Happy Trees

Greer, AZ

I've got a list of a thousand things to do, but I'm going to stop for one minute and share to everyone how much I love my family and friends right now.

Here's why:

· He loves to eat waffles at least twice a week, and plan fun outings, and drink soda late at night, and watch scary TV shows, and listen to music all the day long, and plant luscious green winter grass, and go for walks to look at holiday lawn decorations, and record an a m a z i n g album that I am so proud of.

· She has cute pigtails and curly hair, and loves "bubbus" and "doggies", and loves to chase around a ball, and give kisses with delayed 'smack' sounds, and obsess over new shoes, and push grocery carts, and eat an entire apple on a stick, and have dance parties.

· They invite us over for Sunday dinner every Sunday, and prepare us 72 hour kits so we don't have to, and take June to the carousel to ride at least 6 times, and they sew us curtains and blankets, and buy ten different kinds of cheeses, and challenge me to Tetris to which I win triumphantly or lose terribly.

· They throw parties at the last minute that look like it took weeks to prepare for, and serve soup in bread bowls, they recommend good music and TV because I'm so out of the loop, and they have pizza ovens in their backyard with every pizza topping you can dream of, and they are talented and help me to remember to push myself and, most importantly, they make me laugh.

This is terribly written, but it's true.

San Francisco

I can talk about San Francisco in at least five posts. Lucky for you, I'll keep it at one (maybe two). I expected this city to be amazing. It exceeded my expectations, and we were there for only 48 hours. I already want to go back this very second.

Eat:

• Pizzeria Delfina - get two pizzas, eat both.

• Zazie's for breakfast - particularly their Challah French Toast

• Gott's Roadside - cheeseburger with a side of sweet potato fries AND onion rings

• Sausolito Taco Shop - William said these were the best tacos he's had since his mission in Mexico.

• Salted Caramel Ice Cream from Bi-Rite (I cannot emphasize this one enough.)

Do:

• Bike the bridge

• The Ferry Building on a Farmer's Market Day and sample EVERYTHING

• Trolley Ride to Union Square

• Ride a boat around the Bay

• Muir Woods 

 

Routine

I'm trying really hard to be a morning person.

William can attest that I don't like mornings one bit. He's energetic, singing a tune and motivated to do a chore. I'm the complete opposite... grumpy, groggy, and dragging my feet. I save my chores for after lunch. 

Luckily, June is a morning person. She LOVES to wake up. I swear her favorite meal of the day is breakfast (with the exception of dessert, of course). I think I'd be a morning person, too, if I knew that I could take a morning nap.

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Listening to: The new Shins album. I love it. Also, this Mr. Rogers Remix song. (Thanks Daphne.)

Eating: Homemade Dunkaroos. It's just melted chocolate chips and graham crackers. (Remember Dunkaroos?! They were really gross, actually.) 

Planning: An afternoon at the splash pad, healthy dinners, and a Father's Day project for Activity Days.

Watching: John-John on Sesame Street. Remember John-John? Cutest kid on that show. June loves him too. 

About to start reading: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone... I heard good things. 

Change of plans

Last weekend, I was supposed to go to the beach. We had been planning it for months. Then with just a few days left, we decided that I should just stay home.


It was a difficult transition, going from beach-bound to staying at home. William said that on Saturday, I could do whatever my heart desired.


But all my heart desired was the beach and grilling.  


So first we went to the Tempe Beach Park. June experienced her first splash pad. It was bliss for about ten minutes. But we concluded that with all the children running around her and constantly getting squirted with water, it was a little over-stimulating for June. We'll keep practicing.


Arizona BBQ Festival was next. We sampled some of the finest BBQ I've ever eaten. June enjoyed a baked potato and oreos.

Then we came home and let our tummies rest. At 11:30pm, we grilled pizzas.

Missing the real beach wasn't so bad anymore.

(That last photo is of June riding Grandma's Cadillac Escalade Power Wheel with her cousin Emerson. It's there to look awesome and, as a bonus, completes my Instagram photo square.)

P.S. Yes, this is my third post in a short while where most of the photos I'm posting are from my Instagram...I'll try to be better.

A Festivus

Here's a story:

Before I even met William, I saw this video of him and his brothers:

I knew two things about William Bradford: (1) He likes apples. (2) The man can lip-synch. 

So when I met him for the first time ever, I said, "Hey I enjoyed your video." 

To which he replied, "Ummm.... yeah thanks." and then he completely changed the subject. I thought I had said something wrong. (He later told me that he didn't know how to respond.)

It was a really awkward first impression... it's a good thing he was cute and played the drums, otherwise I would have just walked away.

I learned real quickly that the Bradfords love making awkward videos. Thank goodness we have friends who do the same...

