Making me happy

You know when you're... say, reading a book, minding your own business, when someone decides to eat a literary, juicy, green apple.... and before you know it, your mouth is watering and your glands are doing that pinchy thing, (is it happening right now?) and it almost hurts a little, like you're actually eating something sour? It's like you had no control over it, like the author actually jumped out and forced your mouth to water. Weird. Or when you're feeding your baby and you want them to open their mouth, and you don't realize it, but you're opening your mouth super wide like that's going to help. Like baby-feeding voodoo. Looks pretty silly. But it seems to be almost reflex (tell me this isn't just me.) Some things we just don't really have control over.

Like when I see this girl for instance... smiling... like this...

I smile. Whatever the status of my sanity. Can't even help it. Reflex. They're good medicine, babies.

Olsen Fun

The last of our run of family-fun. Here's a few from our visit from Ross' sister Brooke and her adorable family. They were in San Diego looking at areas to LIVE, since Taylor graduates from his Ortho. program in December. It's pretty exciting to think Sophia and Mila will have one more set of cousins so close by. And an Orthodontist in the family? Not bad right?

Sophia and Kai. Do they look like cousins or what? (I know you can't see her face, but you know it by now...)
He's just about two months older than her, and not little or anything, but of course as you can imagine, (and see in the picture below) littler than her. She is getting SO big these days. I guess that's what happens when you combine Ross and me vs. Brooke and Taylor. (Just see photo below of Brooke and me and it's all pretty clear.) We're going to have Volleyball players for sure.

She's so dainty isn't she. Thanks Brooke. It's not cool to accidentally dress sort of twin-ish with a pilates instructor/stilt dancer*. Apples to Oranges is more my style. :) (*Yeah check out that link for a clip of her dancing on STILTS. It's at her ward talent show, instead of with her group in LA we got to see once, but still really cool.)

And their little one, Beau. Can you see where my girls get their cheeks? Definitely the Biesinger side. I LOVE them!

My nap-time snack

No I didn't eat all of them. Just thought they looked prettier in bulk. But I won't say how many I could eat in one sitting. Who am I kidding? I do eat exactly as many as I could eat, which means that I won't say how many I do eat in one sitting....(are you following?) So let's just stick to the facts. This particular Friday afternoon, I did NOT eat this entire stack of cookies. Phew.

So just in case you're craving the perfect, buttery, non-whole-wheat, non-oatmeal, non-derivative-of-the-chocolate-chip-cookie, cookie, here it is. The perfect chocolate chip cookie. Since I already have it in my computer, I figured I'd share. I call them "Kodi's Chocolate Chip Cookies" because I got it off of my sweet friend Kodi. They are perfect when fresh, but surprise surprise, me and my frozen-treat obsession, my favorite is frozen (left out to rest maybe a minute) and then dipped in milk. Yum.

Kodi's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream Well:

1 lb. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1 ½ c. white sugar

Add:

3 eggs
2 T vanilla
Cream for 4 minutes

Add:

6 c. flour
1 ½ t. salt
1 ½ T. soda

Blend mixture slowly and thoroughly
Add: 2 c. chocolate chips (I do lots more... probably over 3 cups, but that's me, eyeball it)
Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes.

Holy Cow-- did anyone actually watch this?

If not. You are definitely thinking less of me right now... as you can probably tell that I did. It was Ross' fault. He turned it on right after an old episode of House, and I was already too cozy in my corner of the sectional (the very middle of the wide V-- best spot in the house)... to get up in honor of my strike on crappy summer television. And then it started. At first we were confused. Is this the show? Is this a joke? It's like we're watching a Talk Soup episode about the show. And then came the uncontrollable laughter. Both of us. I don't remember the last time we laughed that hard. Maybe it was just really late. Or just the fact that Ross' BIG laugh is SO contagious. But all I know is I was wiping tears out of my eyes to see more and my sides hurt this morning. SO funny. Who'd have thought?

Because sometimes I need to remind myself...

It's Monday. And I hate Mondays. I thought that feeling would have been left behind with school and work. After all, every day is essentially the same for me now right? If only kids took the weekends off from being kids. I take that back. Ross always says, "be careful what you wish for." Well maybe he doesn't always say that. That would be kind of cheesy, and would imply I'm always wishing for questionable things, but he's said it before I'm sure. Anyway... I guess what with the weekend still being the most fun, with Ross being home and a little less pressure to check things off my list, as a mom, I still hate to see the weekend go. And therefore....

In the spirit of feeling and sending some positive vibes-- to fight the Monday blues, (and for me, this HORRIBLE weather I'm trying to survive) a few things that I love:

- This new song on my list at #1. I'm sure I'll be sick of it next week, but forget to change it on my blog because my computer's too often muted. But for now, I'm loving it.

