Swimming

 Family fun in the pool after sweaty soccer watching!

 Aunt Val reads the babies a bedtime story.  We have beds and blow ups in every room.

Tate's other grandma does grandma camp with all her granddaughters when they turn 8.  She'll be on her mission when Tatum has her birthday so she got to go last week and she made this beautiful blanket. 

Last soccer game

 It was a long, many hot hot days of soccer losses for our team.  Kind of a bummer but it's been a fun season.

 It was super fun to have everyone here to watch him play.  He had his own cheering section!

Soccer in the summer

 Soccer games in the summer are only a good idea if you live in Alaska, or Greenland.  Here it's too hot!

Ethan played yesterday, and today, and tomorrow...and Sunday is the end of the tournament but we won't be there.

Yesterday they won 3-0!!
Today they lost 5-1 :(
Tomorrow 3 games are scheduled and I just hope we survive.

Hannah and Ethan supplied us with donuts this morning.  Perks to having a teenage driver in the house.

Hot Hot Hot

Melisse

Before we moved away from our beloved MD to the desert we were trying to encourage the children that it would be awesome.  Normally it's quite exciting to move somewhere new and I eagerly look forward to our next move, which in not eminent. 

One thing we did was promise Disney season passes to them and that was really fun!  Hannah is a foodie, and was in the culinary program and was really sad about leaving that.  In our CA research she found the "French Laundry" was here (in CA) and asked if we could go. I said yes not knowing what it costs to go there.  When I found out I sadly had to go back on my word and tell her we couldn't go.  She took it well enough but was disappointed.  There are a lot of "fancy" restaurants around and she kept looking and then found Melisse.  It's close to home, not as $$$, although still insanely costly, and she wanted to go for her graduation present.  So it was set.  

Anna and Amadeo love to fine dine and they agreed to meet us.  Hannah and I were both glad, they are good dinner company and it was fun to get their perspective and expertise on the food. Rob graciously stayed home (because we were too cheap to take 3 of us)

I didn't take any pictures.  Anna did but she hasn't posted yet.  Hannah did with her not very good cell camera...so that's what we have :)  

It's a whole experience.  We were there about 3 1/2 hours as each course was brought out and explained to us.

First we had:

 a fancy shot of soda (not it's official name) it was a cleanser and palate awakener.  

served with a collection of seasonal stone fruits in plum and rhubarb water with purslane and minetuna salad on top and drizzled with walnut oil.  It was delicious and delicate.

Next was a lovely tomato soup, made with green and yellow zuchhini and a viva patricia strawberry sorbet. It was a delightful swirl of cold and hot dancing on your tongue.  It was really good and I don't even like tomato soup.

Hannah's favorite was the next course which was egg caviar.  It was a soft poached egg with lemon creme fraiche and sturgeon caviar.  It was pretty and delicious.

My least fav was next (I liked it, just not loved it, like the rest of the wow dinner):

Foie Gras and Rabbit Torchon

Devil's gulch rabbit, patterson apricot, pole beans, petitie mustard and bacon vinaigrette

That was followed by a lobster pasta dish that I don't know the description of.  It was tasty but not very lobstery.

Next was the fish course:

Wild King Salmon

summer truffles, green chickpeas, chanterelle mushrooms, spanish eggplant veloute.

Amazing!

Marcho Farms Veal Loin

Braised veal cheek, courgettes, oreon porcini, spring onion and nastrutium sauce.

It melted in your mouth! This was my favorite!

Last was the dessert:

We started with a dark chocolate dessert that looked like a little ball with gold painted on top.  You broke it and inside was a swirl of deliciousness.  Several flavors blended together in a symphony of chocolately goodness in your mouth.

and then my fav dessert:

Gaviota Strawberries

ricotta cremeux, elderflower sorbet and aerated yogurt.  The lid was a sugar wafer that you broke thru and it made a crumble on top.  It was delicious.

Lastly there was a petite four dessert taste.

I didn't get a picture of Hannah (dumb) but here I am.  We didn't know what to wear but this ended up fine.  It was dressy but also LA, beach casual dressy. (I wore shoes :))

Anyway, Hannah had a great night.  She said it was her best meal ever and she hopes to fine dine again some day.  I had a fun night.  It was awesome to do something with Han that she really loved and it's always fun to be with A2. I don't feel anxious or motivated to seek out other Michelin restaurants.  While it was very fun and very yummy and lots of surprising, unique, flavors it was too $ for me.  I'd rather spend that on Disneyland day, or a little weekend vacation or something else.

*edited to add some of Anna's photos.  

pool party

 Tonight the youth had a swim party at our house.  We had a good turn out and the kids had fun.  I thought the water was too cold, but they never seem to care.

Today was a busy errand day but first everyone had to get in their Steven snuggles.  He's a lover...if not a pee-er where he belongs-er.

