The First Half of 2014 in Pictures

I'm stifling my inner perfectionist and posting a ton of favorite photos in an effort to get caught up. I love instagram, but we have so many more great memories from this year that I don't want to forget.

In addition to the amazing things we've done (which I list at the bottom of this post), we've also worked really hard. I remember in college when a professor said at finals time that life will only get more stressful. I balked at that. (Finals were way stressful, right??) I can see what he means now, though, as the stress of keeping a hundred balls in the air is very different than the stress of acing five tests in a week.

Our job managing our building has grown and morphed over the years, and I'm ready to move on. Thankfully, I have Ryan to help me find the humor in the insane interactions I sometimes have with (overly invested) residents and HOA board members. :) It's really hard to find the right next step for our family, especially in an area like the Bay area. But overall, the job has been a HUGE blessing for us, and a silver lining is how invested the boys are in being "mangegers," as Chase pronounces it. I appreciate being able to have them work right alongside me.

Ryan and I have spent a year now developing trread.com with our designer and developer. We have come so far, but we still have a ways to go. I love the videos we're producing, though!

I got called to be the ward librarian, which is a little hilarious. I think I'm the youngest person ever to be in that room, but it's a surprisingly social calling. Plus, I waged war on all the junk that had collected in there, and I won! On a more serious note, maybe the Lord just knew I needed a little break and a little spiritual boost from attending Relief Society. I'll take it while I can! Ryan is still serving as assistant ward clerk.

Ryan's job at Apple rocks! And he rocks at it!

Trenton's year of kindergarten was a little isolating for the kids and me. Between school and preschool pickups and dropoffs and Quinn's two naps a day, that was about all we could do. But once summer hit and Quinn eliminated a nap, we started living it up!

Here's the first half of the year in pictures...!

Chase's fourth birthday (which included an un-pictured family trip to Rock 'N Jump); several beautiful trips to the beach; a hike off skyline; a couple of fun outings to Bernal Heights; Quinn's first birthday; a fantastic (seriously, fantastic) visit from Sarah, Javier, and Arie; a crazy fun Ellie Goulding concert for Ryan and me; an Easter photoshoot by our pool; and a backpacking trip for Ryan.

A plane ride to Utah for Launa and Nate's GORGEOUS wedding; a six-mile boys hike where the boys really learned that they can "do hard things"; Trenton's last day of kindergarten; Father's day; a visit from my sweet grandpa (who came bearing a boxing bag the boys are still using); a foggy visit to Twin Peaks; and—not to be forgotten—cherry, strawberry, and peach picking. My favorites. :)

Family Pictures 2014

At my mom's request, here are my favorites (many of them) from our family photo shoot this weekend. My close friend and fellow preschool mom Angelica has taken our pictures a bunch of times, and I'm always over the moon after she gives them to me! 

You would never guess that right before this, we had about three different meltdowns about what to wear. (Proudly, none of them were on my part. :) It is REALLY hard to get that second son out of basketball pants. :)

Also, both boys have partial spiderman tattoos that they got at the dentist earlier in the week after getting two fillings each. :) I secretly like the little tattoos peeking through in the photos because they remind me that childhood isn't really about dressing nicely or gelling your hair. We want to live life and have some adventures together! (That said, every now and then, Mom will still make you get out of your basketball pants and take some pictures!) 

Thank you, Angelica!!! 

It's Time to Go Private...

I think it is finally time to take this family scrapbook of ours private. I've resisted it for years. :) But people aren't reading family blogs as much as they used to, with the rise of instagram and all, and this blog contains so much about our family... It's just time.

So if you would like an email invite to access this blog in the future, please let me know! Include your email address if I might not have it.

(You can still keep up with us by following Let Why Lead, too.)

Thanks, dear friends and family!

The Homestead Crater

A couple days after Christmas (see post below this one), we went with Kyle to the Homestead crater hot springs in Midway. This is a must-do in Utah! If there are three things I love, it's being somewhere beautiful, being with people I love, and being warm. So this fit the bill perfectly.

You need a reservation, which is nice because it keeps the water from being crowded. The water temp is consistent and not too hot, and everyone has to wear a life jacket, so it was actually a great place for kids. The only casualty was Trenton's snorkel, which sunk much too deep for any of us to reach, despite Kyle's efforts to catch it after *I* dropped it! (I owe T a snorkel! Sorry, Santa!)

At first Quinn was hilariously stoic, which is unusual for her. (The lifejacket pushed her chubby cheeks up just like a squirrel. :) But after a little while in the water she mellowed out, leaned back, and spent most of the time splashing contentedly with her arms and legs.

T was a PRO, zipping around with his green mask and snorkel from Santa! And Chase was happy trying out the goggles and relaxing with the pool noodle we found.

We were especially glad to have an extra set of adult hands when it came time to get everyone out of the water and dressed again before going back out into the snowy world. :) It was so fun having Kyle there, and we didn't mind trying out his new GoPro either!

Next time we'll just have to plan it so the entire family can come along! 

Christmas in Utah - 2013

It's the little moments of a trip that I love the most, like watching Chase help Julia make the cranberry sauce from scratch and sneaking a photo of Greg offering Quinn a baby doll to entertain her while I gave the boys a bath on Christmas day. 

It's hanging out on the couch with a baby in footy pajamas, having long conversations covering meaningful topics, like gay marriage and faith and relationships. 

It's trying to pose four couples for a picture and realizing there is no way to do it that won't look cheesy, so why not pretend we're a choo-choo train? (See bottom.) 

It's the night when Quinn is randomly awake and giddy-happy in her pack-n-play from 10pm-12am and Trenton is deliriously sleep talking that entire time. (Mom, what is that? Pause. Mom, can I touch it? Pause. Mom, is that Quinn?? Pause. HI QUINN! in his happy, high-pitched voice.)

It's the hour—after Trenton finally throws up at midnight and finally falls into a peaceful sleep—when Quinn suddenly wakes up feverish and inconsolable, but your husband manages to get her to fall asleep on his chest.

It's noticing Quinn's hand on Trenton's mouth while she drinks her bottle—and being reminded how incredibly comfortable they are with each other. 

It's every single conversation you catch Great-Grandpa having with your children, especially the boy who shares his name. It's the peppermints he pulls out of their ears and their belief that it is doing "good things" that puts them there. 

It's the slow-mo video of your family sledding down an icy hill. It's the fact that one of your kids is perfectly content using a discarded piece of plastic to "chisel" away at the ice, while the other goes on ride after ride just for the thrill. 

Yep, those are the moments I love most about vacation. 

And by the way, Trenton is becoming quite the recreational companion for his dad! He's already better on skis than I am! Go T!