September Tidbits

 Once on a bike ride I was on a murdery-feeling trail so I called BJ. We chatted for a bit and I mentioned how much I had enjoyed bike riding. He noted the bike he purchased and left at the house is more suited to a man and I obliquely replied that my birthday was coming up... He actually bought me my own bike for my birthday- and gave it to me a solid month early so I could enjoy it! I love my bike. I mean I LOVE my bike!!!

I am so happy when I'm riding my pretty pink bike!!!

We took Ireland to the temple...

...and tried ramen dipped hot dogs afterwards. Interesting... not my favorite but worth the try!

I nearly made Liesel late for school because I simply had to pull over and take a picture of this stunning sunrise over the lake!

The mist was swirling and rising off the water- pictures just don't do it justice!

Joey came into town to pick up the truck and head to Iowa City to help Mom and Dad a bit. The girls had a great time hanging out with him for the bit that we saw him.

Gita had this massive bruise above her knee and she had no idea how she got it. Don't you think you'd remember something like this? But that's my Gita girl- she's too busy to notice her injuries!

We are adamant that our girls at least try all different kinds of foods. I've been wanting them to try lengua for a while and I finally found a place that made it!

Another of my birthday gifts arrived early from Katrina- this quilt! Perfect for snuggling under during Halloween.

Liesel texted asking if "me and Sydney can have ice cream?" Once we were home I told her, "Can I have ice cream? Can Sydney have ice cream? It's 'Can Sydney and I have ice cream?' that is grammatically correct." Liesel said her English teacher corrects all the students about it too and why don't I just let it go? I said because my English professor mother always corrected us siblings and every single one of us TO THIS DAY say it right. It may seem like no big deal, but it's a small legacy she's left behind when there isn't much left to leave behind at this point. So I asked her to please say it right. Because when I have to correct her, I think of my mom- who can't even remember my name anymore.

On one of my early morning walks this owl flew past me and landed on this post. How crazy is that?

I half expected him to deliver some kind of magical message. He just stared at me though.

Speaking of magical owls, Sydney and I are still reading the Harry Potter series together!

When I'm not tickling her, that is.

I didn't expect to take the Queen's passing so hard, but I found myself crying. I saw the news first from the Wall Street Journal, interestingly enough. Then it occurred to me that her passing would absolutely have an impact on the economy. So many people know I'm a royal watcher I suddenly was flooded with text messages- including Liesel who said everyone at the high school was talking about it. Say what you will about Meghan- the deeper the curtsey the deeper the respect and I can tell you, I'd never be able to get back up from this. 

A couple of memes that came out in the days following...

The girls were on one and getting the 3 youngest to dance somehow ended up being the most dramatic thing in the world. As we drove, I explained they shouldn't stress, this is all a precursor to menstration where hormones will greatly impact emotions and there's just nothing you can do about it. You just have to learn to ride the dragon. So I turned to Brent for backup and asked if he sees a difference in me when I'm on my period.

Brent: Whenever we get into a fight that I don't know how we got in it... and I don't know how to get out of it... inevitably I realize you are on your period.

We also talked about how two days later I'm incredibly clingy. Like I NEED him. I need hugs and I need to nuzzle his beard and I need to hold his hand and if he gets up to us the restroom I just wanna cry.

Whenever I'm asked to give a name when I order at Starbucks, I always say Elvis. This made me laugh.

Also, I noticed I would feel really rotten mid-morning with headaches. I was unable to get my usual pink drink for a couple of weeks and the feeling went away. Then Brent was on a business trip and I ordered a huge one and again, felt rotten. I turned to Dr. Google and turns out strawberries naturally contain tyramine, a substance that has been linked to migraines. Tyramine is through to cause migraines by causing increased levels of norepinephrine, a naturally occurring chemical, in the brain.

After A LOT of back and forth, I finally brought the second chair I purchased from my company home!

With Brent out of town on a business trip, the Sisters asked about stopping by to spend time with us. I decided why not just add to the chaos and invited them for a simple Sunday dinner. Oh how we laughed at that dinner! The girls really enjoyed getting to know them better.

Sydney brought out her Book of Mormon figurines and we let them guess who they each were. One Sister had mentioned her companion always made her tea and when Sydney pulled out Teancum we were trying to give hints. Your companion makes this for you... She said Chili? We all laughed about Chiliancum.

September means Open House at the schools! This is Ireland's science room and I'm sorry but the wasp nests creep me out. The teacher said she has been gifted most of them and she just loves them!

Gita: What do you do at Parent's Night?
Me: We all get naked, pour vodka all over ourselves and dance around in a circle chanting, "Boogeda boogeda boogeda CHILDREN ARE THE WORST!!!"
Gita: *shocked* That's inappro... THAT'S ILLEGAL!!!
Me: No it's not! Haven't you ever noticed Mrs Cruz has kind of a gravely voice? She yells the loudest!

Beach Day

A coworker of mine needed some help moving so I packed up the girls in the truck and we headed downtown to lend a hand. Brent was visiting his family which theoretically meant we didn't have as much muscle but man, the girls stepped up in a way that made me a proud mama. The apartment was on the top floor with a tight staircase of switchbacks. They took load after load after load. We had the truck completely full- Liesel tetrised in everything she possibly could- and they kept bringing things down and putting them where they could be easily loaded into the U-Haul. Once the U-Haul arrived, we had taken everything we could possibly carry and the girls started loading up. No fussing, no complaining, just load after load after load. OKAY, I did offer them some material compensation but still, I was so impressed with their work ethic- and so was everyone else! They kept their spirits high and made it a rather fun adventure. 

It was the same story with unloading- they just kept going and going. I called Brent to tell him how proud he should be of them and they beamed as I bragged. Dusty and sore, we were definitely ready to hit our favorite beach to say goodbye to summer after that.  

It was a great day for the beach and so we took tons of pictures!

My aviators had just a hint of purple in them that went perfectly with the swimsuits!

Of course Gita is thrilled to be completely covered in sand!

Hand on the hip poses!

Dance poses!

Almost everyone together...

Give Sydney a bucket, sand and some water and she is happy to play by herself for hours...

...and hours!

I love this shot of Gita in the waves!

We were on the cusp of leaving when I realized we were parked close to this rocky overlook. We decided to snap just a few more photos. After all, I hadn't yet snapped the photo I take every time we go to the beach.

Last individual shots of the day:

And yes, I will buy them matchy matchy clothes until the day I die.