Sunday Evening (9-20-2015)

We had another banner week. Truly one for the books. San Francisco has never been hit harder. But since I only have half my photos (Tana has the other half) and there are approximately a thousand of them to weed through before posting, you'll have to hear about all that later. For now, here's what I got:

The world is big, and beautiful, and fascinating, and fun. Exploring it is exciting. There's so much to see and do and learn about out there. I love it. 

But there's no better feeling than home. 

I've learned this year that home can be anywhere. It can be St. George, Utah, or Rexburg, Idaho, or San Ramon, California, or Antioch or Grantsville. The key component is my husband and son. 

I love my extended family. I miss my brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and Mom and Dad. But as much as I miss them, I'd rather be on the other side of the world with Derek and Palmer than be with the rest of them without those two. 

They are my home now. We could live anywhere (don't worry, Mom, we're still going to land in St. George!), with any career path, and as long as I had them I would be home. 

How blessed am I to have that? 

Pretty darn. 

So happy Sunday, my friends (and stalkers). I hope you're enjoying your home today. 

We'll just be over here soaking up our spazziness. 

Post-Party Depression

Post-Party Depression. We've all been there, right? Family and friends come, you have a blast doing exciting things for a couple of days, and then the moment they leave you get a sinking feeling in your heart because it's over. 

We had SO much fun with Dalton and Dee Ann this week! It was perfect. Life isn't perfect, but parts of it are. When family is around...it's mostly perfect. 

On Tuesday afternoon Derek and Palmer and I drove into the city to meet Mom and Dalt at the Pier. They ended up  taking about an hour longer than we thought, so we wandered around Ghirardelli Square for a while:

Then we went down to this cute little beach called Aquatic Park Beach. It's perfect for little kids because the Bay waves are tiny compared to out on real ocean beaches, and the water is warmer since it's shallow. Derek and I didn't come prepared to get wet, but we got in a little with Palmer because it was so nice! (My "little" turned into a lot when I was crouched over pointing out a seagull to buddy boy and a slightly taller wave decided to come and make it look like I had a major accident in my jeans.) Luckily it was the warmest day we've ever experienced in San Fran, so we dried pretty quickly!

(The only reason Palmer isn't grinning his head off at this particular moment is because Derek is making him hold still for a picture. It was really difficult to keep that kid out of the water!)

When Dalton and Mom finally got there we got Palmer cleaned up (TIP! We learned the coolest thing online the other day and it actually works!! To get all the sand off without a bath, rub baby powder all over and it takes it right off, leaving them soft and dry! It was AMAZINGLY effective) and headed to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. It had a beautiful view out into the Bay which we tried to get in tha background of some pics...but it ended up just washing them out. 

After dinner we headed down to see the sea lions at the pier. It was getting dark by this time, but we caught some amazing views. 

Then we headed up the pier to window shop--or in Mom's case, actually shop (and buy us chocolates!) She bought Palmer the cutest little bear, who we named Pierre Francisco Allen...perhaps a little unoriginal, but I actually love the name Pierre for a bear :)

Here's a picture of Dalton pretending to pretend to enjoy the musical steps:

In actuality, you know he was all about those steps. 

Derek actually did a pretty good job playing heart and soul and gathered a little crowd! I only got a partial video...right when he jumped to the wrong note. 

The next day we took a little trip to Monterey. 

Monterey is the perfect beach town. We've been to Santa Cruz several times this summer because we like the beaches there, but as far as the town goes it's kind of a little too surfer guy/party girl for me. The boardwalk looks like fun if you don't have kids but...we do...so it wasn't our favorite atmosphere. But Monterey is such a cute little town with beautiful sandy beaches AND rocky shores. The shops are fun, and it's nice and clean and relaxed. Very chill, just like a beach town should be. We didn't get to go to the aquarium, but there's a really cool overlook where you can see all the birds and sea lions and seals swimming and diving for fish. We stayed there for half an hour, it was so fun! 

(Contrary to all appearances, Palmer really does love Uncle Dalton...)

We had a yummy lunch and then went window shopping. Palmer and I also did a little modeling...

In the afternoon we hit the beach. And I had probably my biggest #momfail of Palmer's life. Other than the time when he was learning to sit up and I didn't catch him in time to stop his nose from slamming into the tile and bleeding...or when he was sitting in the bumbo on the kitchen floor and fell out...or when I spanked him for biting me then spent the next two days in tears because I'm THE WORST. Anyways...he was having a blast splashing in the waves and crawling around. And I thought, hey, we're far enough back that these waves won't splash his face if I let him just sit here when they come. He was doing great so I let go of him just for a second to see what he would do. He started towards the water right as a wave came and it completely knocked him over!! It was so scary. Honestly it was probably only half a second before I was picking him up, but in that half-second he was so scared and I felt so bad. He's such a sweet kid and he only let out one little cry before popping his thumb into his mouth and cuddling up next to me, but I felt terrible. So I took him to his grandma for safe-keeping :) She was so nice to look after him so that I could get all the way in the ocean for the first time in years!! I had been looking forward to that all summer. Dalton and Derek and I had so much fun body surfing just past the break. I only almost drowned once, so all in all it was a pretty successful day! There's something so amazing about being out in the water knowing that the next wave, if you don't hit it just right, could knock you to the ocean floor and keep you spinning head over heels over and over again. It's thrilling and terrifying and truly awesome. I love the ocean. Even when I'm inhaling mouthfuls of nasty seawater. 

