Coldplay

It's taken me almost a week to write this because I was mourning the fact that it was all over.

Back in January, my sister bought tickets for the two of us and two of my former co-workers. September seemed so stinkin' far away yet it arrived before we knew it.

Our other sister didn't feel like she knew the band well enough to attend the concert but we met for lunch in Walnut Creek and browsed a few adorable shops. Before we decided on where to go for lunch, my sister looked up some local restaurants on Yelp and one of them had a photo of these delicious looking doughnuts. That happened to be the restaurant we settled on. Just as we were finishing up our main course, I said I kept smelling the doughnuts but couldn't find anyone who had them. For some reason, that set us all off and what started as laughter quickly turned into hysterics, which then turned into crying and trying to catch our breath. I can only imagine what we looked like and it makes me laugh out loud reminiscing about it. Turns out, I wasn't smelling the doughnuts but my sister's hand sanitizer.  The doughnuts turned out to be AMAZING and I'm anxiously awaiting a day when I can attempt to re-create them.

My sister had to hurry back home to pick her girls up from dance before it was time for us to get ready to the show.  After some wardrobe disputes, we were on our way to meet the other two ladies.  The husband of one of them agreed to drop us off and pick us up which was a HUGE relief since parking was $50!  Yikes!  Ironically, before the show ended, Chris Martin thanked everyone for coming despite how difficult it must have been to find something to wear, the high ticket costs, and high vendor prices.

We arrived at Levi's Stadium around 6:30 and snapped a few photos on the way to our seats.

A Santa Clara police officer took this one - he didn't even know who was playing :)

The stadium was PACKED and the lines to get food were outrageous (we hadn't eaten since lunch and I was starving). Thankfully, there were indoor concession stands right next to our section and my sister and I shared chicken strips & french fries for my 1st course.

We didn't recognize the first act until she (Bishop Briggs) sang her last song (she reminded me of a young Björk). I didn't recognize the second act (Alessia Cara) at all but finally heard one of her songs on the radio yesterday.

The excitement and anticipation were almost too much to handle. My sister and I kept looking at each other and squealing because we were just about to burst. Finally, just after 9:00, the stadium went dark, music came through the speakers, and our wristbands lit up. The show was starting!

The waiting for eight months was absolutely, positively worth it. Even when I didn't know a few of the songs they played (their new ones), my body couldn't help but dance to the beat. Every second was as entertaining as could be and I'd see the same show night after night if I could. It was amazing.

So many memories go with so many of their songs. Like how when LaVor and I broke up, "The Scientist" had just been released. Or how I got in a fight with my dad and can picture LaVor and I driving down 580 as we listened to "Fix You" and I thought of how Chris wrote the song for Gwyneth when her dad passed away. Or how "Kingdom Comes" reminds me of our wedding.

What really got me was when they played "Everglow". Several months ago, I came across either a blog post or Instagram post of a mother whose little girl suddenly passed away last year. The mom wrote a specific blog post about Coldplay's song and how they still find Marjorie's everglow all around them. I certainly thought of her as the band played the song.

I've decided Chris Martin and I would make great friends. I just wanted to squeeze his cheeks, he was so adorable throughout the night! Very funny, down to earth, and seemed like someone you'd just want to hang out with.

This was my third time seeing them and it seems to get better each time. I can only imagine how exciting it will be when I get to see them again!

Apple Hill

LaVor's parents were in town over the weekend and we were trying to think of something we could do that didn't involve water (The Lime's broken arm). Apple Hill came to my mind last week and so that's what we did.

Since we were familiar with it, we stopped at High Hill Ranch. The Lime really wanted to play in their makeshift playground but we promised him we'd go to a real park when we got home.

We browsed through the vendors, bought some apples, took some silly photos, watched a forklift dump a crate full of apples into another bin to make cider, and ate home hot dogs that were supposed to be Polish dogs.

The smells coming from the restaurant were mouth watering and if I had enough room in my belly and money in my wallet, I would have bought ever pie and caramel apple they had. Seriously, I need a candle made out of that scent.

