New words we've noticed Paloma saying this week:

Up
Down
Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka (tickling sound)
Ssss (imitating my shhh!)
Yeah...yeah...yeah (while pretending to talk on the phone)

Okay, David was about to replace our modem last night to see if that was the problem (to get us online faster in case it was and keep anyone from having to go in our office, the room that most needs Clean Sweep) and the old one was working with a signal. Our internet was back. He called Comcast and they said it had been an area outage.

So we're back. I used my computer time wisely while I was offline; I started a file of pictures to print so we can make a photo album to take on our trip for Paloma. I read this tip when Carmen was a baby and we took her to California at almost 11 months (exactly what Paloma will be for the wedding!). She also wore the Baby B'Air (approved by the FAA for in-flight use but not nearly as snug and secure as the Baby Bjorn Paloma's used to). Anyway the photo album will have Paloma in every other picture and then we'll stick in all the people she loves and who love her so we can work on their names and make sure she's at least seen the California cousins.

We also now have a folder of papers for our trip: itineraries, maps, coupons & such. David has been helping compile this stuff. He actually put all of our destinations in Google Earth so he could show the kids our trip... from here to DFW to Salt Lake City to Bob Hope Airport to our rental car place to our hotel to Legoland to our hotel to Disneyland to our hotel to the San Diego Zoo to our hotel to Laguna Beach to our new hotel to the no-rehearsal dinner to our hotel and to the wedding (downtown Los Angeles).

The kids have been playing "vacation" with the Fisher-Price little people: that is, stuffing a LOT of people in airplanes, buses, minivans, going to the airport, the amusement park, pretending the house is a hotel, etc. This was also David's idea and I have to admit, a great one. It's good to warn them how much of our time will be spent traveling and in crowds or lines. We've been trying to get Carmen to understand how important it is to stay with us... she has a tendency to wander off, feeling independent in stores or the mall, which has caused more than a few moments of panic.

I finished reading one of the books I got for Christmas last week: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. I laughed out loud, as much as I laughed at Me Talk Pretty One Day. What a great voice he has!

OK, time to go burn some of the kids' energy! But it's good to be back!

No INTERNET.

Just in case anybody ELSE out there has connectivity: I don't. I'm at Mom & Dad's house. I have lots to share and even have had a couple of chances, but TOO BAD, we have no service in our house. Comcast is sending someone out on Wednesday, but I'll be too busy getting ready to go to California at that point to do much blogging, I'm afraid.

Yesterday right when we were getting in the car to go to church I had a blood vessel pop and my leg swelled (just like the right one did in May) so I was stuck on the couch all day trying to keep it elevated. It was gross to look at, all blue and bulging, so that I thought I would be sick just from looking at it. It's better today, though it still hurts when it's touched, and my doctor didn't think it was anything to worry about. She was giving me advice about Disneyland instead! No kidding, I bet she spent 15 minutes giving me tips on what to do there; she went with her husband and two daughters last September and they had a blast. She said their favorite part was the character breakfast inside the castle, which caused them to go buy costumes. We have costumes, but I hate to pack them and carry them there...

The kids borrowed the Disney Sing-along Songs videos from Gigi's house and we watched the Disneyland one last night. Gabe said, "That's not really Mickey Mouse. It's just a man inside a Mickey Mouse costume!" So I'm wondering how much he'd get out of the character breakfast... but Lauren said when she went at around Carmen's age, she knew they weren't real but still enjoyed them, too. David said something about the shameless marketing to his kids, but I pointed out that these videos were probably made 20 years ago, so they were marketing to someone else's kids.

I missed my twenty year high school reunion this weekend. I went to the ten-year and had a blast, but then I was single and didn't have so much going on. I had just been on a date or maybe two with David. This time, all of the people I still see were NOT going. (We went with a couple of them to Splash on Friday, but that's another post.) I didn't want to show up (not to mention pay $70 per person) to not see anyone I knew. I decided instead to make an effort to find the people I've really been missing. I spent some time on Google and Classmates last week looking for some people I've lost contact with.

Where are you, Julie Howard Pherivong, Timmie Phumerick _?_, Lori Agan Keller, Shell Jennings Busbee, Adam Starr, Darryl Ferguson, Kim Kao Hines, Thomas Cates?

And of course there are others that I have some contact info for but never call, and would love to see... when we get our social life going again (?!)
Sanjay Mathur, Laura Carmichael, Mike & Anne St. John, Sandra & Brad Bowen.