So first a ticket.  Hannah got a ticket months ago for having her tag on the wrong plate of the car.  Dumb.  It took many tries and hours at the DMV to get that sorted out.  Then we weren't sure how to pay it or get it verified.  Several tries later, and after filing one extension, we decided to do it today no matter what.  So we went to the courthouse and told them we didn't know what to do.  The lady we talked to was super helpful and gave us step by step instructions.  First we had to go to the CHP office (where Jon Youchim was working so that was a fun surprise). He helped us out.  Then we went back to the courthouse and paid the ticket.  What a load off.

Next was a meningitis shot.  Again much more complicated than it needed to be.  The doctor couldn't get her in in time.  The clinic didn't have it (strange), 3 pharmacies later we found one.  She was not very excited but I am glad we got it done. 

After that we had a couple things to get at the store and she wanted tacos for being so brave for her shot.  We went to Rubios and I had a yummy mango/avocado/quinoa salad.  

So it was a pretty good day.  Ethan has a hurt foot, which isn't good because he has a 4 day soccer tournament starting tomorrow and then soccer camp in 2 weeks.  

palindrome week

Grace and Brynn

 For a family that celebrates pi day palindrome week is exciting.  Every day this week the date is a palindrome. Today 7.11.17, tomorrow 7.12.17 etc.  Hannah was especially excited as her name is also one, and for this week only we wish we had named Steve "tacocat".

It's also 7-11 day and Chickfila cow appreciation day so we had a full agenda.

First this morning Z got her stitches out.  She still has to wear the cone for another day or two, which is hugely disappointing.  Also she is still not using the leg ...which is even more disappointing.  She has not been herself and it's put a little black raincloud over the whole house.

After that we suited up and met the Sherwoods for lunch.  Then drove to 7-11 for free slurpees.  Free food cheers everyone up!

Austin, Travis, Hannah and Ethan

 Grace went home with Brynn to hang out for the afternoon and there goes another summer day.

me and Audrey with the kids

swimming

 I asked the boys to smile and instead they dove at each other and wrestled under the water.  Today is a warm one, and perfect for inviting friends to swim.

 Reagan, Hannah and Sam enjoy each other's company.  Hannah has made some good friends here.

 You can't really tell but in the pool are Brynn and Grace, Ethan, Brody, Zach, Austin and Travis and Noah.  I always cringe and hope no one hits their heads or losses any teeth when E has his friends over.  Seriously it's a worry for me.  Also lots of my photos are from a distance because I usually "lifeguard" from inside :) where it's not 110 degrees.

Our weekend was good, except Rob hurt his back.  We have horrible carpet in our bathroom...it's not that awful but who carpets around the toilet?  So we have wanted to take it out since the moment we moved in.  Also our bathroom is pretty dated and we've wanted to upgrade it.  But there is always something else to put our money on and I think it'll be a couple years before were really get to it.  This weekend, the weekend before 20 people come to stay at our house BTW, Rob decided to start pulling it out.  He got hurt and then we had a huge mess.  So a) I feel really bad for him.  A bad back is the worst. I know very well and sadly still struggle with mine.  b) I "hired" Grace this morning to clean up the glue and mess from his project which she did.  She worked really hard and it took over an hour of constant scrubbing to get it all up.  It still looks like we are ripping up our bathroom but it's something we can live with now.  And c) "splain me this Lucy" what is it about men that makes them want to start projects at such interesting times?  After all these years I am not mad but it's still a mystery.  I do remember one time when I was mad.  We had an ugly sweater party at our house one December.  We invited about 8 couples over and I spent a couple days getting ready, planning games, cleaning, cooking.  The afternoon of the party R decided to clean the garage and install his kayak holder on the ceiling thus making him unavailable for last minute party prep...and when guests arrived he was still in the garage, with the door open, in shorts and a tee shirt because he was hot, installing the thing.  Several men asked if they should go help...and their wives were like "no way! What is he doing out there on the eve of a party?".  He finished shortly, cleaned up and joined us for a fun night but it was frustrating and not an isolated incident.  (early in our marriage his idea of helping to get ready for company was to mow the grass an hour before they came, then to leave the grass clippings on the walkway because he had to run and shower,  EV.ER.Y.Time)  Why do I write this now?  I was remembering it this morning as I was meal planning for our next busy weeks and Grace was scrubbing and he was working from home (because of the back injury) and I was laughing to myself because life is so funny and learning to live together happily with your family is such a journey.  I write my blog for me.  I love to look back.  For our parents, who read and stay caught up on our antics. For my kids, who love to read about themselves and use it for evidence of things in the past.  And also because I think some day my granddaughters, or great granddaughters might read it.  When they read about Grandpa they will be so surprised.  I can picture Penny saying to Tatum "Grandpa is so nice and he and Mimi are so happy I can't image them being frustrated and having silly disagreements" and then when they are frustrated with their own husbands or children they will feel better and know they are not alone, that it's part of the process.  Even Sariah was frustrated with Lehi (although we don't know much about the details we do know it happened).  

disclaimer: I am fully aware that as the story teller the stories I tell are slanted to my perspective so if you want to know some of my annoying quirks you can read his blog...(LOL, oh yay he doesn't have one!)

Anyway, good times.  The hot summer days, the chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven that the kids are inhaling, and the memories and shared growth that show us how far we've come.  (an inch in 10 years...like the stalactites)