Lazy Days of Summer

We did nothing this week but watch Once Upon a Time. The End.

(Yeah, right.)

Monday, July 14 –  Diamond interviewed for an internship doing forensic psychology. She also recently got a job with campus technology at BYU-I. She has continued to do well in school is making great progress toward her degree. We're proud of you, Diamond!  

The younger kids started swimming lessons this week.

Tuesday, July 15 – We had a busy day right from the morning onward. After taking the kids to swimming lesson, we drove out to Ventura to a children’s hair stylist Hallie found on Yelp named Jack N’ Jill’s Cuts for Kids.

Dawn had a great "bedside" manner. She kept Eliza entertained and focused throughout the cut.  

While Eliza got her hair cut, Mike taught Landon how to play foosball and air hockey. The kid’s a quick study.

After the haircut, we had lunch at the Habit. Such yummy burgers, plus onion rings and sweet potato fries (cue drooling Homer Simpson). Perfection!

With the new, shorter 'do

In the afternoon, Mike took the kids back to the neighborhood pool so they could practice their new swimming skills. In the evening, we went to the library for family story time in pajamas.

Wednesday, July 16 – After Hallie took the kids to the pool while Mike worked, Mike returned the favor by taking Hallie to work, where she started her job at Hobby Lobby. Mike then took the kids over to Marina Park in Ventura, where they spent a full morning and early afternoon enjoying the playground, waves, and lunch.

Landon, right at home on the zip line

Eliza showing the other three-year-olds how it's done. After she went, a bunch of little kids who were too scared to try finally did go. 

They only got knocked over by the waves once, and once was enough.

Finding mussels . . . 

and crabs

Ideal conditions for kite flying!

She successfully chased off the pesky seagulls . . .

only to have the ground squirrels make off with her goldfish. 

Aaahhh!

Hallie called in pain from the pinched nerve in her back about halfway into her shift, so we drove back to rescue her. She decided by the end of the day that she would have to quit and find a less physically taxing line of work.

Later in the day as Hallie and Eliza were reading, Eliza let Hallie know about how she received a scratch on her arm from a tiger.

Thursday, July 17 – After swimming lessons, Landon begged, “Please don’t let this be the last one!” Nope. We’ll go back on Monday. 

Learning the fundamentals of diving at the community pool

He showed off his skills later on at our neighborhood pool. Now that he can confidently swim in the deep water, the whole pool is his domain. So exciting!

We brought the games out of the garage and into the front room so they could get used. This month must seem like Christmas every day in some ways as the kids rediscover the playthings they haven't used in a while. 

Friday, July 18 – In the morning, Mom and Landon went to the movies to see Planes: Fire and Rescue while Mike and Eliza hit the pool. Mike had a class to teach in the late afternoon/evening, so Hallie and the kids took him up and then they ran errands.

Saturday, July 19 – We have experimented over the week with homeschooling, with Landon spending time reading, reviewing his writing skills, and money math.  This morning, Landon came into Mom and Dad’s room asking all sorts of questions about the value of the coins he has collected and added to his new wallet (which he is using to keep his incentive “dollars” along with real cash). So far, the doing school at home routine has been anything but, and yet we’ve had fun while making progress.

Mike took the kids down to the park to practice baseball and go swinging (not swimming, this time at least).

Then we all went to the farmers’ market for produce and kettle corn (which Landon purchased with his money).

We spent the afternoon organizing the front room and trying to get it more finished. We still need to hang pictures, but it’s getting there.

We celebrated all the kids’ hard work with dessert for dinner! For the first time since we moved here, the skies clouded up and we got rain. Or rather, a few drops fell from the sky. For some peculiar reason, the kids went berserk and decided they needed to hide in the boxes in the back yard.

This from kids who routinely used to run around in full-blown Midwestern thunderstorms

Before going to bed, they got baths. After hers, Eliza put on her Wonder Woman cape and started flying around yelling, “Super Hero Man, to the rescue!” Would have helped for her to put on some clothes too. She is pretty super though: She can save money (see the wallet in her hand?) and style her hair, all on the fly (so to speak). 

