Live Moore Life

Sunday, July 4, 2010 - Happy Independence Day! What a great day to celebrate all the freedom we have been given. To honor the Lord for the freedom from our sins we have received in Christ. To honor the men and women who fought and continue to fight to maintain our freedoms in this country.

Happy 4th!

We, along with the Retts and Wrights got up this morning and headed over to hear our friend Joey preach. I was a little nervous about how the boys would do during the nursery drop-off at a new church, but they were both great! Silas cried for about 10 seconds until he was distracted with a fun toy and I only stayed an extra minute or two and Joel was fine with me leaving. Progress! We enjoyed Joey's sermon and just worshipping with all of our friends! After church, we all came back here for a feast. We were joined by the Snyders and the Blakeslys for a fun afternoon.

 The Crew (Moores, Novaks, Wrights, Retts)

The Kiddos...Joel with Evie, Zoe with Audrey, Eli and Silas

 The Women and Kiddos (minus Joel and Owen)

Silas, LB, Kim, Audrey, Zoe, Evie, Becca, Megan, Elias, Eli and Katie

Becca made adorable star slider burgers and a festive ice cream tunnel cake. Kim and Chris carved a cool watermelon fruit basket and served up some yummy raspberry lemonade. Katie brought stars and stripes jell-o. Heidi brought some great dips. I made artichoke bread dip and chicken skewers. It was a great collaboration and the food was, of course, awesome!

 A small portion of the food

After we ate, the kids played in the pool for a bit and then it was on to baseball, or rather, t-ball. Joel, Zoe, and Silas initially took turns hitting and running the bases while the adults fielded the balls. Eventually, the adults took some swings too for a fun game. Joel is really cute saying, "You're out!" and "Safe!", both complete with the hand/arm motions. Silas even got in on the action, frequently yelling out, "Safe!" They had so much fun. Later that evening, Joel told David, "Dada, I played baseball with the guys!"

 Concentration! 

A little while later the Shopes came over and the fun continued. Joel was so excited to have Owen and Elias over to play. We all loaded up to head over to Sierra Madre for their concert in the park. The website indicated there would be lots of food booths, etc. but we only found a couple of high-priced booths and the music was so-so. But, the boys had fun dancing to the music and just running around for a bit.

 Feeling the groove

We finally headed back home and the Retts picked up pizza for everyone. We got the boys to sleep and we headed outside to catch the Rose Bowl fireworks show. Unfortunately, the trees that provide amazing shade for us, also blocked our view of the fireworks. We could see them through the trees, but they weren't quite high enough to get the full effect. Thankfully, but not so thankfully, our neighbors were having their own little illegal show. Some of them were really pretty and cool. Some of them were shot way too low and were literally falling on our house, our trees and almost us! We were just about to call the police when they finally stopped. Yikes! The boys slept through all of the loud pops and bangs. They were completely worn out from the days festivities!

Monday, July 5, 2010 - Happy 27th Birthday, David! (David the brother, not David the husband) We've had a lot of adventures over the last 27 years of your life. I'm so proud of the man you are! Thanks for bringing Kassidy into our lives and of course, where would we be without Jaxon and Rylan? We love you, Uncle David, and we hope you had a fantastic birthday!

Today would have also been my Papa and Gana's 68th wedding anniversary. Papa and Gana were two of the most important influences on my life. They loved God, loved each other, and loved all of their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids with great abandon. We miss them terribly but are so thankful that they are together with Jesus!

We had a lazy morning after such a busy day on Sunday. I got up early with the boys and then David let me have a few hours to clean sans boys. What a difference that made! I felt like I got 3x more accomplished than usual! After lunch, David and Andrew loaded up the surfboards and headed to the beach. Becca and I stayed back to let the kids nap. We finally woke Silas and Evie up so we could actually spend more than 10 minutes at the beach. We got down to Manhattan Beach to find the sun hiding behind the clouds and a chilly breeze blowing. The boys still had fun digging holes, walking along the beach and playing in the sand.

 I want to see, too!

Then we headed over to Mama D's in Manhattan Beach for pizza. It was a fun little local place with terrific pizza. They even offer free pizza on your birthday...we'll definitely be back!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - Tuesday morning arrived with much to do. I think Kim saw my stress and she and Chris offered to take Joel along with them to the Americana. Silas and I ran a few quick errands and I remembered how nice it is to only have one child in tow. It was nice to have some alone time with Silas, too!After work, David let me run to the grocery store ALONE while he took the boys to the park. What's better than running errands with just one kid? Running errands alone! I remembered how much I enjoy grocery shopping without two cuties wrestling in the cart! :) We spent the rest of the evening cleaning and getting ready for our guests on Wednesday.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - Lynn and Jill arrived in Burbank and the boys and I picked them up. Thankfully (for me), their plane was running a little late because we were running behind too! We headed over to have lunch at the original Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. Joel now recognizes "Big Boy" and likes to eat there.

 Silas and the Big Boy

 Joel, Momma Jill, Silas, and Granddad

After their naps, the boys had a great time playing with Granddad and Momma Jill while I finished fixing supper. We had Apricot Pork Tenderloin, Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad, and Dr. Pepper Chocolate Sheet Cake. Yummy!

At one point, Jill and I were standing in the kitchen watching Silas dance around. All of a sudden, he jumped up in the air! Both feet off the ground! I looked at Jill to make sure I hadn't made it up and she confirmed. We now have a full-fledged jumper on our hands!

