The Wedding and the rest of California

OK, this catch up thing is taking me forever. Here is the final pics from our trip and then i will post back- to- school pics tomorrow and be done with it.

So here you go. Beautiful wedding in the Oakland Temple that sits nestled in the Oakland hills. A wonderful day for everybody. Dan with all of his siblings. My daughters as self designated bridesmaids with their cousin, Abby. Spencer, looking bored.

This was such unique chance for my children to see both grandparents at the same time. Our parents have a lot in common and Dan and i really enjoyed hearing them reminisce about their time in Asia and all of the people that they both knew.

Spencer and the girls had a good time with his California Grandparents . The highlight was the pool, of corse, and just hanging out was good too. Spencer helped my Mom wind the clock, but most of all he enjoyed hanging out with my Dad. We discovered that Spencer takes after his Grandpa Steve in that they both read the airplane safety instructions from cover to cover before take off.

Summer - i'm still not done

So the actual event that took us to California this summer was my brother-in-law's wedding. It was like a mini Holt family runion, minus most of the cousins and one spouse. So the day before the wedding all of the siblings (minus the groom) went into the city and walked around. It was a beautiful day and we got to see quite a bit. My kids were exhausted, i guess they aren't accustomed to city life (walking, walking, and more walking). We went from the Embarcadero, to Pier 39, all the way over to China Town. It was great!

Then we rushed back to the "rehearsel dinner" put in quotes because there was no rehearsel involved but it was great to meet Megan's (the bride) family. It was a wonderful night. Here Dan's bro, Dave (aka. the groom) and my new sister-in-law, Megan.

Party Time Take 2

We got to celebrate Julia's birthday this year with my Parents in California. It was really fun. We did a total birthday party with everything but the 20 or so crazy little kids. Instead the guests were Grandma and Grandpa, Spencer, Alexis, and me. She had a Princess Butterfly theme.

She had a good time, starting with breakfast, in bed of corse. Church was in the middle and then the party started.

My Dad decorated, you go Dad!

We had a delicious birthday dinner of stir-fry (healthy!) and potato curls(????) per Julia's request. Spencer could care less about dinner and spent that time with some rocks, fully clothed, in the baby pool.

Then it was pin the horn on the unicorn, caterpillar-caterpillar-butterfly, pinata, cake and presents.

I'm trying to hone my cake making skills. It was pretty yummy thanks to my Mom's homemade frosting.

Happy Birthday Jules! You are a sweet, nurturing little girl with a lot of spunk. You are so loving and i am proud of how grown up you are these days.

We were all wiped out by the end of the festivities. Nothing like partying down with your Grandparents!

Party Time!

August is a seriously crazy month for us with two August birthdays. Alexis had a 'Camp Rock' birthday party this year. She invited a lot of friends and would have invited more if we hadn't cut her off. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Alexis is such a sweet daughter, a wonderful big sister and a fun and happy little girl.

Her ACTUAL BIRTHDAY came later and we did our traditional Breakfast-in-bed. The girls love this, it makes them feel like princesses. Dan was the master chef this time and even arranged the fruit himself (he can be very artistic sometimes). We had a pretty low key, but fun, family day.

Take a Trip Back in Time with Mel

Today i am turning over a new leaf. I am going to catch you all up on what we have been doing over the past few (i am emberassed to say) months. First things first: Jessica won a million dollars on Deal or No Deal. It was totally awesome and i am so excited for them.
Secondly, we have had an awesome summer and early fall that has been packed with some really fun things so i will start with late July when the girls got to go to Grandma and Grandpa's for a few days, just the two of them. Spencer, Dan and I didn't know quite what to do with ourselves. So here's a few pics. And stayed tuned this week for more while i attempt to catch up.

Spence got to have his Daddy all to himself. He loved that. We even went shopping to get him a bike helmet. He has insisted on wearing one, and all we had was the girls old PINK one. Not that he cares about that at all but i think the neighbors were starting to give me wierd looks.

We met up with Grandma Jo Lynn half way and boy was Spencer glad to see his sisters. Actually he was pretty happy to see grandma too and he wanted to take her home with us. They had a fabulous time and got spoiled rotten, just what a trip with grandma is all about.

DEAL OR NO DEAL

I don't usually watch Deal or No Deal but tonight i will be glued to the TV. My Brother's wife is the contestant!!! I am already nervous about it. Of corse it was taped over the summer but they have been totally silent about it. I am bursting with curiosity. Ross in one of the supporters and their baby girl Brooklyn is in the audience. All i have to say is YOU GO JESSICA!!!! 7pm NBC, i'll be there!

Things I Learned from My Dad

I gave a talk in church the other day and as I was preparing for it I began a small list of things that I learned from my dad as I grew up. Not that I have put them all into practice yet. They are as follows:

1. If you think you can do it yourself, then do it yourself.
2. Bend with your knees
3. A good garden will produce ripe tomatoes by the fourth of July
4. Patience and logic breed better understanding and better resolution
5. Rube Goldberg isn't just a man; he is a way of life
6. The harder you work the better off you will be.

I am sure that many of you can think of more, but these are the ones first came to mind.