Painted Butterfly Studio

Surviving the week

2012-02-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

It's nice to have this face to look forward to after a long day

1. I went back to work on Monday. It was hard. Really, really hard. But it is nice to know that my baby is with people who love him. My parents, not expecting to ever have to watch newborn babies again, have really embraced the position and I am so thankful.

Sweet Baby D

2. The Boy had surgery today to have tubes put in his ear. He had six ear infections last year and even in between the infections, fluid has been pooling in his ears. This causes him to lose his hearing (makes it difficult to give him direction at home, let alone for him to take spelling tests at school!). When the doctor went in today, it was as I expected. There was already a considerable amount of fluid in there that they had to remove before doing the surgery.

Snuggling before school

Fortunately The Boy wasn't terribly affected by the anesthesia and was soon enough back to his goofy self. There are antibiotic drops to put in his ears for the next few days and then we just cross our fingers and hope that he doesn't get any more infections and that this helps clear up his eye and nose issues as well.

Brotherly Love

3. I started having Baby D sleep in his crib a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure how it would go. Afterall he's slept SO well in his bassinette, in 5-6 hour stretches, and I was nervous about making a change in the routine.

Part of the bedtime routine

After nursing him into what we fondly call the "milk stupor", I burp him and carry him upstairs. I swaddle him in a lightweight gauze blanket as usual, then zip him in to a blanket sleeper. I clip his favorite pacifier to the blanket and plug it in! I lay him down very sleepy but still awake, kiss him and say goodnight and walk out of the room.

For the past ten days or so, it has worked like a charm. I go back in to check on him a few minutes later and he's always fast asleep. He's never cried when I leave, he just smiles at me in the dark, takes his pacifer and goes to sleep! And get this...he sleeps between 6-10 hours straight!

He LOVES his bathtime!

Believe me when I tell you, I'm shocked. I know this isn't normal. I tell my husband, "This is NOT normal! Most babies want to be held and rocked and cry when you try to lay them down". I was a terrible sleeper when I was a baby (and a kid!). The Boy had to be held and would wake and cry if laid down, so we held him on our chests while we slept.

I'm not holding my breath that this is going to last forever, but I'm certainly enjoying it while I can. The extra sleep is fantastic!

I have a baby?!

2012-01-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

There have been moments over the last few weeks, usually right when I'm heading to bed, where it hits me. I'll be doing my usual routine (take out contact lenses, wash face, brush teeth, moisturize, brush hair), the same routine I've done over and over and it will suddenly cross my mind that there is something different. I'll turn off the bathroom light and go into the bedroom and see the bassinet and the thought flashes through me..."I have a baby!".

It's silly, of course.

I mean, I knew this was coming. I was pregnant for nine months, so I had plenty of time to prepare for the whole idea!

But there is nothing that prepares you for seeing this little person in person! Nothing that prepares you for the ache in your heart when he smiles at you with his blue almond-shaped, smiling eyes. Nothing like holding his warm body, sniffing his velvety-soft head and cradling his tiny bottom as he sleeps on your shoulder.

I keep catching myself off-guard by the whole thought...I have a new baby! I love this little guy so much already and find myself daydreaming about our future together. In a few months, I'll be giving him his first solid foods. This summer, he'll be sitting up and crawling and by Christmas this year, I fully expect him to be toddling around the house (and trying to climb up the stairs!).

At 9 weeks old, Baby D is already holding his head up so well, he's sleeping 6-8 hours straight at night (we'll be moving him into his crib very soon) and he's constantly offering smiles, coos and giggles.

The time goes so quickly.

In no time at all I'll be dizzy with the thought of having a toddler!

Solitude & Bonding

2012-01-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

Someone snagged my camera this week.

The Boy has been staying so busy upstairs in his bedroom when I'm occupied with the baby.

It's a blessing, honestly, that he has such an incredible imagination and can entertain himself alone for hours.

I know it's only been a few months, but there hasn't been any jealousy about having to share me with the new baby. It is a challenge to spread myself all around so I think it's an advantage that The Boy is 8 years older and can do his own thing. And he likes doing his own thing anyway, like building these fantastical Lego and Jenga creations.

In the mornings, if we have time, The Boy takes care of Baby D so I can get dressed. He is always asking me many many times during the day to hold the baby, to touch him, to kiss him, etc.

I think it's a wonderful bonding for them and Baby D is absolutely thrilled with his brother. The Boy is great with holding him and very confident even when Baby D starts to cry.

I'm going to miss these slow mornings when I go back to work in a few weeks.

The Boy and the Baby

2012-01-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

This is my oldest with my youngest.

The Boy is loving that he's able to hold the baby now. I think he must ask me to hold him, oh, about 25 times a day (I'm not kidding!).

When The Boy was born on December 9th, he was 6lbs 13oz, a tiny little squirt with an enormous head!

Baby D was born on November 25th, exactly two weeks before his brother's 8th birthday, at 7lbs 8 ozs with a head only in the 5th percentile.

