Surprise!!!

Look who showed up on our doorstep one night!

Of course they were chaperoned by my Mom and Ginger (and Hazel).

We came home from dinner at a friend's home and the kids were just about in bed when there was a knock on the door. I was so shocked it took me a minute to realize who they were. Did you really just drive all day to see us? It was a wonderful surprise! Just what I needed!

Of course we filled the days they were here with the best Burbank can offer:

The beach (not really offered by Burbank - just kind of close)


We choose the hottest day of the week (79). It was cold at windy. Ginger and Hazel stayed safe in the car. All the kids were brave enough for the water and Hattie even tried the boogie board!
"She's the queen of the wa-a-a-aves!"

The grand tour of NickelodeonAnd playtime in our backyard

Eliza even had an early birthday party!

"This is the best birthday EVER!"

Thank you for coming!! We miss you!

Chinatown L.A. style

We are trying to go somewhere new each Saturday. One week we made it to Chinatown. It was only 15 minutes away - which really means an hour on the freeway.

The kids loved checking out all of the 'stuff'. They had each earned about 50 cents doing chores. I was surprised to discover there wasn't much for even that in Chinatown! I supplemented their earnings so they each had four quarters instead of just two.

Eliza found a "China fan" early. William tried out the ride on toys and quickly put his quarters in before I could stop him. He enjoyed a 30 second ride on a spaceship and had enough leftover to buy a tiny box of snaps.

An arts festival was happening at the same time and part of the streets were abandoned except for strange and too-modern-for-us art on display. Including the pink brigade: 5-6 people wrapped up in bright pink material - all attached together and blocking our escape route. The festival also included a woman dressed in an American flag (which she had had enough of because she decided to take off the top half and talk to some friends before she felt like putting a shirt on! Good thing her back was to us and the kids were busy with something else)
Overall Chinatown wasn't like the Chinatown in San Francisco. I remember a trip there with my Dad, Jenny and Tom when I was in college. There seemed to be much more to see and experience. The kids, however, weren't disappointed. They can't wait to go back to buy more quality trinkets!

Sarah Bear

Sarah is 1!

Her favorite thing to do: explore the refrigerator

Spaghetti had her for dinner.

Eliza's gift


Sarah LOVES books! And doggie sounds

She also LOVES to climb everything.
Just seconds after this great shot, she fell....nice work mom.

The messiest of any of our kids! We were so proud!

Hi. I'm one. I screamed through my nap today.

Happy Birthday Sarah!
She took her first steps right after her bath that night! Since then, it's just been a few here and there. She is a determined and opinionated soul. She is vocal and independent and loves Eliza's tickles and Will's raspberries. She gets very excited when Clayton comes home. She crawls to him and gives him a hug. We love you Sarah! We're so glad you're part of our family!

William is 4!

William's favorite gift was a plastic pencil holder from Eliza.
"I wanted this!"

New, and very kind friends came to the party.

I learned that William hates frosting. It made cake decorating so much easier.

Happy Birthday William!

Favorites:
food: spaghetti, pizza, chicken nuggets
show: Backyardigans
movie: The Incredibles
jammies: dinosaur
color: red
saying: "was that cool?"

Father's are so special...

Happy Father's Day to Clayton!

He has been a dad for almost 6 years! He is a natural at it and the kids adore him and literally cry when they can't see him everyday before they go to bed.

Eliza chose to give him Pepsi lip gloss and a water bottle. William chose a bike horn and bubble gum lip gloss. Just what he wanted!

Happy Father's Day to Clay - always generous, helpful, funny, and patient. Thanks for raising a son who knows his duty and leads his family well.

Happy Father's Day to my dad! You taught me how to work and play. You taught me to follow dreams and you made me believe I could do anything! You shared your love of skiing and fly-fishing and I can't wait to do both with you again soon!

He'll laugh when he sees this picture.

Turns out you can copy almost anything off of the internet and use it however you want.

Thanks Wee Care!

My Grandpa Bunnell passed away on Father's Day. I am thankful for him and what he taught my father. He and my Grandma divorced when my dad was young, so I didn't really know him at all. I still feel connected to him though. I hope to learn more about him and someday thank him for his part in our family legacy.

It's Time

We moved on Memorial Weekend:

While waiting for a bigger truck, Greg, David and Clayton entertained us. I didn't know Greg was so good (on guitar). David is a composer - and incredible musician - we will all see his name in lights someday (on ukelele) and Clayton - of course is amazing! This was the moment when it all came crashing in on me. I finally realized we were leaving and I became very sad. I don't know what it is about music that gets me all sentimental. I had to keep working though - even during the breaks. The Bunnell in me couldn't stop to enjoy it for long.

We had the best helpers

Thanks again to everyone who helped: Cheree and Hailey for taking the kids. David and Greg for giving their day helping pack the truck. The Lantzes, the Cavins - all of you were SO patient and hard-working.

Spent a day in the new van! (thanks Mom for entertaining the kids)

A few movies helped too (thanks to the Cavins!)

Enjoyed our rest stops.Although it wasn't very far into the trip, we had to stop in Fillmore - our favorite!

Arrived to a house full of boxes. (thanks Clay for emptying the entire ginormous U-haul ALONE!)

Did I mention he drove the huge U-haul alone?

Met the roommates:

cockroach on the patio
tiny ants in the cupboard
hissing beetle in my shirt
dead rat on the lawn

Set up home (thanks Mom for your decorating and organizing skills!)


Enjoyed the playground (thanks Mom!)

Also enjoyed the box the playground came in

Had a nice time in our new ward:

First Sunday at church we sang, "Hope of Israel" accompanied by the organ AND piano. I knew we would be o.k. when I started singing. It was SO loud and and joyful. The pianist doesn't even use a hymnal. She is a professional jazz pianist - famous in these parts. She plays in a "bar" on Sunday evenings too. Anyone's invited to go!

Made the mistake of driving into L.A.

Twice - Once to check out the temple and Santa Monica beach. And once to drop my Mom off at the airport. Both events took literally 3 hours longer than intended. *note to all travelers* Please use the Burbank airport if you are coming. Or, we'll call a taxi to get you to LAX.


Went to Zuma Beach:

The beach made up for missing the annual Snake River trip with my family. They had rain and a little snow and only one frigid run down the river. I love California!

They were so excited, yet so afraid!

Sarah spent her first beach experience with me. She had had a fever for a few days.

His favorite place. And all the parks in Burbank have sand. So he spends his time lying around at the parks too. Just washed more sand out of his hair tonight.

All transitions take time, so I am giving myself a little here and there. The kids are adjusting. Eliza seems to like it. William is taking longer, but a schedule is really helping. Now that Sarah isn't sick, she seems to be happy.

Clayton and Nickelodeon are getting along well. New jobs are tough, but he is trying to keep his head above water for now.

We've met some very kind friends and very interesting neighbors.

We're still experiencing sticker shock.

But yesterday I had another confirmation that we would be alright. I feel blessed and happy and I miss EVERYTHING that is familiar.

I'm in love with the view from the window.
In the kitchen.
Above the sink!
(Sometimes even non-essential desires in prayers are answered)