This isn't the loveliest picture, but here I am crossing the finish line. Hooray!!!! Heidi had some friends there and they had their cameras so there might be a few more pictures to come.

We enjoyed some Night Clinic dinners together. Here's our Green Eggs & Ham/Cat in the HAT.

This is old news but definitely noteworthy. My little sister and her family came to visit us and see the sites of San Francisco and Marin County. I tried to show them every inch of this crazy place and had a grand time doing it. We started off with a visit to Muir woods where we got the speedy version of the walking tour since the boys never stopped running. We drove down to Stinson beach and had a BBQ. It was getting pretty chilly so I stayed in the car with Dallin and Andrew while Becky Ann and Boyd took Evan and James down to run in the water. They didn't last too long.

The next day we were up early and over the bridge in time for free toll. I gave them quite the driving tour through the city. We drove by the Palace of Fine Arts, the Marina and down to the Wharf where we hopped on the cable cars and went for a ride. The boys always love this. Dallin was being so silly. He wanted to stand the whole time and kept telling everyone to "Hold Tight". There was this cute middle age couple sitting by and he kept grabbing their hands and putting them on the pole and demanding she "Hold Tight". It was pretty cute! We got a glimpse of downtown and ate a snack at Union Square. Then we hopped back on the trolley after getting our fill of beggars and bums and rode back up to the Wharf. We hung out on pier 39 and watched the sea lions and the boats. We got to see all the street performers as we walked back to the car. Becky Ann was one lady away from getting spooked by the famous "Bush Man". I warned Boyd since he was eating a bowl of Clam chowder. That always makes me laugh. For those who don't know. There's a man who sits on a crate and holds a bunch of branches with leaves in front of him. He waits until someone is not paying attention and roars at them while shaking his branches. He gets them every time. After loading the kids back in the van we continued our driving tour. We drove down Lombard, to Coit Tower, through China Town, Haight & Ashbury and stopped at Golden Gate park to let the boys play for a bit. Then it was time to meet up with Matthew and eat some good grub at Benihana's. James was quite captivated by the fancy chef flipping his knives everywhere. After filling our bellies we drove the scenic way home, through the Presidio and had some amazing views as always. I think we were all pretty wiped out when we got home. All the boys went to bed easily and we stayed up and chatted.

Saturday we took it pretty slow. We let the boys just play at home with the toys for the morning and then spent the afternoon at "Our Beach" as Evan likes to call it since we like to spend a lot of time there. Of course we both forgot our cameras and missed some awfully cute moments of our boys rolling in the sand. I think Boyd had the most fun building his sand creations. It was so much fun and the bathtubs were full of sand when we washed them off. I had such a great time playing hostess and spending time with my little sister. We sure loved having you here and wished you could have stayed longer. Thanks for coming!!!

I just had a very, very enjoyable weekend and it is all because of my sweet hunk of a man. It was Father and Sons so Matthew got home a little early from school and took a few minutes to relax before loading up the boys and heading out for the night. I was all sorts of excited before they all got into the car, but once they were buckled in and telling me their good-byes it was a very bittersweet moment. It was the first night I would be spending away from Dallin. It was also the first night that I would be completely alone in the house since we've been married. But they were so excited to go camping with dad and their friends that they were happy to go. I could just see it in Dallin's face that he felt like such a big kid.



So of course I went and did a little shopping at the mall and then came home to watch a girlie flick and make myself a giant banana split. I went to bed kind of late and then the most glorious thing happened. I woke up completely on my own. There were no kids poking me in the eyes, no stools scraping across the kitchen floor to get into mischief and no husband flipping and flopping because he wakes up every hour. It was the most amazing feeling, and to top it off it was 8:30. When was the last time that I have been able to sleep that late? Wow! So I just layed in my bed and listened to that sweet sound of silence and yet feeling like something was definitely missing. I got up and puttered around for a bit before heading out to do a trial 10K. It was just so wonderful and so refreshing (the morning, not necessarily the run). I didn't have the underlying nagging that I needed to hurry home to my kids. All be it, I missed them terribly but it sure was nice. Oh, but it doesn't end there. I got home from my run and they were all home. I was surprised to find both boys had been bathed and dressed for the day and were so happy to see their mother. We spent a couple of hours together snuggling on the couch and just hanging out before I left with a Kelti and Katie to spend the rest of the day in the city. We were on the hunt for banquet dresses and we shopped till we dropped. It was so much fun and I learned a lot about shopping and fashion, thanks for the education you two. I actually found my dress at the very first store and for only $40. We stopped for a delcious dinner and refreshing shake and didn't make it home till 9:00. Both boys were sound asleep and the house wasn't too terribly messy. It was pretty close to a perfect day, at least as much as one could be spent away from the ones you love the dearest. So thank you Matthew for making it so. I love you to pieces!

As Matthew is getting close to the end of school he has had a little more free time. Not much, but we sure have enjoyed what extra time he can spend with us. Especially now that he's been released from the Bishopric. There are a few things I still want to get checked off of my "Things to Do in San Fran" list before we leave. The Jelly Belly Factory was one of them and so one day when Matthew didn't have any patients we headed up to Fairfield to take the big tour. It was pretty neat. It smelled delicious and Evan had a great time watching how it was all done. Afterwards you get to do some free taste testing. We went through a couple of times. There were so many yummy ones, but we opted to buy the Belly Flops. They're the ones that get sifted out for being to big or misshapen. We just felt bad for the poor little rejects and so we got 3 bags. Needless to say we've been eating Jelly Belly's for days, and I discovered another reason why Matthew and I were made for eachother. Between the two of us we can eat a whole bag meaning I love the flavors he dislikes and he loves the ones I dislike. It's true love for sure!

Everybody has to wear a cute hat!

This is how Dallin enjoyed most of the tour. He woke up in time for the free Jelly Belly's.

The Big JB Doll!

Evan took Dallin for a drive in the cute Jelly Car. Too bad we never have quarters and they are forced to use their imagination. It's an awfully cute car though.