June

Huntington Library

Huntington Library

Giving Simon a massage

May

Simon hugging Archie the Alligator

Being silly with Uncle Jeff

Piper hugging Nani

Piper's preschool hosted a little Mother's Day brunch which included a song tribute.

The chairman of the board at Rick's work was honored by the City of Hope with a big award.  To celebrate it, they hosted a celebration at Universal Studios.  We were privy to a concert by the Eagles (the chairman is their manager), tons of free gourmet food, games, and rides.  Piper loved seeing Big Time Rush and Cody Simpson (Joe Jonas introduced them but she doesn't know the Jonas brothers.)  After the Eagles played, Simon yelled, "Go Dodgers!"

On a hike in Solstice Canyon

A veritable beehive in a tree

I found more Easter shots

Day #7

I'm thankful for...

1. Figuring out a last minute dinner from things I found in the freezer and in the pantry, and Piper ate it up.
2. Netflix app.  I just discovered this but having Netflix on my phone will be a good go-to for keeping the kids occupied if need be.
3. Park day with friends.
4. Making progress on filing away paperwork and tidying things up.
5. Giving a compliment that was sincerely accepted.

Today's gratitude

1. The new show "Whitney." I just watched last week's episode and I literally slapped my knee and laughed out loud. When Alex was drunk, I just about bust a gut. Roxanne reminds me of my cousin Natalee. (Natalee, I mean that in a good way; she's a crack-up.)

2. Clean laundry. It's folded, at least, if not put away.

3. Playdates with new friends.

4. Productive evenings. I made dinner (okay, it was French toast), worked on homework with Piper, did laundry, washed dishes, finished a baby blanket, and studied my scriptures.

5. Seeing the progress Piper is making academically at school. Her attitude may still need adjustments some days.

Thanks for...

1. A touching lesson in Relief Society meeting and a good friend to share it with
2. A lovely Sunday dinner - shepherd's pie with gingerbread cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert
3. The kids going to sleep easily
4. Good books - I'm reading A Wrinkle in Time for the umpteenth time; it's still awesome.
5. Fun Thanksgiving plans - we'll get to see several loved ones, oh and get some of my sister's wonderful pumpkin crisp

Five on five

1. A loving husband who let me sleep in until almost 9 this morning. With a migraine and an early bedtime yesterday he knew I could probably use some recovery time this morning. AND there wasn't a complete mess or injured children when I finally got up.

2. Some one-on-one time with Piper today. We worked on riding her two-wheeler and then after the boys left we cuddled up with some Halloween candy and High School Musical. She needed that personal time and I loved it too.

3. Dinner with my parents. I'm so happy we have such a good relationship. Our kids are just crazy about them, and vice versa.

4. Warm jammies and blankets.

5. Cozy, autumnal weather. It's unusual to feel chilly in L.A. but it feels good from time to time.

Extra thanks: coupons. I'm not usually a coupon person but I got one in the mail recently for $11.00 off my next purchase at the grocery store. That's a coupon I can use.