"My Guy"

Several weeks ago Juliet and I went costume shopping at the Goodwill. Whenever we go there I usually let my kids get a toy because they're like $1.99 and I don't care if they get lost or ruined. This time, Juliet picked out the Hunchback of Notre Dame doll. In fact, she was dead set on getting him despite the plethora of dolls on the shelf. She named him "Guy". Now, I know he's in an endearing movie and he's a wonderful character but I just don't think he's cute. At naptime and bedtime, despite all the cuddly animals and darling dolls we have, Juliet demands "my Guy". She calls out, "Guuuuy, where are you?" "Guuuuuuuy, where are you at?", while looking for him. It's pretty funny.

Speaking of Google Maps

Have you ever Google Mapped your house? Rich did, and guess what he found? This beauty:
If you zoom in closely on those three little kids on the left you see this:

Here's a couple that I took that day (April 29th, to be exact):



Yes, burned into Google's archives is a most endearing photo of my kids running around in their chonies playing in the mud. And we couldn't be prouder:)

New Crib

Here's the Google map of my parents' house. If you look reeeeeally close you can see my dad sitting in the garage reading something--probably an auto mechanic book or something. Anyone who knows my parents knows this is often how their house looks--garage door open and my dad working on something. I love that Google captured that. I'll have to send Rich to work out there with the door open every once in a while just to make things look authentic.

Last weekend we moved into my parents' house while they're serving an LDS Church mission to Johannesburg, South Africa. When they told us they'd be leaving for 18 months and asked if we wanted to house sit we decided on yes in about 1/2 a second. While I'm super bummed to not see my friends as much, I think we're gonna like living here. Here's our Top Ten List of reasons we like living in my parents house:

10. Our backyard has real grass as opposed to our rental pretty much only having weeds and burrs.
9. Our house has insulation. No more feeling a breeze coming through the walls of the house.
8. We have access to some awesome tools--both for sewing and for doing woodwork/handyman projects.
7. The kids sleep upstairs and we sleep downstairs.
6. We have real cable now. And DVR.
5. We have a stove with 4 working burners. And it's even gas.
4. We have 6 couches in our house. Perfect for making out. Or parties.
3. We have 8 recliners/rocking chairs. Perfect for more parties.
2. We're like clones of my parents--Rich works at Lockheed like my dad did, we live in their house, we go to their church. The only difference? We'll never have 5 kids:)
1. When we move in 18 months or so, we won't have much to pack since it's pretty much all in boxes already.

I guess this wouldn't complete without a Top Ten List of why we'll miss our old place.

10. The cul-de-sac. I loved, loved, loved that my kids could run freely outside without me worrying much.
9. The mulberry, apricot and fig trees.
8. Our awesome garden boxes that Rich built.
7. Our neighbor, James Bond's (no kidding), giant truck that had BOND welded onto the front bumper.
6. Being able to drive to Target, buy 1 item, and drive home in under 7 minutes.
5. Having Sprouts, Ross, Sports Authority, Five Guys, Panera, Toys R Us, Pinkberry, Safeway, Trader Joe's, Baja Fresh, Aaron Brothers, and Big 5 within a 3 minute drive from our house.
4. Walking around downtown and looking at the cute, full of character, houses.
3. The toyroom.
2. The farmers market and other festivals downtown.
1. The jazz music that our neighbors and their friends played in their backyard on special occasions.

Seriously, the Best Camping Spot Ever

Ok, I'm gonna play catch up here. This summer we went camping in Santa Rosa. I know, it's kind of funny sounding to camp there. But, we wanted to go to nearby Safari West. We camped at Spring Lake and it was the best camping experience our family has ever had. The amenities were great, the lake was awesome, and the kids had a blast. We will totally camp there again.