Aebleskiver and bacon for breakfast. I usually cook bacon in the oven (on a cookie sheet, 15-20 minutes at 400F, turn once) but when we took it out it wasn’t quite crispy enough. I rhetorically asked Deborah if she knew any tricks for crisping bacon up, and she said, “Just stick the whole plate in the microwave for a minute.” It worked like a charm.

Is 10am too early for a popsicle? Nah.

Then we ran some errands, but I have no photographic evidence of those so you’ll have to take my word for it.

Lunch at Chick-Fil-A, which was something we did all the time with our playgroup friends in Maryland. It was nice to continue the tradition and to eat waffle fries again. This photo makes me laugh because I moved just before the timer took the picture and it looks like I am doing a robot dance. That is especially funny if you know me in real life because I can’t dance.

We stopped at a mountaintop amphitheater to take in the view and enjoy the breeze. The kids climbed all over the stairs and stage and even did an impromptu concert featuring “Jesus Loves Me” and the A-B-C song.

We tried to get the kids to pose in front of some flowers, but they wouldn’t. So Deborah and I posed instead.

As Annalie would say, there’s nothing better than playing in the pool on a hot summer day! The kids had fun anyway. Deborah and I spent much of the time refereeing arguments and saying things like, “Walk please, don’t run!” and “You’re in the pool, you have to expect you’re gonna get splashed. Just splash him back next time!” and “I said DON’T throw water in your sister’s face!” Good times.

Christian (Deborah’s husband) called to ask if we could be ready to leave in half an hour. We said sure, no problem. Then we spent the next 30 minutes rushing madly around, packing and cleaning up the kitchen and Annalie’s bedroom and loading the vehicles with suitcases and bags and still-damp children. Christian drove their SUV and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Deborah and I took the kids in the minivan. Five hours on the road in a minivan with two preschoolers and a toddler who skipped her nap: REAL good times. At least Deborah and I had lots of time to chat in between handing out snacks and asking the kids to stop screaming.

That’s all for now, folks! Thank you and good night.

Annalie was in her pool yesterday and started telling me a story about the toy turtle she was playing with. She was telling it in a very animated fashion with lots of gesturing and pantomiming and splashing, so I starting taking photos. I took a shot every couple of seconds for a minute or two.

How Annalie tells a story: a slideshow from bethany actually on Vimeo.

The song is “Louis Loon” from Barenaked Ladies Snacktime. I love the whole album and plan to get Annalie hooked on it as soon as possible so we can listen to it over and over on our road trip next week.

I meant to post these videos over a week ago, but Vimeo was having problems and then I got distracted and forgot until a couple of days ago when I finally re-uploaded the second one. Also, I was originally going to post them one at a time, but I’m feeling lazy so you get both of them on the same day.

Here is Annalie explaining why she loves living in California:

What Annalie likes about living in California from bethany actually on Vimeo.

Here is Annalie wading at the beach and bravely running to get water in a cup (almost) all by herself:

Annalie’s getting braver at the beach from bethany actually on Vimeo.

Cheers!