Shampoo the Dolphin.

London and Payton in Oceanside.

"Hi! What's you're name?" 

"______"

"Oh! Nice to meet ya! I'm London! We're going on a-airpayne to Nana's house. And I'm going to pay wis Uncle Noah and Aunt Maeci, and go to the beach!"

Elle and Cambria.

This is the conversation I heard eight times at Sea-Tac Airport. And everyone else she saw but didn't get to have a conversation with, she gave a beaming smile and a "hello!" to. It's, dare I say, easy to fly with my children...which is really good because I am such a stress case about the whole thing. 

When did the "petting zoo" become
 "feed animals behind this fence"?

London and Brookie at the Fair.

San Diego is perfect this time of year! The *kids, as I affectionately call my younger siblings (who really aren't kids anymore), were still in school, so staying with them involved all my most favorite things: packing lunches, picking out outfits, styling hair, advice about boys. We went swimming in the pool almost every day, where London learned how to float on her back! The trip was filled with family, our wonderful friends, authentic Mexican food(!!!!), the Fab Fair (*seriously?), the beach, and Sea World. 

Shampoo and Dolly!

London came back from her first trip to Sea World with my sisters, and two stuffed animals. "Look, Mom! It's Shampoo the dolphin and Dolly the dolphin! And they're REAL."

The Shark Encounter.

But the best part about coming home is watching my girls interact with my family. My girls are showered with praise, attention, and adoration every second of the day, by half-a-dozen people. It's like a 90's sit-com. By the end of our two-week-trip, Sierra had London repeating, "Mom, can we live in California?" on cue. Now we're looking forward to having everyone visit us in Washington this summer!

He was right.

"Raight, ya'll get a nice camera for Christmas, get on mah raft and ahll take yuh within fifty feet uh the largest population of bald eagles in the lower forty-eight!"

It was a big surprise for Kyle: Two hours north of Seattle, I booked a white- water rafting trip for our four year anniversary. Our hillbilly guide, a fifteen-year-old self-proclaimed nuclear physicist, his father, me, and darling Kyle, in a raft. The clouds dumped torrential rain, and we laughed our way down the rapids of the icy Sauk river. The river was moving so quickly that we ran the rapids twice, with a short hot chocolate brake in between. Afterward, we changed into warm, dry clothes and drove to the only restaurant in town for romantic hamburgers and shakes.

Four years isn't that long, I guess. There was a couple on the Smucker's segment of the Today show last week who had been married for 75 years! But I think we've done a lot of living so far. We both graduated from college, had two beautiful babies, lived in the Middle East, and finally got a grown-up job in Washington. And in each new phase of our life together, I manage to helplessly tumble deeper and deeper in love with him.

Our first anniversary!

My graduation from BYU, London was 13 days old!

Our little family in Jerusalem.

Kyle's Graduation!!!

Waiting for our sweet Elle...

And our family now.

Kyle is my constant in the painful mess called life. He doesn't know how to be anything but good and kind. Sometimes I look at him, and I just think to myself, "Holy cow. How on earth did I get so lucky." And he always says the same thing to me, when he sees me staring at him like a dazed thirteen-year-old girl...He smiles, " You love me, don't you?" It reminds me of when I first knew... in his mother's kitchen when he took me home for Thanksgiving; only that time, he said, "You want to marry me, don't you?" And he was right.

Happy to be Alive

Elle can caterpillar crawl where she wants now, creating a host of boundary-crossing problems for London. She isn't used to someone who has no respect for personal space. "Mom, Bellie Bellie is touching me!!!!" And, naturally, she tries to reason with her baby sister. Today she said,
"Bellie Bellie, that's not kind! We don't eat other peoples!"-as Elle was affectionately gnawing on London's leg.


She likes to remind me of Elle's limitations, too. Whenever I talk to Elle, London responds, "Mom, remember, Elle doesn't know to talk. And she doesn't know to walk, yet, either!"

London's "I know I shouldn't be doing this" face- we moved them to the kitchen so she could finish "helping" me.

The maintenance man knocked on our door yesterday, and London cried out, "Wow, you are GIGANTIC!"