The Boy's eyes were dark brown when he was born but Baby D still has blue eyes. My eyes are brown and my husband's eyes are hazel so I'm not sure they will stay blue but for now they are very pretty. I'm definitely not used to looking at blue eyes!

When The Boy was 6 weeks old, I had to return to work. We lived with my parents at the time so it was convenient. I could leave him to sleep at home and not have to wake him to drive him anywhere.

I have only two weeks left of my maternity leave before I have to report back to work. And I'll admit it, it brings me to tears to think about it. Baby D will be 10 weeks old, so I'm glad for the extra time I had with him. I am already cringing about having to wake up at 5:15am every day to feed & change the baby, get myself ready, get the older kids ready and get us driven to four different places in the morning so I can get to work on time.

When The Boy was a baby he would wake and cry when he was laid down. I spent the first few months with him laying on my chest to sleep or holding him while we slept together in a recliner. He was addicted to his pacifier and would wake and cry if it fell out, which meant I was getting up a lot to put the plug back in!

Fortunately Baby D is a great sleeper and falls asleep even when I lay him down still awake. I've made sure to put him down to nap in different locations during the day (in his bassinette, on a blanket in the living room, in his car seat) and he doesn't mind being in noise or in complete quiet. He currently sleeps in his bassinette on my husband's side of the bed, swaddled and wrapped in a blanket. Last night he slept 9 1/2 hours straight, which was unusual, but wonderful! Generally he sleeps about 4-5 hours at night. He'll start sleeping in his crib next week so we'll see how that goes.

Every once in a while, I'll hold him while he sleeps. The Boy was anxious to hold him and Baby D was so comfortable, he went right to sleep!

Jenga

2012-01-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

The kids own a Jenga game. They've only played the game once, but they play with the blocks every single day.

They received the game for a birthday last year. Apparantly the game came with a plastic guide that allows you to stack the game tower easily but they mistook it for trash and threw it out.

We stacked the game ourselves once and played as a family and then the kids took the game in their room to keep with the rest of their toys. On a daily basis, I hear them dump the Jenga blocks out of the tub during play time.

I've seen them use the blocks to create ramps for small balls. The blocks have been used to make roads for Hot Wheels vehicles. But most often, the blocks are stacked to house Lego characters, like this.

The Boy called this his Empire State Building.

I love open-ended toys that spark the imagination.

Spare Time

2012-01-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

Baby D is currently laying on a blanket on the floor next to me, squealing and shouting. I think he's just discovered his voice because he's definitely been very vocal this week, lots of cooing, which I love!

Sweet, crooked smile

In my spare time (ha! Not much of that lately!), I've been sewing dollies with some of my scrap fabric. I have so much fabric, I have to get through it somehow!

Tinkerbell, who still needs a bit of work to be shop-ready

I'm going to list them on Etsy as soon as I have the first one done. It's a Tinkerbell dolly and I've had a great time going through my scraps and fun little trims to create her! I have plans for making pillowcases, nightgowns and lounging pants that I'll list eventually too.

I really did expect to have more spare time since I'm home on my leave with Baby D. However, when I'm not holding him, changing him or nursing him, I'm trying to get household stuff done, like grocery shopping, bill-paying, bathroom-cleaning, or as you see here, the neverending mountain of laundry washed.

Fortunately Baby D is a good sport about being dragged out in the laundry basket!

Baby D - Six Weeks

2012-01-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it.

Six weeks old

It's really flown by.

I told my husband last week that I didn't think the baby was growing. He said it was just because I'm with him 24/7 and I couldn't see the changes.

He's right. Baby D had a growth spurt and now he doesn't fit into his newborn clothes anymore.

He's starting to develop more of a routine. I've been waking him at 6:30am to eat because The Boy is going to school again after the vacation break and we have to leave at 7:40. Ugh, already dreading those mornings when we'll be getting up at 5:00am to get ready once I go back to work...booo!!!

I feed him, load him into the car and he usually sleeps on the way there and back and sometimes for a little bit longer in his car seat once I get him in the house. He usually wakes around 9am, for what I call "Happy Hour".

He wakes in a very good mood, ready to change out of his pajamas, take his vitamin drops and have a second breakfast. Then we usually sit together and exchange smiles for a little while.

The afternoon is more of a crapshoot. Sometimes he sleeps 2 hours. Sometimes he's wide awake and wanting to be held the entire time. Makes doing housework very difficult.

I definitely thought I'd be able to get more done during the afternoons with kids at school. But with 75% of your time sitting down, nursing, that does make sewing/unloading the dishwasher/sweeping the kitchen floor (let alone going to the bathroom/taking a shower/eating a meal) all the more difficult!

Evenings are more reliable. He always gets fussy for a few hours every night around dinner time and just wants to be held and fed.

But at night, he's quite the dream.

He goes to bed easily and sleeps between 5-6 hours straight. I'll feed him, burp him, swaddle him, rock for a few minutes and then lay him down and he goes right back to sleep.

Heaven!

Please let that keep up...forever!

