"Perfect Day"

I was able to get home early enough today to take Max to see a matinee. When I called home before leaving work, mom said that he earned it because as she was laying with Sam at nap time, Max left the room and cleared out the whole dishwasher! He has been saying lately that he wants to go to the movie theater and since he now is being influenced by TV advertising (he wants Healies and the rocket fishing rod), he really wanted to see "Charlotte's Web."* We left mom and Sam asleep at home and set off in my car (Max was given the choice of what car to take and he said "yours, it's much better." (Yes the 1989 Honda recently named "Puff" is much better. After all who doesn't want a plume of smoke following you around town and your teeth chattering at stop signs as the car is about to shake itself apart?)
He thoroughly enjoyed the movie and seemed to have followed it quite well. He kept saying on the way there, during the movie, and on the way home: "This is the perfect day!"** (I have to emphasize here just how completely joyful and happy he was each time he said this...He was even more excited then on Christmas)

Following the movie we went to Wendy's for dinner where to our surprise the kids meals came with Charlotte's Web toys!! (How perfect!)

After having a fun outing with Dad, Max was so giddy to go home and see mommy and Sammers. He really was soo excited to see Sammy and when we got home Sammy was extremely glad to see his brother. They both had missed each other so much. It was so cute.

(Unfortunately the night was then interrupted by my pager and me rushing off to the emergency room to take care of a trauma patient. )

It really was the "perfect day." I think he went the whole day without having a timeout or being yelled at. He was super duper good today!!
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*The movie was very very good! Well done, funny and had a lot of famous voices in it.

**Other great quotes include: "I didn't even miss you today because I only had to wait 5 minutes and you were home" (comment on me coming home early).

"Treating patients is boring. You don't get to be home with your family. Boring! Boring! Boring!

"You're the biggest and mommy is the smartest."

Christmas By The Bay-Tribute to SF

We were spending a leisurely morning listening to Christmas's music when the song "Christmas By The Bay" by Tim Hockenberry came on. We love this song and every time we've heard it this year it makes us want to cry. We had a great Christmas staying in San Francisco last year and we totally fell in love with SF over the past 4 years. (Not to take away anything from our Little Rhody, we are becoming quite fond of her too!) Here are a few of our favorite memories from last Christmas. SF may not be as glamorous as New York in so far as the decorating granduer but we certainly Left Our Heart In San Francisco!

UNION SQUARE

OAKLAND TEMPLE

CRAZY MAN AT UNION SQUARE

STREET ORNAMENTS

UNION SQUARE

HYATT HOTEL LOBBY

Father and Son

Some claim we look alike?

It's Christmas Time in The City

First Day of Snow!!!

As I began my trek downstairs to get ready in the morning yesterday, my breath was taken away as I saw huge snowflakes drifting down outside the window. Shortly thereafter Max woke up and I hurried him over to the window. He quickly went downstairs to look at it out the door. He has eagerly awaited the time that it would snow. The fact that he was only wearing underwear and a shirt detered him not from going out and getting handfuls to eat. About forty minutes later as I lay on the floor in the office excercing/strecthing his cute little face appeared at the door: "Hi Daddy!" "Hi sweetheart!" Then all of a sudden I get hit in the leg by a large wet snowball and he goes giggling away to get more. It was very cute and I was able to persuad him from getting more inside the house. We then went upstairs for breakfast and I showed him all the snow on the trampline and he went out and jumped without pants socks or shoes! It was reather cute! Once Sammer woke up they both got bundled up and we went out to play for a few minutes before I had to leave for work (even a few minutes longer than that). They really loved it and it looked so beautiful out with everything covered with a white coating! It was especially fun to see the beaming excitement and wonder in Max's face.

Christmas in the Air and Leaves on the Ground

The morning began with the Christmas Brunch at the local ward house. It was great, I highly recommend this form of celebration over the dinner party. Yummy eggs, sausage, bacon, muffins, not so yummy cheese grits, and even a chocolate fondue fountain.
Note: wait until after breakfast is over to bring Santa in. Then, after a failed attempt (due to icy wind gales) to get a suitable Christmas photo (Cards may be late this year, sorry), we headed to our first festival of trees.

There were lots of beautiful trees and luckily for all, a free carousel, train/golf cart ride, and craft activities. And luckily for Em vendor booths. Bam really enjoyed watching all the little dance numbers; his cousins would be pleased.
These were the two trees I liked best:

a Christmas palm tree, and the "Rudolph and Friends" tree. There was also a wicked awesome gingerbread reproduction of the "Providence Performing Arts Center." It was amazing. I liked the chocolate bar doors!

cute faces/profiles
(Bam's was immediately transferred to Em's arm and Max's to his collar a little later.)

