Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Whats Up

We have been in the Bay Area for a month.  I can't believe it!  And gone from NYC for 6 weeks!  Life is happening fast.  Chloe is going to be a year old before I know it.  She has entered the blow out phase as of yesterday, already clocking 3 blow outs.  Cue a run to the store for Oxy Clean.

Our first stint was in Cupertino.  We had this sublet for 2.5 weeks and it was my favorite.  The girls each had their own room, we had a functional kitchen, great backyard with a play set, and even Charlie the bunny!  And we were close to a park and a good walking/running trail.

The next house was in Sunnyvale.  We stayed there for a week.  It was also really a good set up.  Tatum loved the trampoline and all the girl toys there.  Scott really loved the minimalist style of that home, and the bed was really comfortable. And they had good knives, which is a big plus.

During that stay, we found out the house we want wouldn't be available until July 20, so we scrambled to book 2 nights at the Hyatt near the airport.  We ate out, put the kids to bed in closets, and swam both days.  We also went into the city for church, which was amazing.  It made us second guess moving to the south bay, and come to the city instead!  We love the grit those wards have to offer! Also, the fish n chips at The Codmother is worth the 30 minute wait.

Next we found an airbnb in the mountains- Mill Valley.  This is such a beautiful region with great proximity to the city.  Our host Mary Ann was nothing short of wonderful, as was her husband Chris!  He is a Kiwi, who still owns and operates a dairy farm in New Zealand remotely.  We chatted for well over an hour about the ins and outs of the business and learned a ton!  My biggest take away being- Organic dairy products aren't what you think... animals aren't treated well due to the repercussions of the strict qualifications to be labeled organic. Also, NZ ice cream is so good because the cows are all grass fed, unlike in America. Lots more to say about all this dairy business.  We did some hiking at Mt. Tamalpais, and also explored the Marin Headlands, gorgeous!  And we can't wait to get bikes!

Now we are in San Mateo staying at a cousin's place while they are in Europe.  We are so grateful for their generosity and the comfortable accommodations.  And they even have good knives.  What's worse than getting a knife out to cut something, and then it doesn't cut?!  Moving around a million times with a baby gets pretty old, and with 2 babies it gets really old.  I was pretty fine up through the 1 month mark, but now I just want to get settled.

We are looking forward to the Tanner family reunion at the end of this month on the Oregon coast! Get this, we leave for that trip just a day after we unload our pod into the new place-- so much for settling down! We are really excited to be with the fam and for Tatum to play endlessly on the beach with her cousins.