Resolution Organization

2011-12-31T12:53:00.000-08:00

I know that for many a popular New Year's resolution is to get organized.

Well, this is something that is on going for me. I am a great crafter but cleaning up after the project is not my "thing". When my husband starts tossing around the "H" word (as in hoarder!), I know it's time for a deep cleaning! I do like a place for everything and everything in its place, so I definitely try and stay on top of organizing year-round.

And it makes me feel good to know where things are when I need them. I feel super-organized when Danny is looking for something and I can say, "It's on the top shelf, next to the green box with receipts" and it's actually there!

Plus, I LOVE using my label maker!!

Earlier this year, I organized the kitchen cabinets.

I am happy to report that these are still very well organized. I've added more cereal containers and also some additional Rubbermaid storage for things like dried lentils and dried fruit that we buy in bulk. Much more orderly and less likely to spill when they are in containers versus the plastic bags with twist-ties.

This photo was from earlier this year when I first organized this area. My plastic storage ware bin isn't quite as orderly anymore. I generally like to pair up the lids with the containers and stack them neatly in the bin. However, it's too hard to do this while unloading the dishwasher and also holding a newborn so the Tupperware usually gets tossed in unceremoniously!

My desk is also still well organized. I take a few minutes each week to clear off the desk top of mail/school papers/coupons and sort them where they need to go...usually into the trash.

After all the Christmas gifts had been unwrapped and the realization hit about the physical location that these toys would go, the kid's bedroom gained a shelving unit. It's fantastic!! It came with storage bins for smaller random things and larger items can be stored on the shelves or on top!

The nursery/sewing room is still a challenge and will still require some work. Fortunately Baby D isn't sleeping in here yet. I took a few hours this past week while he napped to rearrange my sewing and crafting supplies.

sewing space, before

Danny turned this shelving unit at a more reachable angle and I went to work with my label maker and storage boxes. There was much weeding out of unneeded supplies and I feel so much better! Now I know just where to look when I need glue...or scrap paper...or elastic...or fabric paint (dang, I have a lot of stuff, but I really do use it all!).

sewing space, after

Scrap fabrics are in a bin under the unit. Too bad I still have to store all my fabric yardage at my parent's house, but I just don't have the space for it here.

The other half of the sewing space holds the nursery. We don't yet have the crib, but there is a desk/changing table, glider chair and dresser.

changing table, before

I would have loved to paint the matching desk and dresser but apparently it's a crime to paint oak (according to my mother & husband, at least). I think it's so 1970s ugly (especially those brass handles), but I'll have to learn to live with it...

changing table, after

I'll post more about the nursery room projects later!

2011- A Year in Pictures

2011-12-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, from our family to yours.

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

Baby D woke up at 5:30am, ready for his morning feeding after a solid six and a half hours of sleep. I was still feeding him around 6:15am when I heard the kids in the room next door whispering.

Are you awake?

Yeah...

Wanna watch TV?

They'd been given strict instructions before bedtime not to go downstairs to the Christmas Tree until the grown ups were awake. Good kids for following the rules!

I went downstairs to call my mother-in-law, as she was coming over to watch the kids open their gifts. I heard The Girl upstairs loudly whisper to Danny, "Dad, I looked down the stairs and Santa brought you socks for the gym!".

Gym socks from Santa!

I bundled Baby D and put him in his little bassinette while I baked a coffee cake for breakfast. He fell asleep, of course!

The kids waited so patiently on the stairway while Danny tried to figure out the video camera.

Santa brought The Girl a Calico Critter house, some furniture and a Mouse and Cat family.

Santa brought The Boy a Harry Potter Lego set. The Topsy-Turvy is from Danny's Uncle Tony. The Boy loves to help him in his garden.

The stockings held the usual treats...a candy cane filled with Skittles, a Firefly toothbrush, some fun little goodies and they each received a magazine subscription (Ranger Rick for The Boy and High Five for The Girl).

I didn't have time to make the baby a matching stocking this year...maybe next time.

We took turns opening gifts from each other

Baby D "opening" his gifts!

After the morning gift exchange, we spent time with my family for lunch and then to Danny's family gathering for dinner (the second and third ham meals of the weekend!). Unfortunately, at the start of the weekend The Boy started to develop a nasty cough and complained about an ear ache so we didn't stay out as late as we might have so we could get him home and into bed. Fortunately after a visit to the doctor he's on antibiotics and feeling well enough to play with his new toys and watch episode after episode of Spongebob!

The Eve

2011-12-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve morning we got the kids moving and after breakfast, headed over to Danny's mom's house. She had a surprise for them...

NEW BIKES!!

Danny took the kids to the park for about an hour for their first training session. The Boy said that he "pedalled 7 times without falling off!" but they still need quite a bit more practice, of course. I'm looking forward to when they can ride on their own and I can pile the bikes in the truck and take them to the park where they can get some good exercise. It's so hard for them, living in an apartment with no yard.

We got them home, ate a quick lunch and dressed for church. Afterwards, we were able to catch a nice photo session in my parents' front yard before the sun set.