We walked around the pond/lake and Doodlebug was fixated on these ducks.

Then Doodlebug spotted the mini-horses and couldn't take his eyes off them.

We headed down the road to Boa Vista Orchards where LaVor's mom bought a yummy Dutch apple pie. Another place that I wouldn't have minded a sample of every.little.thing.

Everyone was winding down and I still needed to run an errand back home before it got too late. With one quick stop in Placerville, we were on our way home along with everyone else after an eventful Labor Day.

We were lucky to have Grammy & Papa make a pit stop on their way home from Hawaii and hope it'll be sooner rather than later before we see them again.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 27

-Talking up a storm and getting better and better at saying actual words (like apple).
-Can count to 10.
-Is the cutest little dancer.
-Refuses to let you buckle him into his car seat, otherwise he screams and cries until you unbuckle him and let him do it.
-Also refuses to ride The Lime's wooden balance bike. At this age, The Lime was a pro on that thing but for some reason Doodlebug wants nothing to do with it.
-Likes to read books.
-Might be addicted to the iTouch, so we have to hide it.
-Loves having his window down in the car.
-Has figured out how to pick his nose.
-Is getting his 2 year molars.
-Has a hard time finishing his meals which has never been a problem before. It's a little frustrating.
-Doesn't like when I sing along with him to "H.O.L.Y." by Florida Georgia Line.
-Is the best little hugger and kisser.
-I was looking at videos from when Doodlebug was a baby and it made me so sad. He is far from a baby and I can't believe how fast it happened!

Count Your Blessings

I don't even know where to begin!

Yes I do.

A few months ago, prior to us going to Colorado, Doodlebug got two ear infections in a month. One of them became apparent after our doctor's office closed for the day so I had to take him to Urgent Care, which I really didn't want to do because I knew the co-pay would be more than if I took him to his regular doctor. But since that wasn't an option, and I wasn't going to make him wait all night before I could get him treated, I bit the bullet and took him in.

A month later, we got his bill in addition to my bills for a mysterious leg pain I'd been having for over six months. It was nothing but we still had to pay a pretty penny for them to tell me that. I called to set up a payment plan for the bills and had everything scheduled to be paid off in six weeks.

Fast forward to last Tuesday night. The boys and I finished dinner and The Lime asked if we could play basketball outside until LaVor came home. It was the night before school started and I was happy to let him have one last enjoyable summer night.

When we got out there, I noticed his shoe was untied and asked him if he wanted me to tie it. "No, I'm good," he said. We played for a few minutes before LaVor showed up and he came over to join us. Before we knew it, The Lime had tripped over his shoelace and, in slow motion, fell to his knees and then onto his arm. He immediately erupted into tears and said his arm hurt really bad.

This kid falls all.the.time and can usually have us take a look at it, we tell him he's not bleeding, and he's on his way. Except this time, we looked at it and it wasn't okay. The bone hadn't broken the skin but it was definitely not in its place.

So...we brought him inside, put some ice on it, gave him some Tylenol, and I drove him to Urgent Care as he howled in the backseat. Once we got to the hospital and he was around other people, the crying and whining stopped but he was still in a lot of pain.

After an exam, x-rays, another exam, and a final decision from the doctor to temporarily wrap it up until we could be seen by the Orthopedist, we were on our way home at 10:00. The doctor recommended he not go to school on the first day but we got him ready and had him meet his teacher anyway. I also dropped off his EpiPen in the office and notified them it expired in July but his doctor said we could still use it. There's a new head nurse this year who is a real stickler when it comes to rules and the office staff wasn't sure she'd let expired medicine slide. They told me to expect a call from her the next day.

I waited all day Wednesday for a call from the Orthopedist, hoping we could get in so he could go to school on Thursday. I was too impatient and ended up calling them only to find out that they would have allowed him to go to school on Wednesday (ugh!) and to go ahead and send him on Thursday. First thing Thursday morning, they called with an appointment that morning which meant he'd be missing more school. At the appointment, the doctor recommended surgery for Friday morning to reset the bone and possibly place pins.

