Twins Times Two!

It was a lot of fun to go to Crystal Cove State Park with Robert, Renee, and their twin girls, Annabelle and Daisy. Just about every passer-by stopped and said, "Hey, there's twins pushing twins!" I think Madison and Mackenzie thought that was special. It reminded me of when they were infants and we lived in Northern California; as we walked them in the double-stroller, we'd get stopped periodically as gawkers just wanted to see red-headed twins. Every now and then people even asked to take a picture with them!

After 15 months we finally got to meet Annabelle and Daisy! Yay! When we arrived they were napping, so we just sort of hung out and enjoyed Renee's fabulous guacamole. Madison and Mackenzie made real pigs of themselves leaving about one or two chips worth of dip for everyone else. Ugh! When Daisy and then Annabelle awakened, they weren't too sure about this cousin business, but I told Renee that within an hour they'd all be best friends. I'm not sure it even took an hour. It was a real crack up watching Annabelle with Clayton: she seemed fascinated with petting his hair!


After a grand tour of the beautiful new home and a very yummy lunch, we decided to hit the beach. Morgan and Daisy were two peas in a pod wanting absolutely nothing to do with that frightening water, but the rest of the kids, including Annabelle, couldn't seem to get enough of it. Despite repeated futile threats to not get wet, Madison, Mackenzie, and Clayton practically went swimming while fully clothed; they just couldn't resist. It was like watching Californians enjoying snowfall in Utah!

After the beach we enjoyed yogurt at the Red Mango. We're hooked; it was very good. Annabelle and Daisy were getting their groove on to the music at the restaurant, and it seemed to be contagious as Morgan decided to dance a little jig, too. We had a great time with the Yaniks, and we are already anxious for our next visit.

Visiting the Williams Family

We try to make Southern California an annual vacation destination. Melissa's brother, Carl, and my sisters, Wendy and Renee, live there. Of course, we never have enough time, but we try to make the most of what we have.

With Wendy and Jerry we did a number of things: visited Forest Lawn (another post), swam in their pool, suffered through a trip to the American Girl Place (another post), ate at El Pollo Loco (of course) and the Farmer's Market (by The Grove), went to church, and vegged in the theater room (this time watching a travel video on Italy instead of an opera, mostly because we were so exhausted).


The things we do together on these trips are always enjoyable, but it's the glimpse into each other's lives that adds the spark of fun and memory. For example, we don't get to just walk out the front door and pick a bunch of oranges to have fresh orange juice. For Morgan, sitting on Michaela's toy horse, Buttercup, is every bit as great as any ride at "Dizzilyland," and the dress-up opportunities are so entertaining. Lauren offers Clayton video game competition...and a true bud! And with Mackenzie, Madison, and Michaela, gear up for the talkfest, and I'm still not sure what exactly they talk about! Just going to church where you don't usually go to church is a great experience. This trip, Jerry introduced us to The Teaching Company, and we watched a lecture on Mary Cassatt. Of course, where else can you actually witness a human being pretty much exclusively drink Diet Coke? And it's always nice to just hang out with Wendy in the kitchen and talk, because that's not something we get to do very often. Oh, and I almost forgot about how I get just a little further along in King Lear with each trip!

Forest Lawn in Glendale

Glendale's Forest Lawn is a hidden gem amid LA's hustle and bustle; it's a welcome retreat. While much of the art are re-creations, it doesn't matter. Jan Styka's original of The Crucifixion alone merits the visit. His painting captures like no other the majesty of the Savior's supreme sacrifice.

The story of Dr. Hubert Eaton's life seems embodied in "The Builder's" creed. Part of his creed reads, "I believe, most of all, in a Christ that smiles and loves you and me." Eaton created the remarkable cemetery and spent much of his life gathering the displayed artwork. If you click the image, you can read the creed in its entirety.

Amazingly, even the kids seemed to enjoy Dr. Eaton's legacy. There were moments when they got bored, but when we explained to them what they were seeing, they seemed to appreciate it, too. As you can see, though, from the "Clayton" statue, there were still times when they decided to just be kids!


