Can August be the last hot month this year? Please?

Can it really have only been a week since I wrote last? So much seems to have happened that again, it feels or like two or three weeks since my last blog. My days drag by. It's too hot to play outside and you can only swim for so many hours, so the kids and I get a little stir crazy being indoors all day.

This is Allen. He was the chef for us at Beni Hana, where we went to celebrate Nana and Papa's anniversary this last week. He's amazing. And can I just say that Beni Hana is my new favorite restaurant? Not that it matters, considering how little we eat out. But it's important to have opinions, isn't it?

The kids absolutely loved it there. Vash ate several bowls of the onion soup. Both he and Rhyla devoured tons of fried rice, steak, chicken, and salad. And Rhyla loves cucumber rolls as it turns out! Allen did all kinds of tricks while he cooked. Flipping the bowls of rice on the end of his spatula. Flipping and catching shrimp tails in hat. He tossed a couple at Rhyla, so she laughed and clapped for him. He joked that she loved everything because she clapped so often. He even stacked the onion rings up into a mountain and made it "explode" with steam, like a volcano. It was delicious and fun. Can't wait to go back sometime.

As I mentioned before, we do a lot of swimming. The yellow thing Rhyla is wearing helps her to swim all by herself. She was getting too brave and jumping in without someone to catch her, so we had to splurge on this vest. We call it the bug. Rhyla will swim around and sing "Once upon a dream" or "Twinkle, Twinkle, little start" if Vash will let her have one of the star fish toys. 

The other day, Vash heard Rhyla singing "Once upon a dream",  so he grabbed his squirt gun and started attacking, while yelling "DREAMS COME TRUE!!!" Like it was a battle cry or something. Did I mention he is fully potty trained now? Thrilled. Absolutely thrilled about that. Can't shower enough praise on him for how excited we are. After a year of effort? It was time. YEY Vash!

The kids enjoy playing at the Hobby Lobby now. Sounds funny but Vash loved to look at all the decorative cars and planes, while Rhyla likes to play in the costumes or look at anything shiny. We pick out crafts and take them back to Me-ma and Pe-pa's house to do after lunch. This is her trying on a foam Safari hat. Fitting with the giraffe shirt and all. Rhyla, who seems to learn a new word everyday, now walks around growling "Monkies!" for no apparent reason.

I call this picture "Siblings by chance, Friends by choice." They really have a good time playing together. If Rhyla cries, Vash comes up and rubs her back, then tells her "It's ok, I got you Ya-Ya." And Rhyla is anxious to play with and do everything Vash does. They color together, dance together, and try to sing together. (P.S. my kids' rendition of "Grim grinning ghosts" is hilarious.)

Here are the flowers that Vash picked out for me. Craig had taken him to the store to get drinks when Vash started hollering for flowers. Craig wasn't sure what he meant until he saw the display cabinet with flower arrangements. Vash picked this one and told Craig, "Daddy, we get Mommy flowers and her dreams come true! Her dreams come true at the castle!"

So sweet! He later added that I'd be in love at the castle too, so we think he thinks that if Craig brings me flowers, that we'll go to Disneyland. I wish! Halloween time with the giant Mickey Mouse pumpkin heads is my favorite.

Forgot a picture last week, but here are my new hairs. Love the bangs. I can blow dry them, pull the rest of my hair into a sloppy bun, and it looks like I spent a lot more time getting ready than I actually did. Also forgot to mention that I spoke in church last week. Three times in one year. I'm pretty surprised. But it must have gone well. Lots of people told me how great it was and two women came and said they felt it was written just for them. One of them even burst into tears and said she felt like she could let her angry feelings towards her father go, after hearing part my talk. It was about being charitable towards those who have wronged us, those who have offended us, and those who we don't like or get along with. They just gave me the topic of charity when they asked me to speak, so I focused it in that direction, because it's something I have a hard time with. I'm grateful for the Spirit, that helped me to prepare a talk about something that was helpful to more than just me. I hope that I can be like that woman who cried to me and learn to let go of some of the feelings I harbor towards unkind individuals in my life. Here's an excerpt from by talk. It's a quote from Elder Utchdorf: "Brothers and sisters, there is enough heartache and sorrow in this life without our adding to it through our own stubbornness, bitterness, and resentment. We are not perfect. The people around us are not perfect. People do things that annoy, disappoint, and anger. In this mortal life it will always be that way. Nevertheless, we must let go of our grievances. Part of the purpose of mortality is to learn how to let go of such things. That is the Lord’s way. Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They are forgiven. And they forgive."