Mt Diablo Hike

We went hiking by Mt. Diablo today. The kids had fun identifying animal and people tracks, throwing rocks into the stream, and discovering little creatures. Xander identified some dinosaur tracks and what he called skeleton tracks (hiking boot with groves).

But there favorite part was making sure we watched out for the holes that animals had made along the trail.

I love Mia's hiking gear. Pink skirt with pink boots and pom poms. She's also wearing Zoey's vest which she swears fits her.

The trail leads to some waterfalls but we didn't quite make it there this time. It's about 6 miles round trip. Maybe we could ease our way into it someday soon.

We karate chopped our way on the Bruce Lee trail.

I was thinking that when the girls get out of school, we could go on a hike a week. I mean, we got this cool backpack for Zoey now and she looks absolutely cute in it, so why not?

On an unrelated note, Pixar has asked us not to post entries or pictures on our blogs that are Pixar related. So if you think nothing exciting is going on at Pixar these days, there probably is, we just can't share it with you!

Check it out! Say what? Say what?

Hey everyone! I'm featured on Mormon Women . So check me out, no really, more importantly check out the website and share it with a friend.

Mia Unplugged

Our kids love Michael Jackson. Ben showed them his music videos. That night, Mia came into our room and told us she had a scary dream about Michael Jackson.

The following night when Ben tucked her in, they had a conversation that went like this:

Mia: I have so much to ask you. If I dream about Michael Jackson, I will pray and the Holy Ghost will come into me and I won't be scared. And I can tell when Michael Jackson is a zombie because his face is a circle. But when he's not a zombie he looks like a girl and it is a oval. What I really want to know, is it true that the Holy Ghost doesn't have a body?
(All of this said in one breath)

Ben: Yes

Mia: She gets this huge surprised face on and says, He wasn't even ever a baby?

Ben: No, he's just a spirit.

Mia: A spirit like a ghost? Why doesn't he get a body?

Ben: It's because the Holy Ghost can touch you in your heart.

Ben touched her on her chest.

Ben: See, I can't touch your heart because I have a body but the Holy Ghost doesn't have a body so he can touch your heart.

Mia: I can feel him in my heart when I pray to Heavenly Father so I'm not scared about Michael Jackson.

Another time . . .

Mia: Was Heavenly Father ever a baby?

Ben: Yeah, one time.

Mia: HE'S the biggest! HE'S the most powerfulest in the world!



I just love how this girl thinks!

Are you ready?

The kids and I visited Pixar today for the Kid's Flea Market that they held. It was awesome! We got Mia a bike, a really cool lamp, clothes, and games. Anyways, while we were there they had tons of Toy Story 3 things all over the atrium.

Here's Buzz and Woody made out of legos:

Giant blocks made out of foam:

Mark your calender for June 18th!

If you haven't already. . .

Here is a link to see the official trailer.

Here is a link to see the official teaser.

9 Month Cutie

"Zoey Pie" as Xander calls her is 9 months old and is cute as a button! She weighs 20 lbs. is 30 1/4 inches long and has a giant head. Just last week, Zoey decided to crawl. When I said "decided" it's because that's what it seemed like. She's been popping up and down on her knees for the past month and then decided one day to start crawling. I've been wondering when she was going to take off.

Now this week, Zoey is already working on learning how to walk. She can already pull herself up and stand with support.

She also claps her hands. It is seriously the cutest thing in the world! She loves to do patty cake with Ben and does all of the actions.



Zoey has been the only baby who would let other people hold her without getting upset, but lately, I think she is more aware of what is going on and because of that, is being more clingy.

Zoey has also let me know that she wants more exciting food to eat. I've been making baby food for her and have just done the vegetables and fruit. Since Zoey has voiced her opinion, I've started making little meals for her like apples and chicken, mac and cheese and ham and potatoes.

We love our little/big Zoey and feel like a complete family. She makes me happy.

Paint, Paint, Paint the day away. . .

Have you seen the Imagination Movers on Disney Channel? That's where the title of this entry came from. They have great kids songs that I find myself singing all day. In fact, our clean up song just happens to be from the Imagination Movers. Their tunes are catchy and I find myself dancing.

Any hoo, I really like painting. I like the way it changes the mood of the room and gives it personality. The only problem is that I am horrible with colors. Good thing I married an artist. I just don't have "the color sense" that he does. I always ask him to help pick out the colors.

Here are just a few things that we have added some paint to:





We added some wainscoting in our tiny little kitchen because the chairs kept taking off the paint. Ben did a great job doing it for the first time. Thanks Joe for the helpful advice. I think Joe should have a show called "Ask Joe" and people just call in and ask Joe how to do things.

Around the exterior of our house and the doorway, there were tons of spider webs and dirt. It just looked dirty all around. I decided to do the doorway. I got rid of the webs and dirt. We had some paint leftover from our realtor when he patched something up for us. I repainted the door and repainted the trim and added squares. It just looks fresh and I love it.





Ben brought me home some wooden/cork boards that were cut into squares that he found on the free shelf. I used them to make signs in our garden to label everything. CJ helped me paint them and stamp them. I like doing things like this with CJ.

Things on my list to paint:

-CJ/Zoey's room. I'm painting it orange! One of CJ's favorite colors. I hope it turns out.
-The play structure outside. It was given to us by a friend in our old ward. It's looking old and could use a fresh coat of paint.
-The Office. I want to go yellow, but Ben tells me to use another color. I trust him. He's the color man.
-Mia and Xander's room. Still have no idea what color to make this boy/girl room.
-The hallway. This week we are getting central heat and air. Yay! Goodbye wall heaters. I've been waiting to paint the hallway until we got rid of the wall heaters.