Thursday, July 8, 2010 - Earlier in the week, I made Homemade Sausage Biscuits and threw them in the freezer. I pulled those out for breakfast. Then, Lynn, Jill and the boys and I headed over to Travel Town.

 Aboard a train

We had a great time watching the boys climb in the trains, walk up and down the railroad tracks and yell, "All aboard!"

 He walks the line.

 Joel the Engineer

We also rode the small train that runs around the outside of the park. It was cool and cloudy and great weather to be outside.

 I was taking a picture of Lynn and Joel
but I love the interaction that was captured between Jill and Silas.

Silas really was more excited than this picture of us indicates.

 My little choo-choo trains!

While we were in the area, I thought it would be fun to take Lynn and Jill up to the Griffith Observatory.

We ate lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe at the End of the Universe. Lynn and Jill got English Meat Pie and said it was really good. I had a sandwich (delish!) and some of Silas' mac and cheese (super delish!) It was a bit pricey but the quality made it worth it.

 Joel and Granddad looking out the "tellyscoop" at "The Big Picture"

Hollywood

After the boys naps, Lynn pulled out a new Slip n Slide for them. They had a hard time getting the hang of it, but I think they had fun just playing in the water.

Joel had to check things out

 Silas was checking things out too

Silas got the slip part down

What a cutie!

Side Note: At one point, just before dinner, I looked over to see Silas playing with 2 dinosaur puppets. He was holding them up to each other saying, "He-wo? He-wo?" (i.e. "Hello? Hello?") I'm not sure these words fully capture the cuteness but hopefully this blurb will help me remember when I read over this a year from now.

The Retts and the Wrights joined us for dinner...meatloaf and mashed potatoes! David and I headed up to church shortly after dinner for a San Francisco mission trip leadership meeting. It was great to meet together and learn more about who we'll be ministering to and where to focus our prayers. I am so excited!

Friday, July 9, 2010 - On Thursday, I noticed one of Joel's eyes was swollen and  a little "gunky" so I went ahead and made a doctor's appointment. Well, Friday morning it was all clear, of course. I decided to take him in anyway. Lynn and Jill dropped us off and then took Silas to the park. The doctor decided it was probably just allergies and gave me a prescription just in case it got worse again. Whew! I am so glad we do not have to fight Joel to put drops in his eyes! After we finished at the doctor's office, we headed off to the Aquarium. We ate lunch at Boston's. I had not eaten there before, but the pizza was pretty tasty! Then we headed over to see the fish. The boys, of course, loved it! We saw the otters again and they were much more playful today.

 Climing on the rocks near the otters

We saw all the fish again (Silas' cries of "Fish! Fish!" and "Melmo! Melmo" weren't quite as loud or as frequent as our first visit.) The boys weren't as interested in petting the sharks and rays this time but this time we went into the Lorikeet bird exhibit. They loved it! We tried to get one to land on our arms but were having no luck. Then, a sweet little boy came over and offered his extra bird nectar (that I didn't want to pay $3 for) and Joel held it. Soon, a little bird came over and after gnawing on his finger for a minute, drank the nectar from the cup in Joel's hand. Joel's eyes were wide and he did not move a muscle! Silas loved watching them too! They were really pretty and fun to watch, until one swooped right next to my head! I guess I should probably count on spending $3 when we go to the aquarium from now on!

 What's going on over there?

Joel's feeding a bird!

Say, "Cheese!"

Joel being silly and Silas being sweet

Saturday, July 10, 2010 - David, Lynn, and Jill graciously let me sleep in really late this morning. It. was. awesome! Then we ate a quick lunch and loaded up the cars to go to the beach. The sun decided he didn't want to play today but we still had a great time. The boys dug their traditional hole and then David and Lynn went to bodyboard and surf.

 Wade.....in the water

 Practicing their stances

The different "cheeses" of Silas...cracks me up!

Joel decided he wanted to surf. David tried to get the board positioned so Joel could stand on it, but it ended up kind of hitting him and he didn't like it one bit! It hit me a couple of times while we were trying to get him out and I don't blame him at all. That baby hurts! Thankfully, David was able to get him to stand on the boogie board for a couple of minutes and he liked that pretty well. I even got to read a little bit while the boys dug a hole and then again while Silas chilled in my lap. Even though the sun skipped out on us, we had a fun time.

Like father, like son

Surfing!

After we loaded everything up, we sent the boys back to the house with Granddad and Momma Jill so David and I could head over to the Getty Center for a free Dawes concert. David was so excited and a little bit like a kid in a candy store.

We got there just in time to get free (and relatively quick) parking and then met up with the Retts at the garden cafe. (And, for the record, apparently it was a pretty happening place to be. Kim saw Sally Fields walking up the stairs before we got there! How do I always miss these star sightings? So jealous!!!! David and I kept our eyes open but never spotted her...) It was a bit chilly but never got unbearable. The concert was really cool.

 David being silly and Chris decided to join him

The Retts....Kim, Audrey, Zoe and Chris

The whole venue was awesome and the band was much better than I expected. As David had said, they give 100% to their audience and that made it really fun to watch/listen to. I would definitely go to another one of their concerts and I'd definitely go to another concert at the Getty. Just a really fun night all the way around!