Sunday, July 20 – The children spent a (mostly) quiet morning playing games and building with Legos. 

The fan makes the propeller go! 

Creating a new house for the village, complete with a trap door

Sawyer was blessed today by Shad, so we attended their ward. And so ends another lazy summer week. Do we know where that Roku remote went? 

Vamos, Argentina! (There’s Always Next Time)

For Mike, this World Cup has been stellar. The tournament showed various facets of the beautiful game, the US held their own, Argentina showed why they’re a world power in the sport, and Germany showed what a deep team can do when it’s all on the line. But we didn’t just sit around watching soccer all week. . . .

On Monday morning, Mike took the kids to the pool while Hallie went to the gym. We love having the pool right here close! As the pool is heated and the day started off warm, they actually had a good time in spite of being warned by the neighbors that the pool would be too cold. Silly long-time Californians! After all, we didn’t have to chip any ice off the top of the water, so it was warm enough.

On Tuesday, Hallie took the kids to see “How to Train Your Dragon 2” at the movies while Mike worked and watched Germany play a group of amateurs wearing Brazilian jerseys. Let’s hope they don’t give whoever plays them in the final the same beating. Yikes!

Mike had a meeting with students at Bandit’s in Thousand Oaks. Hallie took the kids on a brief visit to run some things over to Grandma and Grandpa O. before Mike’s meeting ended and they had to hurry back. Having the one car has been positive for the most part, but we have had our little challenges here and there.

Wednesday was Argentina’s Independence Day, so their hard-won victory over Holland was all the more sweet. Now they moved on to a formidable German team in the final.

Mike taught the kids how to play Go Fish with cards Hallie had bought as part of a set of children’s games while we lived in Michigan. They caught on quickly, and were making pairs and matching numbers like pros before too long. Who knew learning math could be so fun? And yes, they were learning math.

Hallie interviewed at Hobby Lobby and got hired right away! She’ll work full-time for the next little while until we can get back on our feet after the move and the short sale of our old house. Fortunately, the house is under contract (someone has signed an offer to buy it), so we hope to have that monkey off our back sooner than later.

For the last few weeks from about two in the afternoon until about dinnertime, the kids have started to go a bit nuts, and they have begun to drive their parents insane as well. We have tried to remedy the situation through TV and outdoor activity.

Mike, reading about an online campaign by Dutch creative agency Just in response to Facebook’s experiment on its users, decided to enjoy (at least) 99 days of freedom from the social media platform. See you there again (maybe) on or around October 17.

On Thursday, Hallie found the mail keys, which had been missing for over a week, and we had a whole bunch of mail to collect. Sadly, most of it was bills or ads, but we did get a postcard from Grandma and Grandpa M, who are returning from a road trip out to South Dakota.

Fergus escaped again, and we learned how he gets out of the yard. He has a whole little highway along the beams that hold the fences between the yards together.

We did pizza-and-a-movie night tonight instead of Friday because we weren’t sure how long Hallie would be out on Friday with her orientation.

Friday morning, Hallie and our neighbor Sarah attended an orientation for new Hobby Lobby employees while Mike and the kids played. Chick-fil-A had a promotion for anyone who dressed up like a cow. Mike threw something together for the kids, and after picking up Hallie from the orientation, they went over.

They intended to go to 7-Eleven for a free Slurpee for dessert, but everyone else in town seemed to have the same idea. Later, Hallie and Landon ran some errands and were able to get a couple to share.

Their timing was perfect, as they got there just before a new line formed going out the door.

Hallie took the kids to the park to blow off some steam, but even getting outside didn’t keep them from fighting and carrying on. They need to find some friends in the neighborhood so they’re not stuck with just each other, at least until they learn to appreciate each other.

Landon’s feeling the stress, and he decided he needed to get out of the house on his own for a bit. He announced that he was running away. Fortunately, the idea of a meal was enough to bring him back into the nest.

Fergus managed to break free of his collar, so Hallie and Landon had brought back a new harness from the store that we hope will stay on in case the cat decides to make another escape. We discovered that he can pull open the new screen for the sliding glass door if we don’t lock it. Clever kitty.

