post number 5...

are you sick of these posts yet? alright, so continuing on with the s.f. trip... on friday we went to the exploratorium. this was the highlight of our trip because a) this is right up jordan's alley--i.e. sciency, and he's a big kid at heart and b) i was excited to see his reaction to everything. i had been when i was a kid and loved tinkering with all of the fun experiments, but jordan actually understood and appreciated how each one worked. he was like a kid in a candy store-- pure delight!
the amazing architecture outside the exploratorium.jordan being a table hog... i mean showing our nephew mason how it works:)this thing was really cool... you push a button and it creates a circular dolphin bubble. note the excitment on his face:)the girls, not having as much fun as dad"you're turning violet, violet!"
after the exploratorium we took a stroll on the beach as a family. it was this cool, private little inlet... we were pretty much the only ones there.my family in the distance.
a view of alcatraz from the shore.driving home on golden gate...
we topped the day off with ghiridelli hot fudge sundaes--another s.f. must! we had such a fun trip... we can't wait to go again!

post number 4...

our trip to california included a fun over-nighter in san francisco. we love that place. there is so much to see and do. because it is a big city, in some ways it reminds me of my mission days in new york--still, they are very different. i just like the hustle and bustle of big cities i guess.... and let's not forget the FOOD! we arrived on a thursday at about 11am, and decided to stop into boudin bakery for a clam chowder bread bowl and sour dough grilled cheese. this place is amazing--so yummy!

at boudin they have a large street-facing window where you can see the bakers at work. they make all kinds of little animals out of bread. and here is jordan posed with a big animal. mmmm...what a delicious looking alligator....after lunch we went for a stroll along the pier. here are the world-famous sea lion floating docks. for whatever reason these swarms of sea lions gather here to lay in the sun. it is fun to catch an occasional "king of the dock" fight between them. you can only stand this place for so long, however. the stench of such a gathering is, well, unfortunate. i think avery's face in this picture says it all.jordan and tilly, enjoying the sea lions.

since jordan had never experienced alcatraz, we thought this would be a worthwhile addition to the trip. if you have never been, we highly reccomend you go. sooo interesting..... at any rate, here is the ferry we took out to the bay.

jordan and tilly on the boat... and a teeny tiny golden gate bridge in the background.aproaching "the rock."
just one of the cell blocks inside...
jordan in solitary confinement. the tour is a personal audio tour which is neat because you can go at your own pace. plus, it's narrated by former guards and inmates... and, it includes really cool background noises that make you feel like you are walking the halls of an occupied prison. and last but not least, here is the view of s.f. from alcatraz.

later that night we met up with family in concord to watch my nephew's high school volleyball game, and then went out to eat at red robin. it was such a fun day!

post number 3...

-->

...and we're back! okay, so since jordan was graduating we thought it was high time we took a trip out to california to visit family, and just have fun. usually when we do go out it is a quick weekend trip, jam-packed with events. not this time. we had so much fun just relaxing and taking it easy. we ate at all the yummy "california only" eats, went shopping at h&m (a couple of times, which i should be ashamed to admit but am not), went to the park, and visited with friends and family. what made the trip even more enjoyable was that instead of trying to cram our family of four into mom's already full 3 bedroom house, we were able to stay down the street at a friend's. they happened to be out of town the same days we were there, so we kept the place occupied.

jordan and the girls at the salt flats... we were a little worried about how the girls would do on the long trip, now that they are a little older and more awake... but they were champs!
my brother jesse and wife leah waited for our trip out to bless their little wyatt. i say "little" but he is that chunk in between the girls. yeah, only 3 months old and already a little taller than they are. mmmm....wyatt sandwich....
jordan taking tilly for her first ride on the curly slide...if you look carefully, you can see our whole family in this picture:)
niece afton-- i told her to say cheese and this is what i got...hands posed next to face. she is a riot...meaning the funny kind and sometimes the dangerous kind:) really sweet and tender with the girls however.


babies waiting for mom and dad to get ready for the day.
the last sunday we were there, we celebrated my cousin kurt returning from his mission to argentina. it was so fun to catch up with all of our extended family too. my aunt julie had these mini chairs in the family room.

come back for more posts about our overnighter to sf, and the fun brunch my sister and friend threw for us!

post number 2...

....and we're back! perhaps our most exciting news as of late is that jordan graduated--yipee!

it's one of those things that you think will never come when you are in the thick of it--but it did, and we are so proud of him! he now has his b.s. in physics... which means he is now a legally registered physicist:) on april 22nd we attended commencement, which was great. president uchtdorf and elder nelson were the keynote speakers, and they gave some great advice to the graduates. the girls did great the two hours we were there...
... as long as they had some hands to chew on:)
these are the graduates coming into the marriot center. believe it or not, we know where tiny little jordan is in this picture... but i won't make you look for him:)
the girls were tuckered out by the whole event and so was jordan, probably.
the only time i got a tinsy bit emotional during commencement was when president samuelson asked the graduates to give the people who have supported them and helped them accomplish graduation a round of applause. while i did very little in actually helping jordan with his schooling, it was nice to be given a pat on the back for surviving the long days while he was away:) love my graduate!
jordan with his younger sister leah and mom priscilla
the moms
it was fun to have my mom here for the ocassion. she is always such a big help... not to mention lots of fun:) the next day we had jordan's convocation--this is where he and the other graduates in the school of physics and astronomy actually walked and recieved their diplopmas.


it's like you were there!
jordan and friend brian at convocation

following the convocation we went to the eyring science center where they had a lovely lunch prepared for the graduates and their guests. the eyring will always have a special place in jordan's heart, since it was pretty much his second home for two years...


jordan and friend jordan--ha!


the stickers on the girls' backs read 'guest of jordan stutz'yes, it was a wonderful graduation and it made me excited for when i can actually participate in my own:) now it's time to find a job--the hard part. please send any good leads our way!

post number 1...

i have the best friends and family ever! thanks to you, and whomever else you harassed into voting for me, i won the contest! the package i won was called the newborn package. it included these super cute flower hair pins from my simplicity boutique...


they are actually for the girls, but unfortunately they lack somewhat in the 'hair department' so you are stuck with me for a model. i also won a $20 gift certificate to smoky pendants --which is an esty shop with really neat jewelry. and last but not least, i won my choice of scrapbook page from close to my heart --which i guess means i will have to practice becoming a little more crafty. what's more fun than winning free stuff? thanks again for all your votes! come back tomorrow for more updates:)

too many fun things past+tons of pictures= a super-post. super-post -time enough to do said super-post= lots of little posts over a period of time.

okay, so i know it's been waaaaaay too long since our last post--but this has been for good reason. we have been super busy these last couple of weeks, mostly with celebrating and having fun:). anyway, we have lots of pictures and stories to prove it, but nowhere near enough time to post it all at once. so we have decided to spread it out over a couple of days. this means more waiting for you... but stick with us, and hopefully throwing in a bunch of pics of the girls will make it all worth it--besides, suspense teaches us patience:) check back tomorrow for post #1...