But my daughter discovered something today when she went out with her mom to feed the animals…

We had a hard re-freeze last nice and the driveway is a sheet of ice. Very slippery, so she abandoned her chores and put on her ice skates.

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Oh yeah, and we stopped traveling around the country and now live in Southern California.

After flying from Dallas to Miami for the annual conference in December for my employer, Diio, we drove down to Austin and spent Christmas at my old friend Joe Edgar’s house (they left on Christmas Eve) and then New Years on South Padre Island.  We were totally rained out, but then went to Houston, where we replaced the toilet and then back to San Antonio where I flew out to California to see about a job at Hart.com.

I thought it sounded like the great opportunity, so we had a marathon drive from Texas to California (stopping only to explore Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.)

We parked the RV in Anaheim only a couple miles from Disneyland (and my new office), flew back to Utah and U-Hauled our stuff from storage and rented a house in the Orange Hills.  Most Saturday mornings we go to Newport Beach (1/2 hour away) and I can’t count how many times Kelsey’s taken the kids to Disneyland.

I don’t know if we’ll stay here long term, but for now, we’re enjoying California.  It’s good to be in a house again.

We left Bellevue one evening after stops at Esther’s and chasing Kelsey’s dad at the Church. He gave the kids a ride in his race car around the parking lot and then we hit the road. Kelsey drove her new car (now in the shop) and I drove a small U-Haul truck. Eden came with us and helped Kelsey wrangle the kids.

The kids took turns riding in the truck with me. Harmon loved being a trucker, and Sammy liked being high-high-high. We made it as far as Sunnyside (between Yakima and Tri-Cities) late that night. Next morning we got up bright and early. Sammy first (as usual), I think.

We crossed into eastern Oregon but didn’t make it to our favorite McDonald’s in LaGrande in time for second breakfast, so we continued on to Pendleton for lunch at McDonalds. The kids got to play in the play area and ate their usual 1 1/2 nuggets under duress. Eden didn’t eat much more.

In the heat of the day we crossed into Idaho and were glad to see the sun go down. The truck had AC but the kids liked the windows down. But we kept trucking all the way to Burley where we spent the next night in close quarters. We went swimming in the chilly outdoor pool at the hotel in the cool breezy morning before heading towards Utah.

Idaho rest stops are the best, we we had fun running around and stretching at several stops. Harmon also liked that we parked next to 18 wheelers in the truck lot.

After a long desolate stretch we made it Arby’s in Tremonton. Spirits were high despite the feeling in my gut from a steady diet of fast food (which I hate, but Kelsey subsists on — I prefer different junk.) because we deemed the trip almost over. But our destination kept receding and it was after 4pm when we finally made it to our destination.

This was the last leg, and Sammy rode with me. Harmon took a nap in the car with Kelsey and Eden, but Sammy chattered with me happily all the way from Tremonton to West Jordan– pointing out red trucks (Harmon’s favorite!) and asking questions only a 2 year old can think of.

Finally we made it to Billie’s — but she wasn’t home. Her friend directed us to her mom’s house, where Kelsey chatted with her friend. They kids played with Sadie’s toys, and I fell asleep with the kids crawling over me.

But our trip wasn’t over yet, we still had to make it to our free apartment in Orem. My work paid for the move and we got to expense hotels, gas, and fast food — and a free month of rent at a nice furnished apartment with a playground, swimming pool, and sandy area.

After 2 weeks, though we’d found our house. The same evening we heard our application was accepted, we bought mattresses and had them delivered. The next day we stayed in our new house, and Kelsey brought over our boxes & bins 1 carload at a time until I got my pickup back from Montana… but that’s a different story.

I came running up and Kelsey came running down — I was working and she was making salchipapas. After a few minutes Sammy was calmed down. She was apparently uninjured. But the discussion around dinner revolved around her fall.

“I went holey moley!” she said repeatedly, describing her fall with a smile. I think she meant “rollie pollie”, but whatever. At least she’s alright.

For those of you that miss our old blog at kelseyandaaron.blogspot.com you can now get all the same goodness (without the old school green background) without the .blogspot

[Kelsey’s Note: don’t be confused.  puerquenos.com is not going anywhere, no need to change anything.]

While they slept I tried to make croissants.

Harmon and Kelsey got up and munched on rolls with burnt bottoms that you’d never guess has a whole stick of butter folded in. I’m on my fifth, so I switch to blueberries.

