Glorious Autumn

It's the third day of fall. There is snow on the ground. Allison claims it is hail but I maintain that it is snow. Hail does not blanket your deck or your driveway. I need to get out of this place. It is melted now but the damage to my psyche remains.

Gary Allan Y'all

I never say y'all and I don't listen to much country music these days either. But back when I lived with my Texan roommate and BFF, Ellie, I learned how to appreciate a 6 foot Texas flag being in my kitchen, along with some good old fashioned twang. Back then, we started a small obession with a country singer named Gary Allan.

In the summer of 2001 he came to Utah, and Ellie got us free tickets through her connections back in Texas. While we were waiting for the concert to start, a guy from a radio station asked us if we wanted to meet Gary Allan. Once we realilzed he was serious we just about died right there. We met him and took a picture, and then started screaming when we walked away. We were still within earshot so there were some laughs coming from Gary and his groupies. Anyway, I don't think we stopped talking about that night for a very long time. Here is my scrapbook page about it...

Recently I noticed Gary Allan was going to be here again, for the Utah State Fair. Ellie and I got tickets and Ben watched the kids for my night of freedom. We weren't as close as we were last time, and we didn't get to meet him, but it was still AWESOME. He seriously gives an amazing concert. Maybe part of the reason I like him is because he's not from Nashville - he grew up in California.


Ellie shot some video of the concert so I'll add my favorite song to this post as soon as I get it. I know you will all be waiting on pins and needles.

Two for the Price of One

A fellow blogger, Tiffani, mentioned this news article on her blog. A couple in Australia is suing their doctor for accidentally implanting two embryos during in-vitro fertilization. So, are they suing for the extra medical costs associated with twins? Are they suing for lost work time from being on bedrest during a twin pregnancy? I could kind of understand that, since twin pregnancies are high-risk and there can be additional medical costs.

No, they are suing for $400,000, their estimate of the cost to raise this "extra" and "unwanted" baby. The poor girl (whichever twin it is) is going to be scarred for life. The mother actually said they considered selective reduction, and adoption, but decided neither would be good for the twin girls. You think?? The couple, who happen to be lesbians, make $120,000 per year and obviously wanted a baby enough to go through IVF, but they just couldn't function in a life with twins.

I found this commentary on the story, and many of the journalist's opinions are consistent with my own.

"But what also surprises me is these mothers seemed unprepared for - and shocked by - some of parenthood's most basic sacrifices. It's not just that their bond seems to have been so weak. One of the mothers also complained that their relationship had become mired in the everyday tasks of raising children.

Hey! Join the club, sister. But love, you'll find, gets you through.

In fact, you must wonder at the mother who says one child would have been heaven but two is hell. Was she truly ready for even the one?"

Yesterday as we juggled the twins in high chairs while we all tried to scarf down some lunch at a restaurant, a woman nearby commented that "she always wanted twins and thought they would be so fun." We get that comment a lot, and I just chuckle to myself and say, "they are fun, but a handful."

I wonder if the lady in this article would instead go off about how awful twins are, how they ruined her relationship, how expensive they are, blah blah blah. I just hate whiners, and this is the ultimate whine. Suck it up lady, you got two for the price of one!

Oh, and my twins came the good old fashioned way, but I won't be suing my ovaries any time soon.

A little reminder...

We have been asked several times why we want to move back to California. While there are many reasons for wanting to move back, there is one overwhelming one. Let me explain with a picture of our driveway in January.


In Utah, you spend multiple months holed up in your house during the winter, waiting for the sun to return. Certainly there are fun things to do in the snow, but it is much more difficult and much less fun with small children. That is all.

A short hike

Like an idiot, I made the decision to take the three kids on a hike by myself. About a block from our house is a small creek and trail at Mueller Park. The kids normally like the creek but I decided we would go a little further up the trail.





The hike started out well enough. The kids were relatively happy and excited to be somewhere other than our house or a store.



Above and below are pictures of the creek that Isabel decided to jump in to. I wish I had a picture of her but I was afraid the other two would jump in at any moment and then I would have a much bigger problem. Adam and Anna stood on the bank and leaned over to touch the water. While this happened, Isabel again decided to jump into the water.



Once we got going on the trail, I quickly realized that hiking with three kids is not easy. Even Anna had a hard time walking up the not-too-steep slope. I tried to help the kids along the trail and take pictures but that didn't help much.



Eventually, I ended up carrying the twins down the trail after about 100 yards. Everyone (especially me) was happy to go home.

Why I Need to Pick Up a Present by Sunday

When I first started this blog I said we hardly ever leave the house. A lot has changed since then. Now that the babies are older and Ben is living a life of leisure until he gets his bar results, we get out quite a bit. But there are still lots of times we question our decision to leave the house - like last night.