The Kids, wearing their coordinating Carter's outfits that we picked up a few months ago.

I'm definitely going to frame this one!

Even Baby D gave me a little smile

He woke up a little for his session with Daddy

Love this one!

Even I got a photo with the little guy!

Danny had picked up some pine wood from his uncle's this week and started up a bonfire in the fire pit. It was wonderful to sit around the warmth of the fire and talk before the festivities began. When my parents and mother-in-law each got home from church, we had dinner done and were ready to eat. We ate our first of three ham dinners for the weekend! I don't mind, I love ham! :)

After we'd digested a bit, we piled into the front living room next to the tree and opened gifts from each other. The kids are always so lively and excited, I love seeing them give their grandparents, aunt and uncle the treasures they've picked out. The Boy had bought my mother some Lily of the Valley-scented sachets and he personally walked the package around so that everyone could have a sniff!

It was nearly 10pm before we got the kids home. They pretty much put on their pajamas and crawled into bed, exhausted from the busy day but excited for the following day to come!

Happy Baby

2011-12-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken last week when he was just a few days shy of three weeks old. I'm glad I took them because shortly after this he developed baby acne all over his cheeks and neck. The top of his head has also taken to flaking off in clumps so for his first Christmas photos he'll be red, bumpy and peeling!

Oh well, we still think he's adorable!

He has already learned to roll over from his stomach to his back. It's a very slow, controlled move so I think he must already have pretty strong core stomach muscles!

I've discovered a deep love for the Halo Sleep Sack. When wrapped in this for bedtime, he sleeps at least 5 hours...yay for us!

He's a generally happy baby, very content to lay on a blanket on the floor and just watch the world go by. Of course, when he's ready to be picked up he definitely knows how to let us know!

Starting to get frowny...

Boo-boo lips!

Full on tantrum! Fortunately these are few and far in between.

T'was the week before Christmas

2011-12-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was The Boy's birthday. In early November, we had grand plans for a party at the lake, which was twarted by multiple rain storms. I'm glad I didn't reschedule though, because I ended up going into labor early with Baby D.

We celebrated #8 with cupcakes at school and dinner at Grandma's house. He requested broccoli cheese soup, which I made from scratch (recipe from Pioneer Woman).

Ocean-inspired gummies on strawberry and spice flavored cupcakes

The Boy was gifted with many sets of Legos, including this set which he used to make a helicopter and flat-bed truck.

We used some leftover felt and inexpensive candy canes to make these gifts for his classmates, template found here on Martha Stewart.

Last night was his school Christmas Concert. He was playing the bells this year and they did a wonderful job. My parents got there early and stood in line to be able to save me a seat. Thank goodness, because trying to schedule anything with a nursing newborn is a challenge!

Baby D slept through the entire show!

The Boy - Year 8

2011-12-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

8 years ago today...

I gave birth to my first son.

Even though "God wasn't finished with him yet" and he required some surgery, he was perfect in my eyes. But I was scared at first...scared that I was going to lose him during the operation. I was afraid to get attached at first.

I loved this baby boy right away, but I'll admit that I kept the attachment at a distance until I was sure he was going to be around for a while. It's hard as a parent to admit that.

But as soon as he was recovered, I allowed myself to open my heart.

And this boy filled that space.

He didn't just creep in.

He leapt, fully and completely into my heart. He gives himself to me so fully all the time with his generous heart, big hugs and love...so much love and affection my heart bursts when I think of it.

Happy 8th Birthday sweetheart!

Holiday-ing the House

2011-12-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

In between feedings and naps with the Little Monster, I've been trying to "holiday" our house!

We live in a rather small town home so decorations are kept to a minimum.

#1 - I don't have many places to set out the decorations.

#2 - I am limited to one large box of Christmas decor because that is all that will fit in my storage space under the stairs.

#3 - My husband is a neat-nik and I just can't willingly overwhelm him with glittery decor!

This was the fall buffet decoration, which featured the kid's school photos. This crackled glass hurricane was a cheap find at JoAnn and it looks so pretty with a tea light inside.

And here is the Christmas buffet. This Advent set is a new addition and the kids have loved pulling out the ornaments each day that get added to the "Charlie Brown tree" on top.

After church this past weekend, there was a moving van full of Christmas trees that the youth group was selling for a donation. Given that I'm on maternity leave at the moment and our bank account is in sore shape, I was wondering if we'd even be able to afford a tree this year, so this was a definite blessing!

The Girl reminisced about last year's ornaments

And the tree is a beauty...it nearly reaches the ceiling and is full and lovely. I strung the lights and pulled out my Christmas box and unwrapped each ornament.

The Boy HAD to get out the step stool...I was terrified he was going to lean over too far and fall off!

Baby D watched (err...slept) from the sidelines

I placed my faux white tree next to the door with my bird collection.

