Vacationing in Our Area??

I love the community that we got to be a part of in college and how it extends over time to where you can talk to or see someone from that season of life and it is as if you just hung out with them yesterday...living in a warmer climate has enabled us to be a small part of different friend's vacations.

Every year we have a few visitors from the midwest and those late night chats really refresh us and help us to remember that community was real and continues to be meaningful. When I glance back over the past 4 years of our 'holy matrimony' (for you ej!) I see very clearly God's hand in the way he brought things about for us. Out of thanksgiving to God and His goodness to us, we eagerly anticipate each opportunity He gives us to show love to anyone who passes by our way. Just this year we have had 2 different couples vacation out here and it has been almost 5 years since we have interacted with them even through the phone but it was refreshing to reconnect.

Families that have visited over the 3 years we have been out here are: Dee, Hannenburgs, Lennartsons, Propps, Johnson, Nordin, Jensens, Whites, Adams, Bieniek (& Friends), and maybe even more that I can't think of right now. We love spending time with our visitors :) I only wish we had been better about documenting these times with photos...

More Bathtime Pics

Somebody is squeaky clean...

These are just classic and needed periodically. He is such a happy baby :)

Beach Days

On the weekends, we try to plan for a quick trip to starbucks and the beach. Here are a few pictures from our recent trips...

(The boys at Point Loma)

(Stinker and I at Point Loma)

(Stinker practicing his wave at Del Mar)

(Playing soccer at Del Mar)

(Our little athlete!)

(Stretching our legs and getting some exercise)

(We love to watch the trains go by!)

(Family shot at Torrey Pines)

(Love that salty air and a beautiful sunset!)

A typical Saturday lately (if Speedy doesn't have to work) entails ...

7am: wake - I head to the kitchen to whip up amazing pancakes and bacon we have a family breakfast together and take turns showering/getting ready for the day while the other one plays with Stinker

9am-11am: Stinker goes down for his morning nap while we read

11am-12:30pm: We all head out to do the grocery shopping for the week (Speedy works in grocery stores so hates to be in them on his day off and I have always hated grocery shopping). As a reward for ourselves we will often pick up in-n-out or chipotle for lunch bring it home and eat it outside on our lawn

12:30/1pm - 2:30pm: Stinker goes down for his afternoon nap

2:30ish: Head outdoors to do something fun like visit Old Town or the beach

6pmish: Usually head home for pizza, spinach salad, and a redbox movie

Sundays are equally great. We wake up at the same time but for breakfast we always make Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Then we head out to Sunday School and church. We volunteer once a month in the nursery during Sunday School or we attend the Church History class - what can I say we love to learn! After church we usually head home to get Stinker down for one good nap since he skips his morning one. Then later that afternoon we try to spend time with a family from our church. We have so many families at our church we need to get to know more :)

I always swear off house work on the weekends so I try to get everything done by Friday so we can bask in a clean house after a crazy busy week.

Life at the Quammune

(Little O and Stinker)

So we have the most fantastic neighbors anyone could ever ask for. Life in community has its ups and downs for sure but living here is a blessing. I may have written about this before, but we have quite the list of social events going on around here:

1. "Coffee Club" Monday mornings at C - 8am just picture it...3 SAHMs (ok 2.5 SAHMs) attempting to have coffee and conversations while entertaining 5 kids under the age of 4 = CHAOS in a perfect way

(Stinker and V)

2. Wine and ANTM night at D

3. Happy Hour on the front lawn in the afternoon while the kids embark on various adventures

(Little O and V "helping" Sarah fix a hole in the ground)

(Sarah, Aimee and O, F, and V)

(O and his 1st worm!)

4. Occasional weekend dinners together where we have had crab and other fun meals

5. Celebrating birthdays and holidays - ie. St Patricks Day 2011 I had my first Irish Car Bomb with the neighbor chicks and at one of the birthday celebrations Stinker had his 1st "jumpy" experience.

(O and V jumping around)

(Go O!)

(F bouncing off the walls)

(Stinker and Speedy)

(Aimee and I with Stinker, V, and O)

I am so thankful to have these families in our lives! They have brought so much joy to us, this makes it totally worthwhile to have to have our furniture arranged in such a way that the leaky roof wont ruin anything :)

Im gonna kick myself later....

for not keeping up with this blog!!!! sunday april 3rd stinker started clapping for the first time. all 3 of us were snuggling in bed that morning before church and speedy and i were trying to suck one last ounce of sleep out of the morning while stinker was crawling all around the bed and smacking us in the face/pulling our hair when all of a sudden he just started doing it! it was soooo cute and by far my favorite trick of his.

in other news...speedy taught stinker how to annoy his mama, by putting the dishtowel over his shoulder and leaving the kitchen with it! i put like 3 towels over our stove only to find when my hands are dripping wet i have nothing to dry them on and now i have 2 potential culprits...