- Fresh and Easy-- I know it's been done-- but don't know if I've mentioned this reason. HALF OFF whatever expires that day. I'm LOVING it. Trying to fit it in in the morning when there's bound to be more selection. Today I got tomatoes, blackberries, the precooked chicken I can freeze and pull out whenever I'm desperate (and I usually hate precooked chicken but this is different, it's like I cooked it and stuck it in the fridge, still not quite like fresh, but not all bouncy and weird), hamburgers (hooray- pretty sure I've mentioned how I liked those, and we're having the missionaries from church over for dinner tomorrow), and some marinated kabobs for dinner (which reminds me of a very funny FOTC clip on my Bro in law, Joe's blog if you feel like laughing.... "...the most beautiful girl I have ever seen with a keBAB" check it out. ) I'm sure I got some more stuff, but I think you're done reading about it. Oh and tack on one of their $5 off coupon. Almost made me forget it was Monday.

- These new West Elm chairs from my sister, Melisa!!!!! I am absolutely in love with them. Thankyou thankyou thankyou Mel. We've all been eating in a row at the counter. Not great for dinner conversation. And honestly rounding the corner that enters the kitchen and seeing this flash of color makes me SO happy. Even on a 110 degree Monday morning. (We got a couple of other things from her, but I'm going to have to wait until I make them look cute in the room before I post them. I love love love love siblings with good tastes and hand-me-downs... I really am so grateful....)

and now that I've got the chairs, I'm finally loving:

- my white ikea cheap, cheap tulip table. I was worried it looked too cheap. Now I love it.

-Nursing. Mila won't take a bottle, just like Sophia wouldn't. And I like how I say "won't", as if I gave them any choice. I would love the freedom to leave for a date before 7 or run Saturday errands with no deadline, but I just can't make myself put energy into pumping or working on the bottle thing when I LOVE NURSING. I guess that's just what I get.

-Speaking of nursing-- you know what I really love? When one of her loose hands finds my skin and her fingers tickle my side and it feels intentional. Like she's saying I love you. Like real affection. Like the reciprocation has started. I LOVE that.

-Open faced, avocado, turkey, and tomato sandwiches, (but the avocado has to be squished on the toast, not just sliced, and the tomatoes cannot have been refrigerated. And plenty of kosher salt. I like being able to control the bigger granules in my fingers. Yum-- I'm eating one right now.

- LONG naps from my little ones.

Speaking of..... didn't get that particular love today... they've each woken up during this post which does remind me that I love:

- when they wake up from naps. All sleepy eyed and snuggly, and GORGEOUS. (Why don't we look better than ever when we wake up like they do? ) And Sophia sits so carefully with Mila and plays with her "here you go baby" giving her all sorts of toys that she doesn't know what to do with, and then takes them away "no no baby, can't play that"... but all very sweet... because she's just woken up. I love that.

And now it's 3 pm, so maybe Tuesday will come pretty quickly and all will be well with my mental status. Wish me luck. And perhaps a breeze.

Let's just wrap it up.

Here's the rest of them.... San Diego photos, that is. Sunday hangin--Church, Barbecue, Boccie Ball... a very Happy Father's Day.

This is what I got when I made my mom be "sassy", "sexy", "silly!" ... somewhere in between her joking came this face, and I thought she looked dreamy. They're so in love-- these two. Really. Whenever I'm around them I think-- 'I need to remember to laugh a bit more.'

Kirk with his boys--- three handsome brunettes.

Kirk's Father's Day gift... the Boccie Ball set. Lacy and Joe's idea. So simple, surprisingly fun... and yes I'm sort of just sneaking some in of my new hair to prove it's not always in a pony. I'm pretty sure that it was after this throw that Joe said, "by the looks of Lacy and Lillie's throws, I'd think they were throwing with their non-dominant arm." It's a super heavy ball, so no, I guess it wasn't my most coordinated moment.

Yeah that's Joe, the one that leaves occasionally prank comments like "you should have never cut your hair", with my lovely sister. My heart very literally aches when she returns to her cross-country home.

Sigh. Too perfect for words at this stage. Perhaps I'll come up with some tomorrow. She did just turn seven months.

And just a few more ...

So like every trip preceding this one, I come back to the desert after being in San Diego, just a little depressed that it's no longer the place I call home. The smell in the air, the slight humidity, the life outside the open windows... I don't miss the birds, the breeze, and even neighborhood sounds when I'm here at home, but when I'm there, and forced to remember what it's like to have constanly open windows and feel so connected to the outdoors... like everything just has a little more life in it... coming home to the sealed up 78 degree home, my shelter from the 118 degree heat outside, is a little trying. Sigh. Some day.

Part 2 of last weekend- Nana and Papa's!

So 14 of their 16 grandchildren slept over at my parent's house in Bonita last Friday night, tents in the backyard and everything. Old school. They really are the most amazing grandparents. They hold nothing back. They loaded all the kids in the back of the jeep (gasp) for a couple of blocks to go set off rockets at the park. Or at least Papa says it was only a couple of blocks. (But Sophia and Millie didn't actually take the ride... but aren't they cute for the picture?

Below that you see Papa's signature backyard movie (During which us girls enjoyed a night out at the Cheesecake Factory....yum... (I know Lisa, but who can write a whole post without mentioning food? Not me.))

