The First Visitor

Uncle Larry came out to California to participate in the Amgen Bike Tour, and as a special treat brought Grandma Garner with him! On Sunday we picked her up at Aunt Holly's and brought her home to stay with us for a week. Monday we had more good times at the Rowe's house and while everyone else was watching Space Buddies, I got the chance to take Uncle Larry's bike for a little ride. Wow, it was fast, light, and fun. It made me want a few hours of free time everyday and a super nice road bike.

Daniel was happy to have another victim in his quest for Mariokart supremacy. I was grateful for the extra help. Grandma did dishes, vacuumed floors, entertained boys and helped me get ready for our next set of visitors. Joshua loved the personal attention he got, all night long, at Chuck E Cheese. Grandma followed him around, helped him put his tokens in the machines, and explained the games. On Friday, Grandma, Susan, and I were able to attend the Oakland Temple, a soothing and spiritual experience as always. Saturday was a rush of fun as we went to the Stockton Children's Museum. It's a little small, but was perfect for our bunch (our Orpheum passes got us in free). We're so glad Grandma got to come visit!

Good Times

It's been well over a month since I posted anything, and we've had plenty of happenings since then, so I'll try to fill you in.

If a picture (click on the image and you can see it larger) isn't worth a thousand words to you, post a question and I'll fill you in.

Mt. Diablo State Park

On Saturday, we decided to forgo yard work, cleaning house, or lazing about and head for higher ground. It was a beautiful day, aside from the ever present haze, and we've been cooped up too long. We drove over the Altamont to Mt. Diablo State Park and had a great time hiking. We stared awhile at the vultures, with their dark, iridescent wings. We scrambled on, over, and into sandstone rock formations. We forgot all about Jarom's birthday party, woops! We enjoyed a quiet hike on a less-traveled path and saw globs (a technical term) of ladybugs and beautiful red trees. All in all, it was a great way to spend the day and we in no way regretted the break from our routine.

Nap time

On of Nathan's latest words is "nap," which sounds a lot like naaaaaa (no crying involved, just a very long a sound). Lately he has a cold and doesn't feel well, so napping is a little more attractive than usual. He'll find me, back up into me (indicating I should put him on my lap), then lay his head on my shoulder and say "nap." I'm happy to oblige.

Change of Plans

Originally, we thought we were going to spend Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa G and Great-Grandma P at our home. Things change. Instead, we ended up leaving our presents under the tree and heading to Utah. Joshua, for one, was very excited. He got to exchange the gloomy blah of central California for the brilliant whites of northern Utah. We had barely begun our ascent into the Sierras and he was already asking if he could get out and play in the snow. While he still had many hours to wait, he did get to live his dream. We spent as much of our week out of doors as two boys could handle (the other little boy had a much lower saturation point). Hooray for snow!