In between snuggling with the baby, eating popcorn and watching Polar Express, the kids had a nice time decorating the tree. There were all the old Hallmark and Avon favorites that my grandma gave me over the years including my treasured Nutcracker ballet ornaments. I've taken the kids each year to Hallmark to choose their own ornament. Not sure we'll be able to do that this year but I'll come up with something fun for them over their Christmas breaks.

Mr. Wrinkles approves!

Our lovely tree

Tomorrow is The Boy's birthday. I'll be taking cupcakes to school and we'll be having a family dinner for him too. Hard to believe it's been 8 years already...

My Little Sunny-Side-Up...the birth story

2011-12-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

On the Friday morning after Thanksgiving I was expected at work. Danny had the day off and was going to run errands with the kids. We were just waking up when Danny noticed that I was bleeding all over the bed. It wasn't just a little blood, it was a lot. Enough for us to immediately jump into action. I hadn't had any bleeding at all during this pregnancy and now this...well, this was just crazy. I was keeping calm, because I think if I'd have lost it, Danny would have lost it big time, he had a panicked look about him as he bustled around the house. I was glad to feel the baby moving though, that helped me to relax. Danny called his mom, who came over to stay with the big kids. I cleaned up and took a shower while Danny packed a bag.

Once at the hospital, they checked to see if I was still bleeding (I was, but they didn't tell me from where) and they checked my dilation. I was only 3cm. They don't usually admit until you are 4cm but the doctor was hesitant to send me home since I was still bleeding so they checked me into room. This was at around 8:30am.

They started me on a bag of fluids and a very slow Pitocin drip to see if it would aid the dilation. We sat around, watched some TV, tried to nap, Danny walked to the grocery to get snacks...I got to eat ice chips, humph! Good thing I'd eaten a large Thanksgiving dinner the night before!

Just admitted. Hanging out with my Pitocin, waiting for contractions to kick in.

Around 11am, I started getting some strong and long contractions, however there was some concern because after each contraction the baby's heart rate would dip. Apparently it's normal for baby's heart rate to dip during the contraction but they were concerned that the contractions were causing some stress. They put me on an oxygen mask. But since the baby's heart rate kept dipping, they would turn off the Pitocin for an hour or so to see if that would help.

I got the epidural done, which was much better than when I delivered The Boy because I had a button to push if I needed more medication. Also, the anesthesiologist had me lay on my side instead of sitting up when he inserted the needle and it was so much easier to relax. At around 2pm, they checked my dilation...ugh, I was only 3.5cm! They decided to try and break my water. The nurse tried three times and nothing. They assumed that it must have already broken, either when I was bleeding or it had a slow leak. I didn't think that was true since the blood that morning wasn't diluted and I'd not had any leaking.

My mother-in-law came with the kids. The Girl enjoyed the tray of liquid foods that the nurse had brought in earlier. I'd sipped just the cup of broth and sucked more ice chips. The Boy sweetly surveyed me in the bed, hooked up to the IVs and oxygen mask on my face and asked me if I was going to be okay. They stayed just a short while, leaving a balloon that announced "It's a Boy!".

Enjoying the Jell-O I couldn't eat

A few hours later, after the contractions were still getting longer and faster together but I was still not dilated and baby's heart rate was still dipping, they said they were going to put two monitors inside me. One would monitor the strength of the contractions (they didn't want to give me more Pitocin if the contractions were already strong) and the other was a fetal scalp electrode (a small wire screwed into his scalp), which monitors heart rate. When the nurse put in these two monitors, she was having a challenge inserting and that, of course, is when she actually broke my water! Wow, what a mess, they weren't prepared for that. And with me numb from the waist down, they weren't able to change the wet bedding so they just had to pile on more pads & towels. So with the catheter, these two monitors, an oxygen mask, a blood pressure cuff, a heart rate monitor on my finger, an epidural needle, the IV with Pitocin and fluids...I had a lot going on at once!

Our nurse got off at 7pm, so they checked my dilation once more and I was a whopping 4cm...booo!!! She was still very concerned about his heart rate and dips. I was getting lots of pressure though, so I finally pushed the epidural button. When the contractions got heavy, they checked my dilation again at 7:15 and I was at 7cm and when I started REALLY getting a pressure to push at 7:30, they checked me and I was at a 10!! So I dilated 6cm in about 30 mins and it was finally time to push. My mom and mother-in-law walked in together just at that time and were there to help hold up my legs, count and do some cheering.

Whew...it was no picnic. The baby was "sunny side up" so his face was looking at the ceiling, a much harder way for him to manipulate around the pelvic bone. The doctors tried spinning him but no luck, he was stuck with his scalp pressing against my pelvis. It took about 2 hours of pushing and some pretty intense pain especially when he was crowning and I had to wait for contractions to come before I could push again. Sometimes they would just have me breathe through a contraction instead of pushing to let his heart rate rise again and boy, that was HARD.

They warned me between contractions that he'd probably come out looking like he had a "brown egg" on his head. When he finally slipped out and I was able to see him, I could tell what they meant, he was majorly cone-head with what looked like "muffin head", a big bruised bulge on his scalp. But he was crying immediately and had a great pink color.

