Anthony's Faves

So I've fallen behind on blogging about the sweet and simple things about life and my children!  But all that is about to change because I just got a new computer, which will make it much easier to upload pics to my blog!  Sweet Anthony is 17 months now and just a joy.  Here I've captured some of his favorite things, namely his puppy, his pacifier, and playing peek-a-boo in the collapsible hamper.

He likes to grab his puppy by the tail and carries it around like this.

Where's Anthony?

Peek-a-boo!

Absolute favorite game.

Never tires of it. :)

Followed by loud laughter... it's a surprise every time. ;)

I call this the quintessential pose- baby on the dishwasher.

Announcing the News Here

For documentation's sake I thought I'd record the start of my journey into surrogacy.  Last week Forrest and I flew down to Pasadena for the embryo transfer, and 5 days later I got a positive result.  The process was quite neat, as we were able to watch the 5 day old embryos travel down the tube and into my uterus via the ultrasound screen.  We are so excited to be embarking on this journey... more to come. :)

Bath Time

I love this picture.  Something about it really strikes me.  I think because it is an ordinary moment in my day-to-day life that I will probably look back on and mourn the loss of.  I feel reminiscent just looking at it.  Bath time is my favorite.  It hasn't always been that way, but since moving here, I try to make it that way.  I think it helps that I really like the bathrooms!  The tub is extra deep and I can fit 3 kids in there.  Bath time is my release time, a break from the stress of the hustle and bustle.  I love to just sit and watch my kids play, soaking in their every motion.  From the diaper on the edge of the counter to the overturned footstool, this picture is so... real.

Tough Mudder

This past weekend Forrest participated in Tough Mudder. This was an 11 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces. I am proud to say my honey went into it with little to no training and took it like a champion. He was on an 11 man team, which ended up splitting along the course into pairs of 2. Forrest ran it with his brother, Tommy, as they helped each other through the obstacles. Cathe, Vera, and I were "spectators," which meant we got to hike the mountain in pursuit of them, hoping to catch them at some of the obstacles. Our efforts were mostly in vain as we were always 2 steps behind, but it was neat to get a firsthand experience with the course.

There were thousands of participants so they started in waves.  Forrest and Tommy were in the 8:40 wave and here they are waiting at the starting line.

Swinging monkey bars across a cold green lake. 

We had fun riding the chair lift and gondola to catch up with them.  This was at the top of Northshore Ski Resort, Tahoe.

"Beast Mode" cheerleaders!

There were some great costumes there; among them, Superman and Batman.  I had to get a picture of this guy.  As you can imagine the hard-bodies were many.

Forrest and Tommy's turn to scale the wall.  This was at the end of the 11-mile course.

Wet, dirty, fatigued and 4 hours later... they finished!

My sexy "mudder."

This was yesterday, the "recovery mudder."  He received an Under Armour shirt which I thought was so awesome (Under Armour is my favorite brand of workout gear.)  Good job babe, I am so incredibly proud of you!  Next year, we'll be on the same team. :)

Ragnar

Two weekends ago I competed in Ragnar. I was on a team of 12 girls and we ran a relay race from San Francisco to Napa Valley (Calistoga) for a total distance of 194 miles- nonstop. It took us 34 hours start to finish, and we sacrificed 2 nights sleep. Our check-in time was 3:30 a.m. Friday morning in S.F., meaning we had to leave CP at 1:00 a.m. Thursday night. We did get a hotel briefly on Friday night where we were able to shower and sleep for about 3 1/2 hours before completing our 3rd legs, but by Saturday we were pretty spent. There's so much I could say about this experience, but mostly that I would do it again. I hit a low Friday night after I had been up for 36 hours and run 2 of my 3 legs, but those few hours of sleep at the hotel did wonders and gave me just enough pep to finish my 3rd leg Saturday morning. Like anything else, the challenge is what made the experience so rewarding. I loved the comaraderie between all the teams. It was fun to run into other friends there, also. We went out to dinner as a team to Mimi's Cafe after the race and relished in celebration.

Here's me before the race, thinking I was going to get a few hours sleep.

This marker became my beacon that I came to look  forward to on each leg.  My legs: 5.4 mi., 7.9 mi., and 3.3 mi.

Here we are (half the team) after our first two legs, enjoying a little break at major exchange point 1.

Showing off our Ragnar tattoos.

The end of the race, about 3:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon.  We were so stiff we didn't know if we were going to be able to cross the finish line together, but we did.  All 12 of us.

Ice House Resevoir

This is another shortened post due to the fact that only half my pictures are sending from my phone.  Anyhow, the weekend after Yosemite we took a trip to Ice House.  We love it here, and try to go every year.  This is actually the place where Forrest and I got engaged 10 years ago.
The weather, again, was perfect.  We got there late Friday night, set up camp, and had everyone settled by about midnight.  We had some noisy (but friendly) neighbors.  The lake was beautiful.  We happened to be there on the weekend of the meteor shower, but by the second night we were so tired that we only stayed awake for one or two.  It was actually kind of neat because Forrest took the canopy off our tent so we could see the night sky.  I had just closed my eyes to go to sleep, and I thought, "It would be neat to see at least one."  Just then I looked up through the top of the tent just in time to see a big one rip through the sky.  I was satisfied and fell asleep after that.  We had some excellent campfires, and of course camping food is always the best.  I made some crisp golden hashbrowns in my cast iron skillet.  The second night there a bear came through the campground and broke out the window in our neighbor's car.  The kids awoke and spotted him foraging around our campsite.  I'm glad they got their bear sighting. =)

We came home Sunday afternoon after a short 30 minute drive and prepared to start the school year.  This was the perfect end to summer.

Yosemite Famiy Trip

So this is the shortened version of our family vacation because only half of the pictures sent from my phone, but we were fortunate to receive a free vacation to Yosemite.  Our family stayed in a cabin with Uncle Tommy and Aunt Vera.  We literally had about 3 hours notice, but I wasted no time in packing up and jumping on the opportunity.

We visited the Giant Calaveras forest, which was a small, hot hike. 

The cabin had a cute little breakfast nook.  Vera took charge of the breakfasts and we provided dinner. 

This was the kids' first time in the Yosemite valley.  They absolutely loved all the breathtaking views.

On Saturday we (5 adults and 6 kids) hiked to the top of Vernal Falls.  This was crazy.  I had Anthony in the wrap, and those steep steps at the top were a killer.  I stopped a couple of times thinking we weren't going to make it, but with the extra pairs of arms we did in fact persevere.  The view at the top was more than worth it, and wouldn't you know at the end the kids said that hike was their favorite part of the vacation.

Gorgeous.  We did break the rules and swim at the top, only to find out 2 weeks later that 2 boys drowned swimming near the falls.  I guess several people die there every year.   Nature is certainly unpredictable.

This was a loooong drive, 5 hours each way, but so worth it.  It was a vacation I did not expect and am so grateful for.  Forrest and I did not think we'd be able to take the kids to Yosemite anytime soon, yet we think of them each time we go.  The cabin was cozy, the food was delicious, the sights were beautiful, the weather perfect, and I couldn't have asked for anything more.