After the beach we grabbed a quick dinner and made the two and a half hour drive home. I think it's safe to say we wore Palmer out that day...

On Thursday we decided to have a relaxing day in Antioch. We had breakfast at the hotel, and Palmer tried his first pear. 

After breakfast we came back to the apartment and Mom napped while Dalton helped me make crepes for our lunch. In the afternoon we went swimming while Derek did some work from home and stayed with Palmer during his nap. Dalton and I played catch with a nerf football in the pool...and now my arm is killing me. Because I'm a total wimp. 

In the evening we decided that Mom needed to indulge in some red meat while she was away from Dad, so we took a half hour drive to Tracy and went to Texas Roadhouse. Palmer only ate three bites of his mac and cheese, but he was all about those lemons!

After dinner we all came to the apartment to say our goodbyes. My family is too good, because I miss them every time they leave!! Even though we'll be moving in with them in less than two weeks, my heart was sad to see them go. Derek prescribed a foot rub and an episode of Hogan's Heroes to lift my mood before bed, and it totally worked. Thank heavens for husbands! 

And thank heavens I only had one day of no partying. As we speak I am about ten minutes away from meeting Tana in the city! So I'm off to paint the town--hope you have a wonderful weekend!! 

(Disclaimer: I just want to say that I'm not trying to make light of postpartum depression in the slightest. I didn't truly experience PPD with Palmer, but what I did experience in the first six weeks of his life emotionally was scary, and the hardest thing I've ever been through. I can't imagine the hurt that comes with postpartum depression, and my heart goes out to anyone and everyone dealing with it.)

Let's Get This Party Started!

Today marks the beginning of the end of summer celebration! 

But first...look at my cute little family at the pool yesterday:

I love these guys!!

So anyways...today we are picking up Derek's mom and younger brother Dalton from the airport! Have I mentioned how much I love the Allens? Like, seriously...I need everyone to know that I couldn't possibly have married into a better family. For those who don't know, Derek has eight siblings (beating me by one! dang it). They are some of my best friends in the world! Someday I'll tell you all about each one of them, but since Dally is coming today, I'll just confess that he's my favorite ;) 

And my parents-in-law??? Guys. They're so so amazing. I have felt 100% a part of this family since before Derek and I were even married. I CANNOT wait to see my second mom. 

Which brings me to an announcement... we're moving in with the Allens in two weeks! Ok, so I know that for most people, moving in with the in-laws would be dreaded. But not for me. It helps to know that we'll kind of have our own space in their ginormous house. And to know that it's only until New Year's. But truly, I am so excited to be with them! Not only will Palmer get to finally see his grandparents more, all four of Derek's older siblings also live in Grantsville...his younger sister lives in Provo...and his two younger brothers live in Salt Lake! The only person not around is the baby of the family, Hannah, because she's serving a mission in Ohio. (P.S. I miss you Han Banan! Like crazy). But basically it's going to be one big non-stop Allen party, and I can't wait! 

PLUS...guess who else lives in Salt Lake? My older siblings Spencer and Tana and their families! This will be the first time since I left for school three years ago that I am this close to any of my family!

So we're celebrating the end of a crazy California summer first with a visit from Mom and Dalton...and then the very day they leave, my sister Tana and her little family will arrive in San Francisco! You best believe we're going to be seeing sights and hitting beaches for ten days! 

Pretty much...my life is awesome. You'll hear all about it later this week! And then watch for an update on what I've been doing all summer...complete with an overload of Palmer pictures :) 

Labor Day

It's Labor Day!! Did you sleep in? Are you off to the lake/beach?!

I didn't sleep in. Because...Palmer. 

Bless that little tyke, he got up at 6:57 this morning. The kid has no concept of weekends or holidays, except the occasional Sunday when he decides to snooze an extra two hours and make us late for church. 😳🙈

We're also not hitting the beach today, due to the van needing a $2500 repair (😭) and the car being out of gas and us being poor. Plus, Derek totally has to work today! Such is the summer sales life. 

But guess what was awesome about this morning? Derek let me take a bath in complete peace, and I sat in there for half an hour cyber-stalking my internet pal MaLyn! 

Here's the story...I actually don't even know her, you guys. This is going to be embarrassing because I'm revealing my creeper tendencies! But I became Facebook friends with her when I joined her awesome group Mom Club. This group is full of so many amazing moms with diverse backgrounds, religious beliefs, etcetera. I have come to love so many of these women as they share their heartaches, joys, and plain old ridiculous mom-life experiences. There is such a sense of camaraderie between mothers because we all know what it's like to turn our hearts and lives over to a tiny human. Anyway, MaLyn is the administrator of this group and is always posting fun challenges for us and encouraging us to make the most of life, but also to be real about what we go through each day. Her blog centers on "real life mom life", and reading it over the past month or two has been so inspiring to me! She makes me want to blog for reals, and talk about the good, the bad, and the STINKY of life as a parent. 

So there you have it. My obsession with online stalking has been exposed. MaLyn is probably off to the police station to get a cyber-restraining order as we speak, but before she does let me direct you to her blog so you can join in the fun. Head on over to malynlogic.com. You'll love it, I promise!

P.S. Don't worry about us not going to the lake--we're definitely hitting up the apartment complex pool this afternoon, because my California tan is sadly nonexistent. And what's the point of even being in California without getting tan?🏊🏼 Happy Labor Day, friends!