Just born

Danny cut the cord (I was so proud, usually he gets lightheaded around blood and things like that but he did wonderfully the entire time). They did skin-on-skin for about an hour in recovery. They brought us some sandwiches and we were able to eat before they transferred me to a room.

Bonding with mom

My little Sunny-Side-Up

After Baby D's bath, they set up the other bed for Danny and we were able to get some sleep. I stayed at the hospital that night and then one more night and was able to go home Sunday afternoon. Baby D is very observant, not terribly interested in nursing yet (which is hard because my milk is IN!) but he's very sweet and moves slowly and deliberately, looking around the room and at people when they speak.

Three days old and already so serious

I can't wait to get to know and love this boy.

Giving thanks on the eve of labor

2011-12-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

Thursday started off with a bang. Danny & I were relaxing in the morning, chatting in bed and we heard the phone ring. It was just barely 7am and he said to me, "Wanna bet that's Nana calling to check on the turkey?".

Smart man...she'd already called a few times on his cell and a few on mine, making sure that he'd started the bird!

My Mother-in-Law's beautiful table decor

The night before, Nana had brought over all the fixings for the stuffing including homemade corn bread, precisely chopped veggies and specific instruction on the preparation. The turkey was defrosted and ready to go.

There was nothing left to do but to start the process so we whirled into action. Danny prepared the stuffing and stuffed the turkey. I peeled 10 pounds of russet potatoes and got the mashed potatoes made. In between basting we took advantage of our day off. Danny cleaned out our closet and got a bunch of clothes ready to donate to the church thrift store, I finished some fabric boxes for the nursery, put away some laundry and puttered around with the older kids, helping them organize their toys.

My husband's tasty handiwork

We ate a light lunch of cheese, crackers and cold cuts and when the turkey was finished, Danny packed everything into the truck and off we drove to Grandma's house (a whole 7 minutes!).

I'll take a little bit of each...

Everyone was there, scuttling around in the tiny kitchen. The dining table was spread with a huge variety and my mother-in-law had beautifully laid out the tables.

Set and ready for the diners

Danny set to work carving the turkey and I took a few pics of the kids outside while we waited.

Eager for turkey dinner

Everything was heavenly...seriously, so wonderful. I don't often eat so much in one sitting because, well my 9-month pregnant belly mashes my stomach as flat as a pancake. I did take small bits of all my favorites though and before I knew it, my plate was full! My husband's aunt & uncle had brought a savory stuffing with herbs and veggies from their garden and a homemade pumpkin pie from one of their garden pumpkins. My mom & dad had picked up Marie Callendar's pies, including a tangy Razzleberry...delicious!

A variety of delicious pies, store-bought & homemade

After sitting and chatting for a few hours afterwards, we took the kids home, bathed them and got them to bed. Danny & I, wiped out after a day on our feet in the kitchen, went to bed shortly afterwards. I thank goodness we both got a good night's rest, not knowing what was in store for us the following day. I'm also glad I ate a large dinner, since I wouldn't be eating anything but ice chips and a cup of broth the following day!

Next up, labor begins!

Random Thoughts - Rain delay, Boppy, Field & Stream

2011-11-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

1. We had to cancel The Boy's early birthday party a few weeks ago and rescheduled for this past weekend. It poured rain all day that Saturday and with the budget party planned at the lake, that would have been quite a disaster!

The Boy's birthday cake last year

Of course, another storm was expected this weekend too so we had to cancel the party outright. It's just getting too close to the Thanksgiving holidays now and who knows when the baby will come. There are plenty of indoor venues but I don't really have the $300+ budget for that. So disappointing to have to cancel.

And guess what...it didn't even rain *frown*

2. The baby's space is really coming along. My husband brought over the desk from my parent's house and I bought a changing table pad to convert the desk into a diaper changing space (just need to secure the pad with the strap under the desk). I made two covers with my coordinating nursery fabric. I also picked up a Boppy pillow and made a few covers as well. My husband was happily surprised ("You made these?!") but probably more for the frugality of it than the actual sewing skills *wink*

All my sweet baby's room fabrics

Still need to buy a comfy chair and then at some point, the crib. But really, quite a bit is already purchased and in place. The diaper bag is stocked and ready to grab when we head to the hospital. I have my hospital bag in the closet with a few travel items inside but of course, I can't really finish packing until I go into labor because I need some of the items in the meantime (like my glasses and the only pair of maternity long pants I own!).

3. This weekend was our 1st Wedding Anniversary. My husband and I had a gift certificate to P.F. Changs, so that's where we went for dinner. Neither of us had been there before but looked at the menu beforehand online and made our decisions. Wow, what a meal!! We're still basking in it. We very rarely go out to eat, but this was such a terrific dinner.

What a difference a year makes!

I can't believe that last year I was scrambling to get the wedding details all in place and this year I'm scrambling to get the baby details all in place! Hey, it rained last year on our wedding day...that should have been my first clue in scheduling outdoor parties this time of year!

