Millie's Post

it feels good to be baptised and to feel the holy ghost and it also feels good to be a member of the church. the water felt a little bit cold when I first stepped into the font, but then as my dad was baptizing me I felt really warm and good.

I liked getting lots of presents for my birthday and baptism, and I liked having all my family at my baptism. And friends too.

By Millie

Bennett's Post

The Jarvis kids went to the beach with us and the Collins. 

My brother wanted dig a hole by himself. I had the idea of building three holes, with Patrick and McCoy. It was super fun and the holes collapsed and we had a giant pool for us.😜

We got ice cream after🍦👍

Eli's Post

 
                                                    SEATTLE 

A few weeks ago went to the space needle. My brother thought it was BORING, but it was actually quite delightful if I do say so myself. there was an extraordinary view. this picture holds massive sky scrapers and buildings i could never imagine.

We also went to this really cool museum with glass-blown sculptures. I really enjoyed seeing all the colors and creations.

By Eli

Geddes for Mayor

My wife has been getting more involved with volunteering at our kids' school this year.  She has been dubbed by one of her friends now as the "Volunteer Queen".  I, like the incredible husband I am, have been very supportive.  So when we went to church last Sunday there was a big presentation asking members of our congregation to get more involved in serving in our community.  And in particular getting involved in public service in our own city.  So for that hour they discussed many ways to do so.  One that caught Julianne's attention was running for the Sunnyvale Library commission.  She immediately jumped to the application page on her phone and I said absolutely.

But that little bug in me was a little jealous.  He said, dude you should be volunteering more too.  And I said, what???  I already coach 3 soccer teams for my kids.  And the bug said, yeah, but you can still do more.  So I thought about it.  And stewed.  And contemplated.  And then the big light bulb went off.  And trust me, I am not trying to one up my wife here.  There are a number of issues that have been really concerning me lately.  So what do I do about them?  Get mad and listen to Nirvana's Nevermind album?  Nope.  Done that already.  Not very productive.  I need to get in there and start to work on making some changes.

So change number one....I am running for Mayor of Sunnyvale this November.



I consulted with a former co-worker who served as Mayor in the 90s and served in quite a few other public service arenas.  He's got my back and will help be my campaign manager.  Now I am looking for a communications specialist.  You know, one who can set up that Facebook page that I am so dreadfully opposed to :).  I am also enlisting help finding office space so I can bring in my own small crew of volunteers.  And then we come to the big gorilla in the room...campaign contributions.  This might be the most difficult piece for a number of reasons.  Some of the things I want changed can be seen as quite divisive.  Here are the top three that I want to work on:

1) More affordable housing.  Since when is it alright to have professional home buyers who just outbid the first time home buyers who are looking for an already overpriced home to live in only to lose out to someone who is only going to flip the house for profit.  And for the renters, when is it alright for the landlord to raise rent just because everyone else is doing it.  If you have not done anything in years to materially add value to the property you should have very little right to raise the rent.  So I am proposing housing caps.  The lower and middle class need affordable places to live.  Not $1 million 3 bedroom one bath 1200 square foot built in the 60s homes that still have the original roof and wood paneling on the inside walls.  We need real estate reform that brings housing costs more in line with inflation and the real cost of living.

2) Taxes.  I actually believe in taxes.  I believe that everyone should pay their equal share for the beautification and protection of the city.  This means no more hiding in foreign tax shelters by big businesses and the 1%.  But I don't want to just use the stick with this one.  I want to incentivize with this carrot:  The more community service a company, individual or organization provides to the city and community, the bigger tax break they get (within reason of course...a cap would be in order on this one as well).

3) Environmental sustainability.  A report came out recently that showed Sunnyvale as one of the worst water wasters in the Bay Area.  That is not acceptable in this time of drought.  We need to reign in water usage.  So I will be bringing someone in just to help promote environmental sustainability.  Not just in curtailing our usage of resources, but helping the community recycle more and helping building contractors re-use what they can and incentivize them to build more Eco-friendly homes and businesses.

So you get an idea of what I am running for.  I would appreciate your support in any way possible. And contributions.  And your vote, if you believe what I am striving for is worthwhile.



Or you could vote in another way and let me know what you think of this April Fool's post :).  Are you kidding me?  I barely have enough energy to help coach 3 soccer teams!  Ha Ha.  Enjoy your day.

Stephen

Fam Fun

If you know Stephen at all, then you won't be surprised that our entire trip

revolved around the World Cup Soccer game schedule.
Just about every arrival time and/or pit stop
coincided with a game he wanted to watch.
You're not surprised, are you?

Our first night in Seattle, Connie suggested we walk to the park,
and Brett suggested we play a little world cup soccer of our own.
Great idea, bro!

 



 

 

Next up: the Edmonds 4th of July Parade

 

 

Notice how sunny and warm it was in the morning.

I'm pretty sure I got sunburned, in fact.

That Seattle rain has a way of sneaking up on you.

After some amazing "Red, White & Blue Burgers" a la Connie

(think: red onion, Ranch, and bleu cheese)

barbecued under some sprinkles,

we headed back over to Edmonds for the fireworks.

As luck would have it,

the rain stopped right before.

 

Glo-sticks rule again!

Brett's little shadow

 

We headed downtown one night to the Great Wheel:

 

 

 



 

 

Patriotic Sunday dress:

Staying in Seattle with my family = dreamy.

We always get spoiled with amazing food, great conversation,

glorious relaxation, fun outings,

and sleeping in until whenever we want.

The best!

North by Northwest

Our next stop took us to cousins on the other side of the family.  More fun and good times!  The weather surprised us--although we always seem to bring the heat with us to Washington--so there was some of this:

 

and some of this:

Millie's first time on a kayak.
She wasn't so sure at first... as the boat wobbled while we all climbed in

but once we got moving, she settled down and actually enjoyed herself.

Kayakers unite!

Photog selfie

Serene and scenic



We had fun digging up mussels in the muddy banks

 

The next day we hit one of my favorite childhood fieldtrip destinations,

The Pacific Science Center:

 

 

 

The IMAX movie we saw

 

 

 

and other fun, interactive exhibits

 

 

Butterflies

Unfortunately our camera died right about here, but trust me when I say there is a ton to do and see at this museum.  The next time you're in Seattle with kids, you should go if you can.  And if you get to go with cousins, even better!

 

Wait, Aunt Lisa had a few more on her camera:

 

 

The Empty School Nest

Eight o'clock feels early.

 

School-supply-laden backpacks wake them up a little.

As does the excitement for the first day of fifth grade,

kindergarten,





and second grade.





 

Mommy-daughter shot.

 

A familiar walk,

although reams of paper in the packs make it feel longer.



 

Back to the blacktop.

Miss Millie starting to look a bit concerned,

as she gets her turn to line up outside the classroom.



Finding her seat at the blue table, 

 

and finally getting a turn on the very carpet both her big brothers have sat on for story time.

Guess who started to tear up during The Kissing Hand?

Definitely not Millie.

Chester Raccoon stood at the end of the forest and cried.
"I don't want to go to school" he told his mother. 

 "I want to stay home with you. I want to play with my friends.

And play with my toys. And read my books. 

And swing on my swing. Please may I stay home with you?"

 

Is it so wrong that I relate more to the kid than the mom in this story?

Calm down, Mommy, it's going to be okay.