At least in the past couple of months I've been able to see Tiffany, my friend since elementary school, and Stacy, my friend since 1990.

How did the summer get away without seeing the Hubers or Dana or even having a real conversation with Abbey?

I found out today that our dear friend Gordon (who was in our wedding and who we've vacationed with three times, in London, California, and New York) is getting married in New York on the same day Maria gets married in Los Angeles. We so would have been there if not for that conflict! Congratulations, Gordon, and we hope to meet your lovely bride very soon!

It's time to go get some dinner started... hope I'll be functional again and able to catch up on all of my blog-posting and blog-reading soon!

This morning I showed the kids their suitcases for our trip. Gabe tried on his backpack & I tightened the matching fanny pack as much as possible (but it's still too big). He then proceeded to play with these all day.

This afternoon, Carmen brought her suitcase downstairs and informed me she was going to start packing. I suggested she make a list first and I'm so glad I did!

Zoe came for a visit today. I had my hands too full to take any pictures besides this one! She was funny. Naming the parts of Gabe's face made him giggle! She also made a game of taking his cars out of the carwash line and moving Carmen's Care Bears for sport. She and Paloma just kept hugging and kissing each other! She did get a little homesick at one point when something I said reminded her that Gigi wasn't there and she started whining, "Gigi, Gigi, Gigi"!

We finally got to celebrate Gabriel's birthday with David's family last night. Tom shot the great picture of him blowing out his candle and the one of Andy examining his very own "Mater" cupcake complete with candy road stripes.

After dinner we went to Joe & Susan's house for a strategy session. The siblings are planning lots of fun for Maria's wedding!!

Abuela & Abuelo as well as Meg helped entertain the kids while the (other) grown-ups were creating!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame Already!

Gabe went to his first game when he was a few weeks old, but Paloma just got her first taste. At least we had good seats (little good that did for me!). I was informed yesterday that there was almost a full moon hanging over the ballpark right in front of my face.

We went with several families from our Sunday school class and their kids. I twisted Lauren's arm to go with us since she hadn't been in years. Got there in time for the National Anthem (important to me).

After the kids had consumed a burger, pretzel, Cracker Jacks, water and "movie Cars" fruit snacks, a kid next to Gabe had cotton candy. I tamed that by telling him, we'll get some this week at Kroger! Next, Carmen's friend's dad bought her a Lemon Chill. Gabe decided he needed chocolate milk. Our seats were far above Home Plate, but the vendor that sells chocolate milk is on the ground level behind 2nd base, so Lala, Paloma (in Baby Bjorn) and Gabe & I made the trek in search of chocolate milk. While we were out, Paloma lost one of her tennis shoes (hand-me-downs from Maya--it was her first time to wear them!). We spent the rest of the game retracing our steps (only an inning or so).

Still had a great time!

Last month, during soccer camp, Jenna & Dana (two of my yearbook kids) taught Carmen to use my camera. Here are a couple of examples of her current work. We have lots of still lifes! We're thinking she's going to need her own digital camera!

Paloma still likes the Exersaucers, mainly for jumping. But she also likes to play with the attached toys... as long as she can do so from the other side!

We're wondering if Maya secretly taught Paloma to stand up in the Toddle Rock Carmen got for her 1st birthday.

We went with Gigi & Lauren to Ikea one day--only Lauren had been there before. We ate a good lunch when we got there, then the kids had fun trying out all of the bunk beds and kid-sized furniture, not to mention playing in the little playhouses throughout the store. When I finally got downstairs to let them go in the supervised, drop-off play area, we had to wait in a half-hour line! (I didn't know to do this early--next time we will!) Carmen and Gabe were the right size to go in there, but much smaller or bigger wouldn't be able to.

Paloma slept most of the time we were there in the sling I used for her when she was an infant.

It took us only a half hour to get there but started raining while we were there and between that and traffic, it took us one hour and forty five minutes to get home!

I saw the next day on the news that the DOT opened the new stretch of freeway on 121 the day after we went!

While we waited to see if the weather was going to clear up in time for fireworks, Dad had the kids dancing.

Ev'ry heart beats true 'neath the Red, White, and Blue

These pictures remind me of a Portrait Innovations experience where they only show you two pictures at a time so you narrow the sixty shots to thirty and then start trying to sell you as many as possible. Lots of these shots are similar but there was no clear winner!

Morning of July 4th