Me, in all my round 37-weeks-and-5-days-pregnant-glory!

4. I bought my husband a subscription to Field & Stream magazine as a Christmas present and the first issue arrived this weekend. The poor guy, he has to analyze everything, he has the hardest time just accepting. "Why did you buy this? Is it too late to cancel? Reading this magazine is going to make me want to do all this and I can't. How much did this cost? There are so many advertisements in this thing!"
I told him there was no reason to get all anxious and stressed out about a magazine, honestly, there are bigger fish to fry. I think it's more of an issue with handling a surprise gift and not knowing how to react. Is this a man-thing? I don't know, maybe it's just a "him" thing. He agreed, in the end, that it would all be okay...breathe...it's just a magazine!

5. My husband gave me a lovely diamond Journey necklace for our first anniversary present. Of course, our anniversary is November 20th, but he gifted me with it about 2 months ago because he JUST couldn't wait!!

I asked him last week what he wanted for an anniversary present, knowing he'd probably say nothing. He was upstairs, getting ready to take a shower and called down the stairs, "I want a subscription to Field & Stream!"

Smart aleck!

When it rains...it Showers!

2011-11-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was my family baby shower.

And shower it did! Starting on Friday we had a huge storm and it rained and rained and rained. Now, we live in SoCal and oftentimes the news will report that we're getting a major storm and really, nothing comes of it. We might get some sprinkles or the impending "storm" will blow off completely and not hit at all. So on Friday morning, I mentioned to my husband that there was a chance of rain that day, but my exact words were, "Nothing crazy though, probably just a few sprinkles".

Well, it rained all day long and into the night. The Boy and I had Mother/Son Night at his school and it poured the entire time (fortunately we were indoors doing crafts, eating pizza and watching How to Train Your Dragon).

Saturday we had a reprieve, which was good because my husband was participating in a charity golf tournament and was cringing at the thought of muddy shoes in his clean truck.

But Sunday, we walked out of church to find it just starting to come down but I'd blown out my hair and flat-ironed it and didn't want it all frizzy for the party, so we hustled to the car. I'm not the most graceful pregnant woman, especially when I can't wear closed-toed shoes and I'm shuffling around in flip-flops, so I'm sure that I was a sight to see!

Super-snuggly polka dotted blankie

I think the rain deterred some of the party guests from coming, in addition to the nasty colds that are going around, so we didn't have the biggest turnaround but it worked out fine. Those that braved the weather sure did have a lot of fun!!! We snacked, we played some new games, we watched the Chargers lose (Boo!!! Again!), I opened gifts and we all oohed and ahhhed at the adorable tiny outfits and we ate marble cake with raspberry filling.

Onesie that says, "What Happens at Grandma's, Stays at Grandma's"

When we got home and I showed my husband some of the great gifts we'd received, he was so absolutely touched by the generosity of our wonderful family that he's already scheming up ways to return the favor.

Adorable frame says Mom + Dad = Me

This coming up weekend we'd planned an early birthday party at the lake for The Boy, but unfortunately we are expecting another storm. According to my mom, this upcoming one is supposed to make last week's storm look like sprinkles! Ugh...Now I'm in the position of either cancelling the party outright, rescheduling for the following week, or finding an indoor venue.

When it rains, it pours, right?

Me! 35 weeks and 5 days

Forgetful Pregnancy Brain strikes on Halloween!

2011-10-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Our Pirates at the Carnival

This year, for The Boy's school Halloween Carnival I was in charge of decorating the class booth, the Pumpkin Squirt Game. I had planned on setting the kids to work, drawing simple Jack O' Lantern shapes onto orange construction paper....but I discovered too late that I was out of orange. *sigh* I had plenty of pink and navy blue, though.

I'd already gone to the craft store with the boy and bought the poster board and glitter glue and there was no desire in me to go back to the store so we made do with what we had. I designed the sign that hung over the booth and it looked pretty good. We used a sparkly lime green spider garland, cotton spider webbing and pipe-cleaner spiders that my cousin's wife had given to the kids at their party the day before. My tall hubby was in charge of hanging everything on Saturday afternoon before the Carnival started. Thank goodness for tall, unpregnant people.

Did I think to take a picture of our finished booth?

Nope.

Last year I was a Halloween baking fool. Of course at the time I was still living at my parent's house and had not yet started the preparations for our wedding. I did recreate the Jack Skellington cupcakes I made last year to give to the school for the Carnival bake sale & cake walk prizes.

Did I think to take a picture of the cupcakes?

Nope.

Saturday afternoon before the Carnival the kids and their dad cut and decorated their pumpkins! Where was I? I'd gone upstairs to rest and read for a little while and fell asleep. My husband let me sleep for over an hour and I was so groggy when I got up. So I missed pumpkin carving, but I was able to avoid digging out pumpkin guts and that's okay by me!

So, this is as good as it gets in the photography dept for that, the kids dressed for church on Sunday with their pumpkins.

However, I did make up for all the slacking off with plenty of photos taken during the Carnival and on Halloween day!