My lovely/talented friend Andrea has a very funny/creative husband named Camaron. He's putting on an Awkward Film Festival. Everyone should participate... The BradfordCollective have a great film up their sleeve for this event.

Hurry! It's on June 15th. And if you haven't already, watch the '80s Video Dating Montage' on the film festival page... It's incredible.


P.S. The guy in the above video with the mickey mouse hands is moving back to AZ. June is thrilled to have another uncle live nearby.

Feelin' the Luv

William surprised me Valentine's Day morning with this lovely addition hanging in our kitchen:

We kept it up for nearly a week because I wanted to take a picture of it, but needed to clean our kitchen first. (Yeah... it took almost a week to clean our kitchen.) But it did also serve as a great peek-a-boo cover for June while she sat at the high chair.

Now it's hanging in our garage so every time I pull the car in, I remember that William luvs me.

Burger and Valentine-ing

William and I spent the rainy Valentine's Day at Giant Burgers... because we both love burgers and each other.

Thank you Giant Hamburgers for being so giant.

(And thanks mom and dad for watching June so we could enjoy our giant hamburgers.)

Tiny Dancer

I think June decided that cutting a rug is much more fun than crawling on the rug.

June, you are the bee's knees.

World Premiere

The wait is over:

Willy-B-Licious (William) and Pawz Jenkees (Me) present: "Frosting" featuring Mizz June.

Can you tell William's mixing skillz have improved? And Mizz June's sounds are seriously the "FROSTING" on the cake.

This is our 3rd Christmas we've written a song. It's probably my favorite tradition, you better believe we'll continue it. (I think by 2019, we'll release our Christmas album with all our songs, then rake in the royalties for the rest our lives.)

Here are past Christmas songs from previous years:

2010: Baby It's NOT that Cold Outside

2009: Gather Around (It's a Campfire Christmas)

(video by Robz)

Campfire Christmas Remix: Christmas Eve

(Can you tell I was thrilled to do this video?)

Merry Christmas World!

Thankful Day 4

Next January, Wilco is playing a concert at Gammage Auditoriam.

Two things you should know:

1. I love seeing shows at Gammage. (I saw Ben Folds there once. It is amazing.)

2. I LOVE Wilco. (I flew to Houston once just to see them. It was amazing.)

The day the Wilco tickets went on sale, William went to the box office and stood in line. When it was almost his turn, someone angrily yelled that they were selling "Single Seating" tickets only. Poor William and I would have to sit apart during the show.

But alas, a short time later, the ticket lady announced that they decided to open up the handicap row. Or in other words, THE FIRST ROW.

ROW ONE:

So next Janurary, William and I are sitting front row, (almost) center at one of our favorite shows from one of our favorite bands of all time. (And please refrain from the "William and Jenny are sitting in the handicap row" jokes, please?)

Today, I am thankful that William and I love the same music.

Thankful Day 1

There are a couple people I know that are using the month of November to share what they are grateful for each day. So I'm going to try that, and then some.

Oh and just a note: my list will be in no particular order. So if you see me being grateful for Dunkin Donuts tomorrow, and then grateful for babies sometime next week, again, the order means nothing...or does it?

Here goes:

#1 - I am thankful for my Willy-B-Licious.

Isn't he a ham? I'm so lucky.

The Final Beatles Costume Song is...

'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite':

William wanted this kite to be so big, he would have to walk sideways to get in through the door...mission accomplished.

Materials included wood, fabric, a belt, screws, and staples. Can you tell William built this costume? (Yes, built.) It even folds so it fits in the trunk.

So here are all three:

I think our little family makes a great Beatles album.

My goal before the end of October is to get a family portrait of all three of us... perhaps a Costumed Christmas Card picture?

Belated

William's birthday was last week (the 23rd) and I failed to acknowledge it.

It was an extremely busy day.

Here's what happened: surprise visit at work with plenty of cupcakes, Gilbert's 4th Friday, Liberty Market, Joe's BBQ, Joe's Farmgrill, Cold Stone Creamery, Moneyball, tons of candy, Firehouse Subs, and hangin' with Chubbs.

I wish every weekend was like last weekend.

I'm so happy William was born. I love him for so many reasons, but here's just a few:

- He teared up a little bit when June rested her head on his shoulder.

- His appreciation for music is unlike anyone's. He can point out the most interesting things in even the most mundane songs.

- He makes up phrases that don't make sense like "Baby Sad" and "Mah Ice Cweam".

- He can make me laugh until my tummy hurts.

- His enthusiasm for the gospel. He's happy to share it with anyone and everyone (a habit I'm still trying to acquire).

- And he looks like this:

I'm so lucky.

Happy 26th, Loves.

June's Amazing Saturday

1. Ate at Carl's Jr. and watched mom and dad have a contest to see who can spin the cell phone the longest (instead of having a normal adult conversation).