Mike had a class on campus on Saturday, so everyone went up. After dropping Mike off, Hallie took the kids to Wildwood Park to play. Later, Carly and Cru joined them. Hallie discovered something about the kids’ contentious play: Give them enough space where they’re not on top of each other all the time, and they won’t fight. Some other kids came along, and the kids really enjoyed themselves with new playmates.

This little dog got a bit too friendly with Eliza. Down, boy! 

After a trip to the mall for lunch, they picked up Mike in the afternoon and headed home. Mike had missed the Netherlands-Brazil game, but the replay showed more humiliation heaped on the hosts. Let’s hope Saturday brings tears – of joy – to the Albiceleste.

We all went to the pool in the late afternoon/early evening, a first for all of us at once. Pool time definitely tuckers the kids out, and they tend not to fight as much while there. Doesn’t necessarily fix things at home, but Eliza did go to sleep pretty quickly tonight.

Sunday morning dawned sunny and warmer than usual. Mike hung up our Argentina flag to show our support of the team.

He felt (a little) conflicted going into the game with his German heritage on the one side and his Argentine mission experience on the other. Now that the US was out, either a German or an Argentine win was about the same (but he really wanted Argentina to win).

He remembers as a missionary in Argentina when they won the Copa América in 1993 and as an intern in Buenos Aires during the 2002 fiasco. Unlike sports in the US, this game means a whole lot to Argentina on a national level. It’s been a long dry spell (albeit with Olympic gold in Athens and Beijing). It’s just a game, after all, but for most of the world, its THE game, and this year it’s “a copa das copas” (“the cup of cups”) to win in their rival’s house and to keep the South American streak of World Cups won in South America alive. It means a lot to the German team too, but Mike doesn’t think Germans themselves have as much national pride riding on the outcome. Who knows? In the end, he had to admit that the best team did win when Germany took the Cup. But what a game! Beautiful goal by Mario Götze in the closing minutes. WatchESPN has been Mike’s favorite channel all month. It may not be all the sports, and it may not quite be live, but it is free, and it is enough! 

The kids mostly just did own their thing while Mike cheered, cursed, and fretted. Landon did say he'd be interested in playing soccer again, though.

And now that the Cup is over, Mike’s fútbol furor, like the sleeping cicada, will lie dormant until the Women’s World Cup next year in Canada. Go USA women’s team!

Hallie got a calling! She will tell you what it is next week. They still haven't figured out what to do with Mike. As he missed church to watch soccer, they may want to reconsider where they put him. . . .

Freedom, Futbol, and Fruits of the Season

More World Cup action punctuated the other activities of the week, which included celebrations for Independence Day, attempts at jailbreaking by the cat, and bottling up a year’s supply of raspberry and strawberry freezer jam.

Monday, June 30 – Mike had a meeting up on campus, so he drove up to school while Hallie and the kids played at home. We're getting settled in, but it's a bit of a process.

When he got home, Hallie traded looking after the kids to go to a chiropractor appointment. During the time she was out, the headache Mike had started feeling up at work had evolved into a small migraine. Dang! He thought that maybe the change of location would mean the end of those things. Fortunately, the neighbors had medicine, and we found ours later. After she got home, Hallie took the kids out to run some errands and then over to the park to enjoy the outdoors and blow off some steam.

Tuesday, July 1 – Happy Canada Day! 

A frequent reminder from Canadian friends graces the master bathroom vanity area. 

Mike occupied a chunk of his day watching the two World Cup games. Argentina pulled off a last-minute win against Switzerland, while the US lost a hard-fought game against Belgium. The scores in soccer can be very misleading when you consider all the other action that goes on.

Hallie took some time in the late morning/early afternoon to go with a group of ladies from the ward to Ottavio’s Italian Restaurant for lunch. She took the kids on errands in the afternoon. After they all came home, Mike took the water babies down to the pool.

