We Have A Piano!

It is a new-to-us but very old piano.



I am really happy to finally have a piano in our home. I've already been playing on it. It is really out of tune, but I am just happy to have a piano after many years of wanting one.

A friend of a friend gave it to us for free. She said that she just wanted it to go to a good home where it would be played and loved.

I am happy.

Trans Siberian Orchestra Concert

We went to the Trans Siberian Orchestra (TSO) concert two weekends ago. I am not much of a rocker and my rock concerts have pretty much just consisted of a Hootie and the Blowfish concert when I was 15 and Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band concerts at college. Love Ryan Shupe. I wasn't familiar with Hootie and kept wondering why it smelled so funny there.

We won tickets from a friend's raffle. Our seats were in a suite! I have never been in a suite, it was so sweet. The best part was that we had our own personal toilet. Here is the order of awesome things about being in a suite.

1. Personal toilet
2. Having water to drink the whole time.
3. Having a place to set your food and water on in front of you.
4. Feeling like a queen and referring to all the other people as "the peasants" for the whole night.
5. Comfy seats.
6. Being with 16 people you know because everyone from your ward won tickets.
7. Parking right across the street for FREE!

Me in the suite.

Our personal toilet.

There is horrible lighting in the suites, but there we are.

As you can tell, being in the suite was pretty cool.

The concert was fun, too. I wasn't sure what to expect as I was only family with TSO's Christmas songs. They played some Christmas songs, then had a Christmas story/music thing, played more Christmas songs, and then played other songs.












This man who was a rock singer and had Thor hair.


Electric violin power!



Andrew and I are so dumb at rock and roll. The lead guitarist said that his best friend Paul was there and he got the group together. Everyone was screaming. We were like, "YAY!" but didn't know why everyone was freaking out. And then later on the drive home when we talked with Shannon did we realize that it was Paul McCartney! ooooff! So that was pretty cool in retrospect.

The lights were amazing, it was really loud and I did put in earplugs, the music was great and fun. I really am not much of a rocker, but we had a great time. I am glad we won the tickets and I think we should go to more rock concerts in the future. As long as we balance those with symphonies because that is what I love.


In front of the Space Needle.

Here is a funny thing. Yesterday, a TSO song came on our Pandora, and it was one where they all flipped their hair like crazy. I started flipping my hair/head banging and I gave myself whiplash. My neck hurts so bad. Rock stars must have very strong necks so they don't get brain damage or whiplash after every concert. Also, they have amazing conditioner to keep their hair so smooth and shiny despite their rocking.

A Day at the Beach

Andrew's mom and aunt came to visit us. We went to Picnic Point one day. Even though it was cold and windy, we all enjoyed being at the beach.


Rachel and Tante Karen


There were a whole bunch of these dead, dried up jellyfish all over the beach. They must have gotten stuck when the tide went out.


Rachel learned how to throw rocks into the sea.


And she loved picking up rocks.


I fell off the log and into the water. No surprises there.


We found a dead salmon.


It was beautiful.


And we watched the train go by. It was loud and fun!

Good day at the beach.

Rachel's Birthday Extravaganza: Part 1

You all know from Pinterest and current culture that your child's first birthday is really important. The second birthday or the first birthday for the third child, not so much.

None of those Pinterest Moms love their first child as much as I do. Rachel is having three birthday celebrations. Pin it and compete with me.

My parents and sister were in town a weekish ago so we, of course, celebrated Rachel's birthday. And Andrew's too a little.


Not so sure about this presents thing.


Opening a present with Grandma.


She opened this dress and held it up and it was so funny.


What could it be?!?!


Hmmm...


A wagon! "Quick, some assembly is required, Dad!"


Andrew assembling the wagon handle.


Nigel wondering why he doesn't get a present.


Cousins. This trip was fun because they actually interacted with each other, unlike two months ago.


The birthday pigs.


"I WANT MY CUPCAKE!"


A delicious red velvet cupcake made with beets and topped with classily spread cream cheese frosting.


They were delicious. Rachel isn't much of a cake smasher/smearer. She is very dainty and wants the food in her belly.


"Dad, you have got to try this."


And in the morning, Nigel pushed Rachel around in her wagon. So cute.

Happy first birthday party to my sweet little Rachel!

What we want.

It is that time of year! Birthday month for both Andrew and Rachel.

Andrew wants money so he can save up for a fancy shmancy camera.

We have decided that Rachel wants blocks, a doll, a table and chairs, and a kitchen. We already got her some plastic food and cars. She also wants someone who will walk around with her all day without their back seizing up.

It isn't my birthday, but I will tell you what I want. I want books (ask me for specifics and I will tell you which ones to buy), a piano, and shoes and clothes.

And this is why I am broken. I need new 'go anywhere shoes', but I don't want them. I want new running shoes. I need another pair of jeans that fits (yay I'm not so rotund!), but I want running long sleeve shirts or jackets and pants. At least we already bought a foam roller, or I would want one of those instead of something sensible, like a new pastry blender or citrus squeezer.

The title of this blog post reminds me of that meme:
What are we? WOMEN!
What do we want? WE DON'T KNOW!
When so we want it? NOW!

Except I do know what I want and I think I must be going crazy. Running has addled my brain.

Winnie-the-Pooh Nursery

Andrew's mom came to visit and was happy to paint a mural on our nursery wall! She said she always wanted to paint a mural in her kids' rooms but never was bold enough to decide on something and then follow through. I think she did a great job.


The base layer of the painting. She wanted it to look like a watercolor painting, as the A. A. Milne text's illustrations are.


Trees to frame the painting.


Rachel loved watching Oma paint.


Time to lower the crib! She's only 9 months old, for goodness sake.


Putting some finishing touches on the beehive.


Owl.


The honeybees.











More characters will appear on the opposite wall at a later date.

Rachel loves it. She waves at Owl when she wakes up and points from Owl and the honeybees whenever we go into her room.

Bath Time!

I generally don't believe in posting pictures of naked babies on the internet, no matter how cute. But these are too funny.

Our friends came to visit us and we put all three kids in the bathtub.


The closest we get to having them all look at the camera at the same time.


The little babies stare at the toddler's craziness.


The nasal aspirator: best bath toy ever. And dog-boy toy ever, too.


"Mom, this is the funnest bath of my life."

So the pictures aren't that funny. But it was a funny bath.