The rest of the afternoon was spent raking leaves into the night. Our street has a micro climate and just finished having all the leaves drop and there sure were a lot of leaves.

Happy Thanksgiving Pilgram!

Our Thanksgiving began aboard the Mayflower II, a seaworthy reproduction in Plymouth Massachusetts. Not as grand or exciting as Mr. Bates made it seem, but still cool to behold!





The view of the Atlantic Ocean from the Plimouth Palisade.A kind Pilgrim taught this little one how to strike a wedge with an English accent.The same little boy was denied his request to stoke the fire.

On Thursday, Em provided us with a beautiful table and a scrumptious meal. It was our first official D&E Family Thanksgiving!!! We successfully navigated the difficulties of only having one oven to cook the various dishes, and enjoyed a great meal. E shined in her pinnacle of domesticity.

MOST GRACIOUS ADORABLE ONE

While sitting in my den/home office/study this morning at about 5:30 am or so I began hearing some scampering upstairs. Expecting to hear one of the boys beginning to scream, I prepared myself for ignoring them until they either woke the other one up of went back to sleep.

Then I heard the scampering enter the bathroom and then the kitchen. Expecting to hear the MOST GRACIOUS ADORABLE ONE begin barfing, I prepared myself for ignoring, I mean prepared myself to go upstairs and help her. As no violent heaving noises were heard I figured she simply need a bowl of cereal to calm her stomach. Then the scamperer descended the squeaky stairs. Next, my beautiful wife entered with a cup of milk and a plate with two pieces of

melted cheese and a bowl of applesauce for my breakfast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She woke up before the sun even thought to and made me a yummy, fortifying and much needed breakfast. I had just been dreading having to come up with something to eat and contemplating stopping at the Dunk (Dunkin' Donuts) on the way to the OR. What a wicked awesome wife I have!!!!!

Movie Night, A Zoo, and a Creamery

The weekend began with a fun movie night with M and the boys, Curious George, and individual popcorns. It was a wicked fun. George is a great movie and M hadn't seen it yet. The boys cuddled with us the whole time...wicked cute. Max giggled the whole time and Sam watched intently and was sad when George was captured.
This was the view out our window (across the street) yesterday morning. Most of New England's leaves are on the ground, yet our street is just starting to fall. It is wicked pretty.
I finally got us to all get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful day. So we went to the Providence Zoo. Its a pretty good zoo, not quite as grand as SF and definitely doesn't compare to San Diego's, but still an enjoyable stroll.

Max's best friend from Pre-K was there too and they went around together the whole time. They are both wicked hyper and ran around the whole zoo together.
This bird kept trying to eat my son's finger.
Creepy stranger.
We stopped at a garage sale, which was over, on the way home and picked through the leftovers on the street. So the boys had to ride home with their heads tucked under a plastic pool. Can't beat a free garage sale. Sam wasn't too happy under their!

Then we had to satisfy the cravings of a pregnant woman who wanted a "real hamburger". So we found a Newport Creamery and got some wicked yummy grub!

Ripley's Believe It or Not--Primary Champion

My oldest son, many of you may know him he's the one who looks like me, on Sunday for the second time received the "Most Reverent" reward in primary. Yes, my boy who acts like he's been eating Apple Jacks and chocolate soy milk for breakfast. The first time it was for Sacrament meeting and he is now 1 away from a hat trick this week with the award for being the most reverent during the primary hours!!! The first time he got a little pack of face cards for his prize and luckily the second time it was some sort of puzzle chain.
He has done very well in church the last few months...That's MY BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(He also memorized his part for the primary program two weeks ago!!!)

Dat have cow milk?

We recently made a Costco run to Massachusetts and loaded up on the coveted Soy Milk. (That made a certain little boy very happy. We put the 4 cases in the storage room since no one really has room for so many soys in ones kitchen. The said little boy then proceeded to try to smuggle various amounts from downstairs to the kitchen. When he realized that he couldn't get away with that, he took them all out of their boxes and lined them up. (Oh yeah this was while I was in the bathroom...and he called to me "Dad! Bet you can't get out of there without tripping!") As I exited, my way was blockaded with the empty cases and I found him trying to count the 42 boxes of soy milk lined up in the storage room. (I also had to pick up the ironing board and a few folding chairs which he happened to be buried under as well.)

Later that day, after driving around looking for garage/tag sales, finding another free dresser and some good garage sale steels, and a fun library trip we headed off to Snow White's Spooky Halloween Birthday Party! (See pictures below.)

Then the rest of the night was spent ripping out the front door and putting in a new one.
The end.

Apple Picking

Thursday we went to Pippin Farm to go apple picking (see Pictures below).





These were extremely crunchy juicy delicious!


I think she is the most beautiful one I picked!!!!!!!!!!