Happy Father's Day?

Classic. The things a great father does for his kiddos.



Like spending Father's Day disinfecting the house and cleaning the aftermath of 3 kids and a bedridden wife with the stomach flu. Washing all bedding and all towels. Mopping, then mopping again, the again. Following kids around with buckets "just in case." Emergency Target run for lysol, chix soup, bleach and Gatorade. (We only fed the kids the soup and Gatorade.)
Not exactly the breakfast-in-bed-and-handmade-cards-before-wearing-his-new-tie-to-church kind of father's Day, but I think Paris proved why he's the best Daddy.
So let's get a little bit rowdy for P-A-R-I-S! Happy Father's Day.

11th Anniversary Getaway...

Anniversary 2010 - Cruise to Catalina and Ensenada

Catalina was our favorite.

We rode a tandem bike to the botanical garden and Wrigley Memorial.

(Succulents as far as the eye can see...Paris was in Heaven!)

It rained, so all the tourists re-boarded.

Then it cleared up and we had the island all to ourselves!

We hiked to the mansion and rode all over. It was fabulous.

Ensenada was, well, not as pretty. (We didn't even take any pictures.)

But we did have fun riding ATV's on the beach and Paris bought matching Nacho Libre and Mucha Lucha wresting masks for himself and the kids, so it worth debarking. :)

We especially liked the ping pong and mini-golf onboard.

Made some new friends at dinner.

(We lucked out and had a great group.)

All Because 2 People Fell In Love...

To paraphrase Cheaper By the Dozen,

11 years, 3 1/2 kids and many adventures later...

and we've still got the heat!

:)

I love you, Paris.

Merry Christmas to all!

Fare Thee Well, Dear Civ...

Paris and I have known for months that we have to do something about our car situation. It's time to get some more room. Poor Atticus was crammed between 2 carseats in the Civic's backseat...Roomy! Plus, when we have the kids in the car there's no room for groceries.

(And they INSIST on eating...So inconvenient.)

So we procrastinated. And pondered.

How do you get rid of part of the family?

How do you sell the only car you've bought brand new? The one you got after you graduated college and had a real job where they actually paid you to take vacation? The first car you didn't buy from a relative or out of the paper for $800 or less?

How do you sell the car that you cruised California in as newlyweds?

That you took every weekend on fun getaways?

How do you get rid of the car that brought each of your babies home from the hospital?

The one that each of those babies subsequently locked themselves into at some point? ("Just push that little silver button for Mommy. I know you can do it!")

The car that took you to the opposite corner of the country on a 5-year adventure and then back again?

And then, more practically, how DO you sell a car that looks perfect to you but has 185,000 miles and lots of "love marks?"

Then it came to me in an instant...

You go out with a bang!

You give your glorious Civic the appropriately dramatic conclusion to 10 years of faithful service. You take a clue from Thelma and Louise and late Friday night you rear-end the heck out of an SUV in the rain. Problem solved.

(Disclaimer: No children, Mommies, or SUV owners were harmed in the making of this blog post.)

Finally, you hold a candlelight vigil the following Monday night and then bid a grateful adieu to an inatimate object you've loved like one of your own. Civic, we'll miss you.

Well, maybe not Atticus.

Life's Simple Pleasures...

This time of year we're all pondering what we're grateful for.

Isn't it fantastic?

This morning it hit me...

By about 5:00 each morning each of our kids has

independently slipped into bed with us.

6:30, then, greets us with higher pitched snores

and tiny hands draped across our bodies.

Occasionally we get a whiff of junior morning breath

(which is surprisingly cute when it's your own kid.)

I'm grateful for family snuggles and

warm little bodies to dogpile each morning.

(Oh, and our King-sized bed.)

Pumpkin Patch, 2009 A.K.A. Return of the Prodigal Bloggers

Okay, so I admit it. I'm a pumpkin patch elitist.I'm sure the "patch" at Blackstone and Shaw avenues suffice for some families (said with a slight hint of disdain/pity.)
But we were so glad we took a little road trip to Kerman to find this gem.

The patch provided a fun tractor-powered hay ride...

but it was no match for the Daddy-powered wheelbarrow ride!

Crumbs and Nate's Wedding

One of the reasons I haven't blogged much is because Kathryn and I have been busy getting our wedding cake business, Crumbs, up and running.

We had a blast making this cake for Nate Adams and his bride, Emelie.
We've both agreed this is our favorite cake yet.
Consequently, this is now the official Crumbs Signature Cake! :)