2. Hung out with Pops and recorded some sweet beats.

(Nice hair, June.)

3. Went to the D-back game for the first time ever.

It was the celebration of the tenth anniversary of their World Series Win. The 2001 team came, they won the game in the 10th inning, and Mom and Dad had nachos... a perfect evening.

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Surprised: At how quickly the Missoni stuff went off the shelves at Target. I wanted this bag so bad, dang it!

Listening to: 'Codes and Keys' by Death Cab for Cutie. I think it's one of those albums that I'll like in a few months. But for now, meh.

Reading: 'These is my Words' by Nancy Turner. I didn't think I would like a story about a woman settling in Arizona in the late 1800s, but it's surprisingly good.

Eating: Cinnamon Taffies from Superstition Ranch Market.

Researching: Halloween Costumes. Halloween is 10X more exciting with a baby. SO MANY POSSIBILITIES.

This pop isn't workin', Benny! I'm bakin' like a toasted cheese-it! It's so hot here!

Have I mentioned how hot it is here?

We went swimming in our neighborhood's pool:

When June gets wet, she likes to suck on her hand.

It's almost as cute as her pool diaper making her look like she's got some junk in the trunk.

As cute as June is in a swimsuit, I'm SO ready for Autumn.

Greer Part IV

(Do you see the burned areas in the above photo? Dumb Wallow Fire ruining the scenery.)

One thing I wanted to do while in Greer was take family pictures. Since we're low on funds, I couldn't hire a fancy photographer. And since I don't know much about fancy photography, I simply took my fancy camera and my fancy tripod and hoped for the best.

The first day we were there we went to the Greer Lakes. We set up the tripod my sisters-in law (thank you!!) snapped away. I suppose the trick is to just keep snapping. I think we took 70-80 pictures, but these were really the only ones that turned out:

The above photo is cute to me because you can see June's pacifier hanging out of her dad's pocket... so precious.

Not too shabby. I realize the coloring on some of them are funky, but I'm slowly learning the ways of Photo Editing.

Last Greer post is tomorrow!

Greer Part 5 is entitled "My Home Video That Only Those Who Are In It Will Enjoy". YES.

3 Years ago (yesterday)

Three years ago yesterday, we looked like this:

So young, so naive, and not a care in the world.

Now we look like this:

So old, so hungry, and a baby on our hip.

With little funds, we had a little anniversary. I put myself in charge and created a Photo Scavenger Hunt (Apparently, we are WAY into scavenger hunts, see here and here).

I made a list of our favorite things. Then we had to "hunt" for them and take pictures of our findings. Since I created the list, I left it up to William to take us where we needed to go.

Here was the list of our favorite things: Cold drinks, shows, Mexico, Hamburgers, Thrifting, Playing Records, Candy, Games, Meat, Firecrackers, and Baby June.

Since we took June along on our adventure, we immediately crossed her off (She's #1).

Our first destination was in Tempe to our new favorite burger place, The Habit (ROBS, HERE'S A REASON TO COME BACK TO AZ).

It is so tasty.

Next, we went to our favorite record store, Zia.

I love Dads in record stores. After much deliberation, we bought 2 'Creedence Clearwater' Albums (But I'm coming back for you, 'Wham' album!!).

Next, we went to get our drinks. Ask me one thing I'm super serious about, it's cold drinks. I will take down anyone who stands in my way of a cold drink on a summer day in AZ. And poor William is becoming the same way.

William is holding a can of "Purple Stuff" in the above photo. Could this be a reference to the super rad and totally popular Sunny D commercial we grew up with? We sure hope so.("It's got healthy junk." "So what?")

We also bought a Peanut Butter Twix bar to cross "candy" off our list.

Mission accomplished.

Next we went to Goodwill to do our favorite kind of shopping, the thrift kind.

Look at these treasures:

You can't contain William's love of animals, and my love of Hard Core wrestling.

Unfortunately, we walked away empty-handed, only precious memories.

Next up on our list was "Mexico". Of course we went to the Mexican capital of Arizona, Ranch Market.

Behold:

We had little money left, otherwise we would have purchased one of those amazing cakes.

Instead, we cruised over to the disgusting meat department to cross that off our list.

I took more pictures of the meat, but decided to spare everyone.

On our way home, we rented a movie to cross "show" off our list, and we still had 2 more items: games and firecrackers.

We had purchased some Roman Candles on the Indian Reservation in Nevada (thanks, David). We took it near the corn fields behind our house and shot them toward the street. I was so nervous for cops to show up. AND one of the candles cut loose and started launching its sparks at one of the houses. It was nuts.

So here were the only shots I could get:

We were getting too tired for the last thing on our list, "games". We'll just have to play Yahtzee another time... I guess we have an eternity to play.

Happy Anniversary William! It just keeps getting better.