Puerto Vallarta (September 2010)

Hollis and I spend our Honeymoon (part C) in Mexico. My parents had upgraded their time share and got a free week at any resort that had to be used by the end of the year. We were thrilled to take them up on their offer.

Hollis quite enjoyed some of the street signs. Apparently there is a dance club called "Disco Golden Times."

Yep. He's pretty darn awesome. Also, a store called "Liquid Men."

Hollis and I didn't want to bring our real wedding rings to Mexico, so we wore inexpensive rings (~$1 each) to Mexico with plans to purchase travel rings there. We bought both rings at the same place, so we paid $40 for both. It was a great price. And we LOVE our rings. Hollis got an awesome silver ring with turquoise set in it:

Mine is silver with several different colored opals set in it:

My ring was a tad big, but I loved it so much. I sized it by wrapping silver wires around the bottom of it. Maybe when I'm pregnant it will fit better ;)

DISNEYLAND!! (September 2010)

Hollis and I started Phase I of Honeymoon part C: Disneyland!

In January 2010, Hollis and I both participated in the MLK day of service. Disneyland, in 2010, had a program: give a day of service, get a day at Disneyland. So we both had free tickets to Disneyland. Hollis had never been before, and I was SO EXCITED to go with him. I love Disneyland, and after going there, Hollis does too.

We got to go to so many places. Right before closing time, we went into Fairy Cove (or someplace like that). During the daytime, it takes 40 minutes to get there (because Tinkerbelle and other fairies are there). But we enjoyed the cute big decorations.

I love Disneyland. I totally want to go back.

Super FAT (Summer 2010)

So, everyone likes to think of summer when it's winter, right? Or nearly spring?

Okay, so I just never got around to blogging the second half of summer. We started August by attending Super FAT (aka Crapo Family Reunion). We went to a spot near the Hoh Rain Forest (right next to Forks). On the first day, we went to the beach. The kids had fun (see their smiles) as did my husband.

On the second day we went to the rain forest. We enjoyed hiking, and I loved walking with my niece. I taught her how roots are like mouths for eating and drinking (okay, maybe not the most technical, but the basic idea is there). The trees were beautiful and mossy!

After the rain forest, we went back to the beach. We went to the right side of the beach where there was sand. Hollis enjoyed running headlong into the surf. I was very happy to get my ankles wet (it was COLD!) but it was beautiful and misty.

That night (or one of them anyway) we went to Forks for Chinese food. The amount of Bella/Edward stuff was ridiculous. Hollis and I couldn't resist posing with a couple of them.

The pose below happened when Hollis, Carol, and I were trying to find ice cream. Apparently everything closes at 8 PM, so no ice cream for us.

On our last morning, we went and visited the animals that lived at the ranch where we were staying (the Hoh Humm Ranch - I highly recommend it!)

We had to hike, but we found deer! It was so cool. I got to hand-feed a deer. As did my awesome husband! :)

Birthday Balloon Party

So my nephew turned 2 years old, and his parents came up with the best birthday party idea ever. What do little kids love? Balloons! And thus was born the balloon castle:

It's two cardboard boxes taped into a castle (or house) with a child-sized door cut in the side. Then, while the 2-year olds were napping, we filled it with balloons and covered it with a blanket. He (the birthday boy) had no idea that there was anything hiding, but boy oh boy was he happy to be in there. After he got his first turn, we let all the little kids go in (hence the mayhem you see above).

Then we played balloons war (or boxing), and that was fun. We adults could do more than case balloons around the room and put them back in the box.

Goodness, I love my family.

Parenting

My sister was blogging about parenting and trying to help her daughter remember this bad thing she'd done in order to never do in again. She realized that she was feeling vindictive and that that was not a good was to enact consequences of actions. The following story came to mind while reading it.

One time, Arrowhead was having a science fair of something in the old gym (now library). I was probably 4 and was there with mom, whom I think was helping out. One of he experiments was using sugar cubes and I wanted one and they did have a whole box of them so, when no one was looking I took one and put it in my lunch bag to eat later with lunch at my friends house where I was going for a play date after the fair. While driving to the play date, mom asked what I had for lunch (I don't know why, intuition I guess) and I, always a terrible liar, showed her and so we talked about it, turned around the car and mom had me take it back, admit fault, and apologize. I don't know if she was intended for me to have a landmark epic experience or if she was just helping without the necessary steps in the repentance process, but I think many people look back on similar experiences and want to help their own learning loved ones have similar ones. But I think you are right, it's not something vindictive, nor can it be forced. You just have to help them understand it was a bad thing and help them through the repentance process I love and firm kindness and hope that it sticks.

I'm sure that's the reason behind most spankings, but if spanking out of anger and not out of love, you are reinforcing anger and retaliation and not change and love.

Hollis got a new bike (Summer 2010)

Okay, so it was this summer, but I sort of fell off the face of the blogging world since July. We had another family reunion, my sister got married, we went to Mexico, and all sorts of fun stuff. Let's see if I can get caught up during Christmas break - updates on the end of summer and all fall! (I've missed blogging; good thing it's so easy to start again.)

Hollis and I got a ton of gift cards to Target. Our first purchase with them was Hollis's bike. He was SO excited when it arrived. I would describe, but his face pretty much speaks for itself.

After opening and assembling it, Hollis decided to take the bike for a test ride:

He rode his bike for just about anything he could think of. When he needed to check to see if it was recycling week, he jumped on his bike and rode down the driveway.

Also, Hollis's wedding ring arrived in the mail. He likes it a lot.

Total Ridiculous Dream Commentary

So Michelle and I regularly wake up in the morning and talk about our dreams. I thought we could discuss that here.

So there is a game in the movie adaptation of Roald Dahl's book The Fantastic Mr. Fox called Whack-Bat. Kinda like Cricket, kinda like an obstacle course. Well I had a dream the other night that I was playing Whack-Bat in waist deep water. Needless to say, it was difficult, but I think I did well.

A few nights later I dreamt. That I was trying to turn left onto a road with a center median so I took a wide right turn to get into the far left lane only to accidentally drive right onto the median which was really a small playground in the middle of the road. Well I drive through the park to an exit on the left side and I get going the direction I want to go only to realize that apparently I am driving my car from the rear passenger seat. From this spot I can't see any of my mirrors and if I could have, it wouldn't have helped because I was in the wrong seat. I also couldn't see forward very well because the front seat was in the way. This is when I begin stressing about all the illegal things I have recently done (drove through a playground) slash was doing (driving my car from the back seat and not even doing a tidy job of it). Naturally in dreams this is when the police show up. So they obliged and I start freaking out about how I'm in the backseat and they're gunna pull me over and think that I was crawling around trying to avoid them and should I or should I not jump out of the car and try and quickly run around to the drivers seat when I pull over and if I do will they think I'm trying to get away and shoot me?! Anyway, I decide it's best to pull over regardless, but all of a sudden I can't because my right arm is trapped behind my head and is being held there by my seat belt. I start yankin on it to free it and then I wake up to find myself laying on top of my arm. No, it had not fallen asleep yet.

While I've been up reading and writing blogs in bed, Michelle pulled out her arm, held it up and waved it around. Her explanation when she woke up? "Brian was a baby and I was giving him a high five." 'Nuff said.

(Note added by Michelle: Brian is my brother; he is now 13 years old.)

Snow!

This is my backyard. It's snowing! It's so nice to be inside a warm house and see the beautiful snow. But it's a bit scary because Seattle isn't as equipped as Provo to handle snow.