Wednesday, July 2 – In the afternoon, we ran some errands in preparation for July 4th, including a trip to the farmers’ market at the Community Center Park, Smart and Final, and Ralph’s. We’re looking forward to tasty chicken and corn on the backyard grill!  Hallie is looking forward to trying the tasty treats from some of the vendors this coming Wednesday. One booth, Desserts to Die For, had her intrigued with their desserts being served from a hearse. Pretty clever.

Thursday, July 3 – In the afternoon, Hallie joined 24 Hour Fitness, which is right around the corner from our house. Hallie then headed to the chiropractor again hoping to feel as good as Monday; however, that was not to be the case. This one did not lead to quite the same positive result as the first appointment. Was it because she had a 30 min massage after the first one? Or because this time she worked out before she went? Who knows? But by the time the missionaries came for dinner Hallie was in a lot of pain. A blessing, ice, and some ibuprofen helped ease some of her misery.

Friday, July 4 – Happy Independence Day!

Howdy from our little firecracker

We celebrated bright and early when Mike and the kids rode down to a flag ceremony and pancake breakfast down at church. Right before we left, we discovered that Fergus had gotten out of the house and hopped the fence into another neighbor’s back yard. We didn’t have time to figure out how to tease him back over before the ceremony, so we left him until we could figure out our next steps. He had found his way back by the time we got back, and the first thing Mike did when Fergus got back inside was put the collar on the cat. Naturally, Fergus wanted nothing to do with the collar and spent the rest of the day pining to get back out, struggling with the collar, and sulking.

We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon getting food prepped. The gas grill is really, really nice. Wow! Both the chicken and corn turned out just right. Grandma and Grandpa O. and cousin Mariah came over to share in the barbecue and get some pool time in the afternoon. After lunch, the kids and Dad took Grandpa on a walk around the neighborhood and down to the park. Mariah got tired and had to take a nap and so Hallie, Grandma, and the kids headed off to the pool before while Dad and Grandpa finished watching the second soccer game.

After Mariah woke up, she and the grandparents went back home while we got ready to go watch the fireworks down by the high school. A family in the stake owns a piece of land across the freeway from the school, and they set up a potluck barbecue that everyone could share in as we waited for night to fall and the light show to start. The evening was lovely! The weather cooled off, we had primo seats (thanks to our neighbors who had taken our chairs earlier), and we saw so many of our new ward members there.  

Landon made some new friends as they went exploring among the young palm trees.

Finally the fireworks started! Eliza had played so much throughout the day that not even the bombs bursting in air could keep the sandman away.

This what what the fireworks were like up close: 

(Just kidding. Pretty awesome, though, eh?)

Saturday, July 5 – Hallie started the day by going with Liz to the farmers’ market in Old Town. Apparently the Wednesday and Saturday farmers’ markets each run independently, but both are certified (Mike wonders whether that means they end up paying fees to some officials that end up getting passed on to the customer). Hallie picked up a flat of yummy strawberries. On her way to the car they spilled, but only one was lost. Thanks to some great people, all were picked up in short order.

After the market, the ladies stopped over at TJ’s where Hallie bought yummy peaches.

Mike and the kids stayed home while Mike watched the Argentina-Belgium and Netherlands-Costa Rica games. The second game turned into a nail-biter of extra time and penalty kicks. Hopefully the Netherlands will be so exhausted that Argentina will walk all over them in Wednesday’s semifinal.

Hallie got some help from Landon as she bottled up several jars of freezer jam from the raspberries we bought earlier in the week and strawberries she bought today at the market. She rewarded him after he went with her to buy some bottling supplies with frozen yogurt from Menchie's in Oxnard. 

There will be lots of yummy goodness eaten throughout this next year. How fun it has been to have amazing produce ready at our fingertips.

Sunday, July 6 – Sometime during the night, Fergus successfully removed his collar and hid it. We believe the cat and Eliza are related because they are both very sneaky when it comes to doing what we have asked them not to do. Church doesn’t start until 1:00, so Hallie made some more jam, the kids and Mike played Legos, and we as a family enjoyed the weather.

People in the ward seem to find Mike and the kids’ riding a bike to church thing quite novel. Mike’s surprised more people aren’t doing it, frankly.