I dropped The Lime back off at school just in time for lunch. As soon as I got home, the head nurse called and, just as expected, told me they couldn't accept his expired EpiPen. I told her I couldn't afford to throw away (literally) $135 worth of unused medication every year just to turn around and pay another $135 for another prescription. She was understanding but firm in her decision.

Shortly after that, the hospital called to go over finances for The Lime's surgery and asked for a deposit. Even though I tried to mask it, I'm pretty sure the girl on the other line could tell I was crying and we ended on an uncomfortable note. As Doodlebug napped, and the house was quiet, I sobbed trying to find the silver lining in these unexpected hiccups in the road, when we were trying to smooth out the hiccups we were already dealing with.

We woke up early Friday morning, LaVor took The Lime in for the operation while I waited at home until Doodlebug woke up. We made it to the surgery center just as they took The Lime back and a short 45 minutes later, we were ready to see him. He was moody and uncomfortable but the procedure was over and we could begin the healing process.

Even though this past week was not how I imagined our last week of summer/first week of school to be, I can see so many blessings tucked in between the trials.

-I can't even imagine how horrible summer would have been if The Lime broke his arm in June. We can deal with a broken arm at school but he would have been miserable for two months if the timing was different.
-Two of his friends from kindergarten are in his class this year and they are taking SUCH good care of him. When I picked him up on Thursday, all he could talk about was how Blake did this and Jett helped him with that. So grateful for good friends!
-The Lime didn't need pins and his bone set just as it should have. Yah!
-I re-filled his EpiPen prescription and printed a discount card from their website. I've tried using it in the past but it never worked. When we picked up the medicine on Saturday, the woman told us our total and it was over $100 less than what we expected. I almost cried right there in Target and then throughout the day each time I thought about it.
-LaVor keeps me sane when I'm freaking out about the cost of everything. "We're just going to have to make it work," he tells me. So thankful for his level head!
-I was worried about the horrible first impression we were making on The Lime's teacher, with all of the class he was missing. But she's been so understanding and kind and just wanted him healthy.
-We've had several friends make cards and bring The Lime treats to make him feel better.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Calaveras Big Trees State Park

Our goal of going out and doing something every Saturday was overlooked last weekend when we had our Pioneer Day celebration. It went off without a hitch and the kids seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

We woke up yesterday and were out the door within the hour, on our way to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. I understand there are a few places throughout the state and west coast that provide a similar experience. But LaVor was set on taking us to Arnold.

We twisted and turned our way through the central valley. There were so many cute, old towns that we would have loved to stop in had we had the extra time. But we wanted to see the trees so we pushed on through.

Once we arrived, we all jumped out of the car to stretch our legs and begin our adventure. (I have to admit, the smell of trees doesn't make me as happy as it does LaVor. He has memories of spending Christmas in Tahoe and I have memories of food poisoning.)

We couldn't believe the size of these puppies! Absolutely amazing that Heavenly Father created something so huge (and living)!

The first major attraction we saw was the Discovery Tree. After being cut down, the stump was used as a dance floor (none of my boys wanted to take a picture on it).

The trail took us around trees, through them, and also under.

Nature is an amazing thing and the only thing we could think of that could cause this hole in the top of the tree was a lightning bolt. Fascinating, huh?!

And check this one out - it appears to have scoliosis or somethin'.

Before we knew it, we were at the end of the trail. A re-fill of our water bottles and we were ready to make our way down to the river!

LaVor was the brave one to test the temperature. I think his face is a pretty good indication of how cold it was.

The Lime jumped in and then back out. He loves swimming but wasn't so sure about it this time around.

Doodlebug also went in for a second then came out. I asked him if he wanted to go back in and this is what I got...

The Lime decided to go back in for a few moments before settling in the sand with Doodlebug. LaVor didn't mind hanging out by himself and swimming as hard as he could against the current.

Everyone got their fix of the river and we decided it was time to pack up and head on home. But first, we had to stop for some ice cream.

With full bellies, we continued on home. What an eventful day it was! We are thoroughly enjoying our weekends exploring the wonderful state we're blessed to call home.