After Sammy got up I helped Harmon vacuum out the couch (his idea) while Kelsey plays on the computer.  Sammy alternates between wanting to sit on mommy’s lap and wanting to take a turn with the vacuum, but not really, because it scares her.

“I just bought tickets to Ecuador,” says Kelsey.

“Really?” I ask.  Then “Outside?”  this one an offer of compromise to Jambo who doesn’t really seem happy with either option presented to her.

“Yeah.”  This from both of the girls. “Well, not yet…should I?

“It’s a good price, why not?”

We go outside to play soccer and have popsicles while Kelsey fills out the forms.  Time to fill up the pool (Sam’s idea).  This involves carrying buckets of water from the tub.  Kelsey wants me to help make decisions about picking seats.  I spill on the passports.

If only we had a hose.

Harmon wasn’t to be left out and kept running into my arms to be thrown up and climbing on Mommy’s back.  The hardest part for Sammy was avoiding him.  She’s well on her way, and will be consistent before her scheduled November 1 first walk day.  That was the day Harmon walked, and he took off running 14-15 steps on the first day.

He hasn’t slowed down, but Sammy’s ahead of him, if a bit smaller.

It started out with Harmon running to my arms yelling “It’s Dayya” (He does that every time I come out of the office, it’s great) but he bonked his mouth or nose on my shoulder and needed some consoling from Mommy.  I took the girl and she “walked” around with me (holding my fingers), her favorite thing to do.

Okay, second favorite.  I commented that she had a distinct forward lean, no doubt from grammy’s shopping cart toy (ask Kelsey for more details about that, it was supposed to disappear, and I think it still might.)

Harmon consoled, and Kelsey’s arms free, I walked Sammy over to her, and let her go.  After a couple tries, she got the hang of it, doing the 1-2-fall-into-your-arms.  I said “that counts” but Kelsey disagreed.  So Sammy took a couple more, a couple times more to convince her.

Just as Kelsey feared, it was too loud for Harmon, and he got scared.  While she spent most of the night in the concession area below the bleachers (waiting to buy me a hamburger and fries), I tried to take him up to see the races.  But every time we got up, the roaring of the engines was too much for him, and he begged to go back down to Mommy.

Finally, she got the food, and we all climbed the stairs in a quiet period and went back to our seats.  Soon the races started back up.  Kelsey held Harmon and covered his ears while I fed them both french fries.  Harmon was tired and nervous, but he settled down and if not enjoyed, seemed to tolerate the races.

The annoying, indecipherable announcer was the loudest part.  Every time Kelsey took her hands off Harmon’s ears, the announcer would start up again with some thing banal and indecipherable to try to amuse the crowd.

She’d ask “Do you want to go home?”

“No.”

“Do you want a drink?”

“No.”

“What do you want?”

Harmon would mildly answer “Cover my ears.”

The boat races (2 cars with a boat tied inbetween) didn’t happen.  Technical difficulties forced them to have to be towed off the track.  We were ready to go home, but the buses were lined up.  Kelsey said we’d go after that.  Harmon seemed to warm up to it then.

The buses weren’t nearly as loud, and besides, a pink bus careening around a figure 8 nearly t-boning another bus is pretty dang entertaining.

Still, we left after the buses and before the smash-up derby, and as we walked across the parking lot, Harmon lit up and said “I love you buses.  Goodbye buses.”  He was all for staying to watch the rest of the races, but we thought we’d better leave on a high note.

And G-Pop had called and complained that our baby was crying.

Harmon talked about the races all the way home and the first thing he said when he woke up this morning was “Harmon go see the cars race?”  Followed by “Harmon ride on the bus?”

Now, he didn’t actually watch the races, and didn’t like the little bit he did see, but I think he’ll be ready next year.  Tonight he was crashing his cars together and carefully turning them upside down before sweeping them off the table and shouting “Crash cars!”

Remember though, that we left before the demotion derby.

She moved a load of stuff today, and had CSI Movers help her do it.  When they were done, they dropped off her piano at our house.  The arrived about 1 hour & 15 minutes after Kelsey’s mom sent a text message saying they arrived at her new house.  Talk about a fast unload!  It’s at least 30 minutes drive.

Kelsey was just putting Harmon down for a nap.  Sammy woke up. Harmon got up. I helped (a little bit) bring it in, and the kids played.  I don’t know if it’s still in tune, but it sounds (and looks) great.

trying out the new piano

Now Kelsey has to put Harmon to sleep (he really wants to play piano) and take Sammy for a drive to get her to sleep.

a duet

Thanks MoMo, thanks CSI Movers.