Naperville visit in review

So I took several hundred pictures in the three weeks I was out of town, so you can't blame me for delaying so long in posting, and for having a hard time deciding which ones to put up. (Plus I have to argue with Blogger's awful format to make this presentation...presentable.)


Treat yourself to a self-guided tour of some highlights, including but not limited to Chris's big 3-0, a family bike ride, playing in the sand and water (notice the girls both have The Little Mermaid on their suits?), visiting the arboretum with Grandma and experiencing all the fun animal houses, and some general good cousin and grandparent time, etc. And I haven't even posted about the wedding yet!

Thanks to Jane

I just finished reading Sense and Sensibility and thoroughly enjoyed it. It makes me want to use long, flowery words that I'm not quite sure of their meaning, and talk in a British accent, if only I could come up with something eloquent to say.

Here are a few gems I dog-eared as I read. Such a perceptive commentary on society! and how much does Marianne remind me of someone...myself!

• On avoiding awkward pauses in social gatherings: "Lady Middleton had taken the wise precaution of bringing with her their eldest child, a fine little boy about six years old; by which means there was one subject always to be recurred to by the ladies in case of extremity, for they had to enquire his name and age, admire his beauty, and ask him questions which his mother answered for him[...]. On every formal visit a child ought to be of the party, by way of provision for discourse. In the present case it took up ten minutes to determine whether the boy were most like his father or mother, and in what particular he resembled either, for of course every body differed, and every body was astonished at the opinion of the others." (Vol 1, chapter 6)
• The maturity of seventeen. "Marianne began now to perceive that the desperation which had seized her at sixteen and a half, of ever seeing a man who could satisfy her ideas of perfection, had been rash and unjustifiable." (Vol 1, chapter 10)
• Ever heard people say that the baby looks just like someone on their side of the family? Mr Palmer got it (who in the 1995 movie is played by Hugh Laurie, of course...): "Mr Palmer maintained the common, but unfatherly opinion among his sex, of all infants being alike; and though she could plainly perceive, at different times, the most striking resemblance between this baby and every one of his relations on both sides, there was no convincing his father of it; no persuading him to believe that it was not exactly like every other baby of the same age; nor could he be brought to acknowledge the simple proposition of its being the finest child in the world." (Volume 2, chapter 14)
• Ever try to argue with someone who just doesn't get it? "Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition." (Volume 2, chapter 14)

Next is Northanger Abbey while I wait for Pride and Prejudice to come in the mail.

What is your favorite Jane Austen?

Toy time lineup

Within an hour of free play at Grandma's house, Leah and I found the Little Einstein Annie, who had been MIA since Christmas. She was lost in a box of toys, of all places. And now back at home, here is the whole Little Einsteins gang back together again. (If you are not Little Einsteins savvy like some of us, Annie is the one with blonde hair).


And here she is with a lineup of Trolls, which I collected when I was a kid. Aren't they cute? I even remember some of their names. Becky and I each got one for Christmas when Frank was serving in Bonners Ferry, ID, so we named our Trolls Bonnie and Ferry. The one with the mask and cape is named Calvin, after the alter-ego Calvin from the comic strip. The bride is named Bridely (don't ask), and Leah walked around all week saying that Bridely was Lala and Calvin was Carl and that they were getting married. There is a red, white, and Blue one that I named Liberty. I can't remember any of the other ones names, but I'm sure they all had names and family groups.

DC in a nutshell

Here are some hightlights of DC:

• Leah and I getting poured on while crossing the mall with Ruthie and Josh, and finding the promised carousel ride closed. Leah was a really good sport about running through the rain. After that she got to go inside a butterfly habitat, and that was very satisfying. Then Grandma and Grandpa took her on the carousel a couple days later, so double score!
• Seeing the Marine Band and the Navy Band perform (I made mom her very own ring-tone of Stars and Stripes forever, recorded live from the Marine Barracks. How many can boast that?)
• Went to the top of the Washington Monument, did a night walk of the monuments, and a guided tour of the Capital building
• Saw Seinfeld's Puffy Shirt and Dorothy's ruby slippers at the Museum of American History
• Stood inches away from the only DaVinci in the hemisphere at the National Gallery.
• Went kayaking!
• Emceed the family talent show at the pool party.
• Shelled out 8 bucks an hour for a sitter who managed to put Samuel's diaper on inside out. (Explain that one to me...) Us small town Provo folk aren't used to $8 an hour anything...
• My GPS Vanessa led us all over town and through the back roads to get anywhere, and Dad's van was too tall to fit in any parking garage in the city. Way to be a trooper, Dad!
• My parents were truly glorious to help with the kids so much and give me some opportunities to sight-see without them.

A Screeching Halt

Now that I am home from vacation, it is time to get back to reality. Since I have been away partying, not working, living without any semblance of routine, I've noticed that habits of the past few weeks are forcibly coming to a screeching halt.

• No more second helpings (or first, for that matter) of cheesecake, birthday cake, carrot cake, etc. You might notice my weight-loss tracker, which has gone up several pounds 0(super OUCH!!!) because I basically pigged out for 3 weeks and didn't get to kickboxing more than once in that time. Lets just face it: thighs don't lie.
• No more frivolous spending! Its time to crunch down and stick to a budget, lest we slowly (or quickly) eat away at our savings.
• My paychecks stopped coming. I guess they only pay me when I actually work. Time to get back to the grind. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. And amazingly, fall semester is just a mere two weeks away from starting. (And that means fall is close, with winter hot on its tail, which is depressing to think about...)
• No more staying up late being lazy. It's back to responsibility aside from just keeping my kids alive...I have to actually clean house, pay bills, make food, do laundry, water grass, get dressed before lunch, etc.
• Time to get back to blogging! I have several hundred pictures that I have taken in the past few weeks that need documenting. Stay tuned...