Kiersten’s Blog

As you know, I woke up to this this morning.  Waking up to rain wouldn’t have been nearly as bad if I didn’t have to wake up so early.  I don’t even know what time it was.  All I know that it was too early, especially after the 4 a.m. episode London and I had this morning.  She told me (at 4 a.m.) after I had come into her room to say down with her to get her to go back to sleep, “Don’t go to your bed, Mom.  I need a sleeper in my bed.”  Don’t ask me why she couldn’t be the sleeper in her bed.  After that, I think both kids were up before 6:30.  Like I said, too early.  Anyway, because of the rain, we saw a mallard in a puddle in our driveway.  It’s funny how ducks always seem to find the strangest places to hang out.  We’re only a couple of miles from a lake, so I guess that’s where they come from.  It’s still weird.

Because of the lack of sleep, London was really tired today.  I don’t remember the last time she was this tired and willing to sleep.  She fell asleep while eating dinner!  I was making the other pizza while Taylor and London were eating.  When I sat down to eat, Taylor and I chatted for a bit before I realized that London was really quiet.  I thought she had just put her head down for a minute, but I noticed her eyes were closed and she was unresponsive.  So Taylor took her up to bed and we woke her up an hour and a half later.  Nice!

Later, after London’s nap, Taylor was cold, so we had our first fire in our fireplace.  I think the wood wasn’t totally dry because it didn’t want to burn at all.  It was kind of fun and cozy to have a fire for a few minutes, though.  Ashton liked it a little too much.  It was almost impossible to keep him away from that thing.  After the fire, London decided that she wanted to play games.  She and I played every game she owns, which included: Don’t Spill the Beans, Cootie, Princess Yahtzee, Chutes and Ladders, and Candyland.    I love lazy Sundays with my family.

This is what I woke up to this morning: the sound of pouring rain and my two blurry kids watching it fall out the window.

We’re all alone again.  We’ve been hosting my grandma (my dad’s mom) here for the last week.  It has been so nice to have her.  After we moved to California from Alberta (when I was eight) I didn’t get to see her all that often.  We did the best we could to keep in touch, but there’s not a whole lot you can do when it’s a 2-day drive to see someone.  We haven’t seen her for quite some time now so it was fun to spend so much time with her.  My kids really enjoyed her and she will be missed.  She just left tonight with my parents and my other grandma.

It’s been a long weekend.  My aunt got married yesterday so we’ve spent time with a lot of family.

It’s been great!  My parents drove down with my grandma (my mom’s mom).  We met them at the temple for the wedding yesterday.  London had a great time with her second cousins.  They’re some of her best friends.  They found a caterpillar that they thought was so cool while everybody was in the temple.

After the temple, we took another trip to the Mormon Battalion museum.  This time we took along both of my grandmas, as well as my parents.  It was a hit.  Then we met Anneka and LuAnn for dinner.  We rode the trolley back home and thankfully both kids fell asleep.  It was a long day for them.

We had a big gathering at out house today and hosted dinner for everybody.  London had a great time.  She can’t get enough of her second cousins.  We’re so glad we live close enough to them to play often.  It was pretty wild here at our place with kids running around everywhere.  We had a good time visiting with grandmas and aunts and cousins.  It’s always fun to get together.  I love that I have a house big enough to have people over now.  We had a good time.  But all good things must come to an end and I’m glad to be back to normal again.  I love having visitors, but I’m also glad to have my house back to myself.  Oh, and valentines day?  We’ll celebrate that tomorrow.  I’m exhausted.

Yesterday we spent the day celebrating the arrival of the Mormon Battalion into San Diego.  It was kind of  a fun celebration.  Taylor’s parents came down to help us out with a few things on the house so they came with us.  We walked to the trolley station from our house and rode the trolley to Old Town where the festivities were.

biscuits on a stick (woofins)

We did all sorts of fun activities with London, such as rope making, doll making, quilting, brick making, making biscuits on a stick and walking on stilts.

London's pioneer doll that she immediately named Sally

London had a great time.  I’m not so sure about Ashton, but he slept well on the trolley on the way home.  The only complaint we heard (and we heard it ALL DAY) was London wanting to dress up.  She saw so many people in period costume that she wanted to be dressed up too.  She thought that there was a dress-up booth and she wouldn’t believe us when we told her there wasn’t.

We participated in all the festivities at the park, then walked to the newly renovated Mormon Battalion museum.  It’s been closed ever since we moved to San Diego and yesterday was the new grand opening.  It was fun to go and hear the story of these pioneers and kind of feel partly what they went through.  There’s one story they tell of a little boy who wanted to go so badly with his dad, that when the battalion left, he ran away and followed them.  They camped after 90 miles of walking, and the little boy wandered into camp.  They decided that they couldn’t send him back, so they just sent a letter back to his mother, letting her know that he was okay.  That poor mother!  I’m so glad I didn’t live in that time.  I do love hearing about my heritage, though.  It makes me so grateful for what I have.

In the spirit of the festivities yesterday, London drew a picture of our family.  She said it was at the Mormon Battalion (because the celebration was held at a park she thinks it’s called the Mormon Battalion).  I think she’s such a good little artist.

(click on the picture to see it bigger and read the labels)

She drew our whole family.  I’m holding a sleeping Ashton.  If you look closely, you can see that she drew Taylor with a mustache, which he doesn’t have.  She’s wearing a crown, of course, because she’s a princess.  In case you’re wondering, we’re holding lollipops in our hands.  Then she drew a cat on a leash, which Taylor’s holding, and a rabbit on a leash (with a crown on its head), which London is holding.  Notice the moon.  I’m not sure why it looks like Saturn.  Neither is she.  The black that we’re standing on is the street.  You will notice the stop sign in front of us.  Then there’s the house.  I’m not sure what the blue thing is in the front yard, maybe a swimming pool?  Anyway, I love what her little mind comes up with.

We had our first visitors in our new home!  My parents came down for the weekend.  It was so nice to have them.  They didn’t get here until Saturday evening.  Once the kids went to bed, my mom and I went grocery shopping, since we didn’t have ANY food.  Someday soon, that situation will be remedied.  We got enough food to last us through the weekend.  After dinner and naps yesterday, we took a drive out to Coronado.  My dad had never been there before and it’s such a beautiful place.  We made it just as the sun was setting and the rain was letting up.  Over the water was a beautiful sunset and looking the other direction was a rainbow.  The sky looked amazing!  I loved watching the sun set at the deserted beach.  Of course London threw a fit as we were leaving because she wanted to lay in the sand and make sand angels (which she did anyway) and take off her shoes and walk in the water.  I had to physically drag her off the beach.  We definitely need to spend more time there.  She told Grandma and Grandpa all about how we have bonfires at the beach and roast hot dogs and marshmallows.  Too bad we couldn’t do that with them while they were here.  I guess we have to keep something to do for next time.

London and my dad (sorry about the blurriness, but check out that sunset!)

My boys

My mom and I spent this afternoon shopping with the kids while my dad and Taylor worked on some finishing touches on our floor.  I didn’t mean to make my parents come and work, but it was sure nice to have the help.  I’m so glad we finally have a place big enough for visitors!  Any other takers?