Saturday, we'd planned a big Father's Day celebration for Papa Kirk at the beach:

She's in kind of a... temperamental phase right now... taking a while to warm up to people... does the whole "leave-me-alone grunt" to anyone who isn't in her every-day routine. So Papa pulls out treats all day so she'll cozy up to him. As in, he buys a special treat before she comes into town and offers it to her immediately, be it 9 am, bedtime... whatever-- It works. She LOVES her Papa.

Here's just a bunch more from the beach. I know I know.... always too many, and yes they're just going to keep on coming since there's still "actual Father's Day and Boccie Ball", and then "Brooke and Taylor (Ross' sister) in the desert" No pressure to comment. :) It's all about that Blurb book. The summer just seems nonstop. And I've got to have all the memories in one place :)

Nana-- the woman who can DO IT ALL.

So it turns out after all 32 of us were settled at the beach, cars parked, stuff unloaded, tents and umbrellas set up, kites flying, kids in ocean, and sandwiches made.... the wind was blowing just a little too hard... and a little too cold., that whole June gloom thing, so we decided to pack up and head back to my parent's pool. Fifteen minutes inland makes a BIG difference. So.....

Back at the pool we got one of MOST of us,

missing: Mom, Kirk, Mila, Kirk, and Kenny

including (but you can't tell): little possible-girl in Melisa's tummy!

We'll start here....

No time to write, but I hate getting backlogged.... and we all know how I can't seem to keep myself edited to only a few pictures, so I'd better start now. Father's Day dinner for my Dad on Wednesday night when Lacy and Joe got in... Thursday (we went to Knott's Soak City, the water-park, but forgot our cameras and so have no pictures, unless.... Mary Beth, anything decent from your camera phone???), but it was SOOOO fun. Then we went downtown and had yummy mexican and more yummy, tart yogurt. Luckily we had Lacy's camera for that... (I learned after my Mango Tree post that we have another Pinkberry knock-off downtown. Super yummy, except there was still no mochi, something about high calorie- blah- and Ross and I didn't like the texture of the spoons... recycled material, I should probably just support them, but we might have to borrow spoons from Coldstone down the street next time. ) It was SO fun and just happened to be during the Thursday night street fair.... one of those perfectly exhausting days in the sun, leading into a perfect, yummy night where everything fell into place. Besides the poop-in swim suit episode. (Sophia's swimsuit... perhaps I should clarify.)

Friday we left for SD.... where we took an embarrassing amount of photos (some of which my hair was down for, promise) which will be saved for another post.... until then.

Ross' sister Brooke, her husband Taylor, and their boys Kai and Beau come today. Better go clean!

Sea World.... etc....

This will have to be brief. I feel like I think of things I'd love to blog about during the day, but never have time to write, then finally sit down determined to get the pictures recorded and the essentials... with no time for creativity. Yuck. Going to have to do something about that. In the mean time. How about some snippets.


Shamu was BY FAR the best part, but worth every penny. The tickets work 'till the end of the year so we'll be back.



Why is it that I had to have kids to regain that AWE and respect for animals. They're amazing. These huge beautiful, powerful, sleek whales, so casually called killer--- swimming nose to nose with some friendly 100 pound blonde. It really is incredible. I still get that flutter in my stomach looking at the pictures. Sophia was enthralled.



Mila.... was more interested in getting anything in her mouth. My poor teething girl.

We went with friends, Tyler and Amber and their little boy Luke. Tyler is one of Ross' best friend's from college, so I've known Ambyr about as long as I've known Ross. She's a doll, and their kid... well just wait for more pictures... you'll die. With Tyler's crazy olive skin and those blond locks... so cute.

Luke saying goodbye.... you've taught him young Tyler. He was determined to get that kiss.


Hosted, of course, by Nana and Papa...



.... and the last thing. Have you noticed that any random picture that has popped up of me, on the blog, in the last several months has boasted the pony or bun??? You can look above or ....review....

So it was highlighting time, and I thought, "what is the good of long hair when you can't bare to wear it down because it's just not pretty anymore?" Something has really changed through my pregnancies and I have different hair. The texture, the color. It's all different. And it's just not pretty, long. It's too much work to do, and when I take the time, after at least an hour, I STILL don't like it and it ends up in a pony after all that work. Argh.

I've always admired those girls who change their hair all the time, like they've got such a grip on the fact that it will grow back. It IS just hair. And long hair is not the most flattering on every girl. But it is me... right? I've always thought. But scanning through my archives and confirming that I NEVER wear it down anymore did it. I'm over it. ..... drum roll

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It may not be CHOPPED to some of you really-brave girls, but long haired girls, (Sarah) will understand that after building up the guts to cut a little past my shoulders, the result (being a bit shorter than expected) was TERRIFYING for a moment, until I realized that it was done... and I'd better learn to rock it... and it turns out Ross likes it... and I'm smiling in the picture.... so I think maybe... I like it.. :) Thanks Kim. For putting up with me, long haired wussy and all.

Oh yeah, and Lacy and Joe are coming tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!