She used to hum to her herself all day long, but now she has upgraded to singing. Her songs make no sense at all, and she never stops. They usually go something like, "There is a flower and I love flowers because they smell so nice and tee do tee day when I like to go on walks and Nana is my friend and prince charming and it is great to play at the park! YAY!" All I can think of the whole time she's singing is Buddy the Elf.

She no longer likes to be called London. Every day, her name changes about five times. I don't know how she keeps it straight.

"London, are you ready for lunch?"
"Um, Mom, my name is Tinker Bell."
"Oh, sorry Tinker Bell!"
"That's okay!"

"London, come put your toys in your basket!"
"Um, Mom, my name is Princess Ana."
 "Oh, sorry Princess Ana!"
 "That's okay, Mom!"

Feeding the ducks with her buddy, Bennett.

She also likes to be Snow White, Rapunzel, Elsa, and Cinderella. And I actually have to call her that name for hours, until she decides she wants to be someone else.

Swimming at the lake with her cousins.

Elle is developing her little personality, and it is a joy to watch. She is the giggliest child I have ever seen. If I do something she thinks is funny, I can keep her laughing for ten minutes straight. A deep, belly laugh, like she seriously can't contain herself. She lives with her three right fingers in her drooly mouth. She's pretty darling.

 I joined a book club! I used to read all the time...like a book every week- aaand then I had a second child, which brought a swift end to those precious "me" moments. But I read a quote the other week that made me realize that I actually need to read again, for my own sanity. It says, "Always find time for the things that make you happy to be alive." When I'm lost in a story, everything in my mind goes blank and all I can think about is filling myself with the next page. I've always been this way. And now, I'm about to start my third novel this week. Who needs sleep-riiiight?

A Hartwell Family Vacation

Thirty-seven kilometers past an old fishing village in Baja California lies my happy place. Does everyone have one of those? A place that centers your soul and reminds you how beautiful life is? This is mine.

Every single morning!

Our house is simple. It's one big, circular room: kitchen and bathroom on one end, living room on the other, and a giant wrap-around porch for sleeping. Nights give way to vibrant stars and only the sounds of tiny lapping waves. There is limited water, even less electricity, and no contact with the outside world. And somehow, it's perfect.

After a two year hiatus, I planned a huge family vacation down the coast. For five days, we played card games, read books, went kayaking, played volleyball, collected shells, and walked on the beach. Our time together planted memories in little London that I know will last a lifetime, just like the memories from my childhood in this magical place. I'm pretty sure
Elle was a fan, too.

Me, Kyle, and London on the kayak.

Collecting hermit crabs like a mini-me!

It wouldn't be Mexico without the fireworks.

A house down the beach that is falling into the sea... :(

And a glamour shot of London before loading up the cars.

My Favorite(s).

Before I birthed Elle, I didn't think I could love another human as much as I love London. My mother would tell me, "You just wait. Your capacity to love will magically double...and then triple and quadruple with every new baby you have." Like too many other things she has said to me in the past twenty-four years, I didn't believe her. I mean, if you've ever met London, you'd probably pick her over your own children. But tonight, as I was holding Elle and pretending to eat her perfect little toes filled with sock lint and kissing those incredible and seriously slobbery cheeks and squeezing her tiny body a little too tight, I told her, "You are my favorite human alive." And I meant it.

For two weeks now, I've been making baby-food for Elle. I made it for London too- and I'm telling you, YOU would pay to eat the baby-food that comes out of my kitchen. I think it's a big reason why London eats and enjoys every kind of food: her first experiences with solids were fresh, organic, flavorful foods with herbs and spices. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the packaged rice cereal- Here is Elle's first bite.

London's dear cousin and companion turned 3 this weekend. Spiderman was out in full force, and London came along just for the cupcakes.

"Put your arms around each other!" Fail.

Watching cartoons with Marie.

And just to follow up: My ankle has seen better days... It's still swollen, discolored, and extremely painful. I can hobble around my apartment in a walking boot, but I finally have come to the undeniable realization that this will take months, rather than weeks, to heal. London is very quick to explain to everyone she meets what happened to me. "My mom fell down. She tipped on a curb and tisted her ankle. But, it's okay! You'll feel better!" Yes, London. And this is why I find myself with two favorites.