Our church had a chili cook-off. First of all, we are not able to be very social when we go out as a family. We get there, and one of us sits at a table to try to keep the kids happy while the other quickly grabs some food for everyone. Then we sit at that table feeding everyone while everyone else socializes. With Adam and Isabel, you have to stay focused. As soon as you relax a bit, something happens.

Adam tried to follow me when I went to get Anna some dessert. A nice girl we know picked him up. A few seconds later I hear a commotion. When I get over there, Adam has thrown up all over her. Not on the ground which would have been managable, but right on her shirt. She was very nice about it and even stayed at the party - I would have gone home.

But did we go home? No. We've gotten used to the chaos and stayed, and actually had a decent time. We just made sure no one else held Adam. I think I owe that girl a present on Sunday.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

The newest Yrungaray was born on Tuesday! Ben's oldest brother John, his wife Stephanie, and their son Zach welcomed baby Maya. We got to see her yesterday and she is so adorable. Seriously, what a beautiful newborn.

Check out some great pictures taken by John here.

Peach Days

Since most of my time is spent on domestic chores, I guess I am also in charge of posting family messages. This last weekend we took the whole family to Brigham City. I know what you are thinking, where are the pictures of the "World's Greatest Wild Bird Refuge?"(see picture to the right) Well, Brigham City Utah is also home to one of the oldest harvest festivals in the United States, known as "Peach Days."





The whole family was excited to make the 45 minute drive north to Brigham. Adam was particularly inquisitive about Peach Days. I think he was dressed for Pumpkin Days but Allison maintains he was dressed appropriately. Isabel was excited about making new friends at the parade and tried to join several families.







Aunt Sabrina was a star in the parade. Anna was almost as excited to see her as she was with the people throwing candy. In all fairness, Sabrina and Kevin did hand out gum which Anna summarily tried to eat and eventually spit out.











Elle met us at Peach days and showed us the best Peach Cobbler stand and spread Texas cheer. I am not a fan of fruity desserts but the peach cobbler was excellent. It was almost as good as Kevin's version. Anna was very excited to see Elle. The more excited Anna is to see someone the less she talks. This usually results in her not saying anything except, "I lost my voice."







Anna liked the parade and peach cobbler but she was most excited about the little rides. We were afraid she would be scared on a ride by herself but she handled it like a champ. She was so excited that she demanded a ride on the Carousel. We obliged although I think Allison was more excited about riding the carousel.

Our House Pictures...

Sometime ago I promised pictures of our house. I am too lazy to take any new pictures so here is the link to the listing. I think the house is a steal, particularly if you take into account the location, size, and comparables. Take a look for yourself and let me know what you think.

Date Night

Sometimes I miss the days before "date night" existed. You know, before we had to actually plan anything because we didn't need a babysitter. The days when we could just decide to see a movie any old time, and not have to find the perfect showing that falls after the kids are in bed but not too late because we're always up early. The days when there was no date night because it was pretty much every night, or at least every weekend night.

I value my alone time after 8 PM more than you could understand, and I value our date nights too. Pretty much since we had Anna we've been pretty good about going out. We get a babysitter almost every weekend and I think its one of the best things for our marriage. All week long we both focus on working, the kids, the house, etc. If we start to bicker during the day, I think we both know we need a night out - it really changes our attitudes.

Friday night we had the babysitter scheduled, but sadly we couldn't think of anything to do. 99 percent of the time we end up eating out or going to a movie. In our brainstorming, we talked about everything ranging from going to a comedy club to going to Best Buy (Ben's idea). We almost canceled the babysitter and rented a movie. In the end, we had a campfire up in the canyon next to our house and made smores and all of that good stuff.

But my point is - what do you do for date night? We need some new, refreshing ideas. I know you are reading, so leave some comments!!

CROUP!

Anna woke up with the barking cough last night, and tonight it's Isabel. Seriously, can we catch a break with all of the sickness? I haven't posted about it, but we've all been sick off and on since we were on vacation. I don't understand where they are getting it, we don't go very many places where they would get sick.

Note to family and friends: If you have kids, don't come to our house. I mean that in the nicest way possible :-)

Toe pick!

Anna started ice skating lessons last week! We were pretty worried the first day, and I had to remind myself she cried through swimming lessons at first and then she loved it. I think she's looking forward to the next lesson now.

Down on the Farm...Sort of

On our recent trip to So Cal, we took a little trip to Tom's Farms for something to do. We looked at the petting zoo, but when we asked Anna if she wanted to go in and pet the animals, she wasn't interested. She was content just to watch for a few minutes.


Later she took her first ride on a carousel and then we all took a train ride. It's a cute little place, but really nothing at all like a farm.




Anna calls my Mom "Grandma Horsie." My Mom has a horse, and when Anna started to talk we needed to think of a name that would distinguish her from the other Grandmas. Ben jokingly said Grandma Horsie, and it stuck. She went to Tom's Farms with us.

People often say we look a lot alike and I don't always see it - but in this picture I can tell how similar our features are (especially our squinty eyes!). Miss you Mom!