Melissa enjoyed the sculpture "Reveries" of a woman thinking about her book; each color is a different type of stone, individually sculpted then perfectly pieced together.

In LA, we've visited the Huntington Library and the Getty Museum; Forest Lawn is as enjoyable, if not more so than these other homes for great art.


To me, the thing that makes Forest Lawn unique and so personally enjoyable is that its creator, Hubert Eaton, so effectively communicates the essence of the Savior's mission. In addition, Eaton juxtaposes this essence with The Court of Freedom, a part of the cemetery memorializing the mission of our Founding Fathers. The entire place is Eaton's testimony of the message of Christianity and the ongoing battle to protect our agency. It's very cool.

American Girl Place

The thing I like about this picture is that you can see Uncle Jerry just off to the left doing his absolute best to nonchalantly remain out of the picture. Meanwhile, other people were doing their best to be in the picture. It took about half a dozen attempts just to get this!

We really weren't planning to go to the American Girl Place on this trip. In fact, I really didn't want to take the girls there at all. There are certain times, though, when it becomes obvious to a dad just how important something is to his daughter(s), and he'd best try to accommodate. This ended up being such a time! Who knew?

Having been to two of the three American Girl Place stores, Michaela was the experienced trooper as she ensured all had paper and pencil in hand to take note of the array of options from which to choose.


Leading the crusade, Michaela marched the girls up the escalator, and she marched them down again. In the end, each girl seemed VERY pleased to find the perfect individualized doll.


Of course there is a catalog, too, and Michaela, Madison, and Mackenzie studied it religiously so they would know how to best accessorize! Rather than waiting to look at the catalog, Morgan was mostly interested in actually playing with the dolls and all of the accessories at the store.

For Dad, the American Girl Place is about as painful a place to shop as Justice and Bath and Body Works, but the girls loved it. Naturally, in the end, Daddy gets the well laid out wish list ... as if I'd know what to do with it?! Guess I better send it to Santa Claus.

Back To School

Sadly, Monday morning at 8:00 a.m., our summer fun came to an end as the kids headed into their first day of school. I can't believe how big my kids have gotten! Almost every day this summer, Clayton would say, "Please let me get Miss Hart" as he got out of bed in the morning, and he's very pleased to have gotten her as his 2nd grade teacher. Mackenzie and Madison are headed into 5th grade with Mrs. Styler. We really enjoy our school, Renaissance Academy, but won't enjoy nine months of homework!

"Man"icure

Sundays have become much busier days at our house since I was called to be the Primary President, but we try really hard to keep our late afternoons open for family time. Unfortunately it doesn't always work out. Last Sunday I was on the phone trying to work out some Primary stuff, and when I finished up, this is what was going on.


It was funny that Morgan told Craig exactly what to do: "After the color you have to put on the sparkles." I hope my kids realize what an amazing dad they have! He has always been supportive of me, and I hope my girls are lucky enough to find a guy someday who is willing to give their four-year-old a manicure . . . with sparkles!

Family Time Before Bedtime

The half hour before bedtime can get pretty silly at our house. Kids just naturally seem to resist the dreaded trek to the bedroom to close out the day. Admittedly, sometimes the silliness can be a bit unnerving, but other times it is just a lot of fun. Tonight was just a lot of fun as Morgan decided to put on a funny face show.

Sometimes you just have to let kids get all their wiggles out before they'll unwind. So we let all of the kids put on funny faces to help transition from silly time to scripture time.


Part of scripture time usually entails questions as we ask the kids about the passages we read. This evening we read from The Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi chapter 9:12-16 where Christ speaks to the inhabitants of North America. After reading it, I asked Morgan, "Can you tell us who was speaking?" Clayton piped in with a little clue: "I'll give you a hint; he lives in heaven," although Morgan didn't need the hint because she simultaneously declared, "Jesus!" Then, Morgan furrowed her brow and corrected Clayton: "No, you mean outer space!" Who knows where that came from, but we all laughed!