travelers!! Thank you Mom for watching the girls for us and thank you Ross, for the tickets! We enjoyed our time together so much...it was an amazing anniversary get-away.