The kids in their finished costumes! This was actually the first time I'd seen them all put together and wearing all the parts.

The only thing I bought here were the coordinating stripes, I had everything else on hand. The black faux velvet was from The Boy's spider costume two years ago, I always keep plain black and white cotton on hand and the trims and ribbons are just random things from my stash. My favorite recycled part are the brass buttons that used to be my dad's from his military and police uniforms!

I know this probably only irritates me, but the serged edge of their head-scarves is showing...I only finished one side and then accidentally put them on backwards...ooops!

I crafted a basic twirl skirt for The Girl with a drop waist. Double the size of the child's waist for the upper section and then double the size of that upper section for the skirt. Gather the skirt section and attach to the upper section. Then create a casing for elastic in the upper section and insert elastic cut to fit the waist measurement. So much twirl!

I added a bit of swag in faux velvet to one side of the skirt and then handsewed on some draped sparkly trim and brass buttons. The waist cinch was from last year's Halloween fairy costume.

The Girl's vest is just two simple shapes with grommets at the sides and then tied together under the arms.

The Boy is wearing his glow-in-the-dark pajama top from Gymboree from two years ago (it barely fits!). I made him a simple open vest with button trim and faux button holes on the opposite side. A long sash was edged with decorative white stitching. I created the jagged edges on the pants by first ironing on black fusible webbing and then cutting the edges.

Back view

For the simple applique on the backs of each vest, I drew out the basic skull & crossbones sketch, traced each piece (upper & lower skull, each individual bone, eye and nose sockets) onto Heat n' Bond, ironed the pieces to white cotton, cut out on the lines, peeled off the Heat n' Bond backing, ironed onto the vests and then straight-stitched around the pieces close to the edge.

Pirate Princess

Pirate Prince

The Boy with his skeletal classmate

Blow yer boat down!

The Girl won this doughnut biting game handily (I think she was so anxious to get at that doughnut before Daddy-the-health-nut thought better of it!).

The Boy was not getting the hang of this doughnut biting game, but he sure did smile sweetly!

The Boy with his big brother and cousin before Trick or Treating.

My nephew, with some handsome facial adornments!

See, I made up for the spacey parts of my weekend with some fun photos...I would have never forgiven myself if I'd not taken pictures of them in their pirate finery!

Happy Fall

2011-10-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to a fun weekend of Halloween activities in our house!

My buffet is nicely decorated with pumpkins that the kids chose from the patch, a Halloween countdown calendar, a jar of candy corn, seasonally colored candles and some pretty brush that my husband found on a nature hike by the lake.

My Autumn-themed buffet this month

We kick start the festivities with a Halloween party at a relative's house. This will be the first time the kids will wear their costumes. I still haven't seen them all put together yet, so I can't wait to see how they look with accessories. Still need to complete their head scarves, but honestly it won't take too long. I just need to carve out the time in front of the sewing machine to get it done...maybe tonight!

It's been pitch black when we walk out of the house each morning to leave for work and school. The kids have definitely noticed (The Girl asked why we were going to school when it was still bedtime!). I've not been paying attention to what time it's getting dark at night though, I'm usually inside doing laundry or fixing dinner. Hope it's not too dark too early so it won't be terribly dark on Halloween night.

Mmmmm...candy corn!

I am started to feel a tad bit stressed by the things that do need to get done though. Along with work commitments and homework there are always those little things that start popping up along the week: Unexpected doctor visits for the kids and planned doctor's visits for both me & my husband, making sure the kids get their flu shots, decorating the school carnival booth and baking cupcakes for the carnival and an order for three tees on my Etsy site. There just isn't much that I can pass on or put off, so I'm going to suck it up and get it done!

And of course Saturday morning we'll be carving their pumpkins!

The Girl's pumpkin

Saturday afternoon is The Boy's school Halloween carnival and the kids are very excited about that. A few hours of game-playing, cake-walking, costume-showing-off, candy-eating and Haunted-House-visiting should have them ready for Trick or Treat on Monday!

Happy Fall everyone!

Showered

2011-10-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

I'm rounding the corner towards the end of this pregnancy, I can't even believe it!

Photos from my company co-baby shower. Jessica & I are a week apart!

I'm definitely rounding out in my figure as well. There is no hiding it now, even when I sit down I have a full, rounded tummy. I didn't look like this in my first pregnancy. My first born didn't go head-down until about 10 days before I delivered. He liked to lay side to side, so I was very wide and more flat across the belly. This one has been head-down for over a month, feet stuck up under my ribs. He does rotate his feet around, sometimes they are on the left side, sometimes the right. But he's still head-down and he'd better stay that way, at this point!

Big ol' round me, at 33 weeks

My official due date is December 6th, which would give me about 7 more weeks. My doctor did say at my last appointment that I was measuring about a week early which would put me at around November 29th. So long as I get through the week of November 21th, I can go anytime after that! I have so much work to do the week of Thanksgiving, they would never forgive me at work if I went into labor before Thanksgiving! So, I'll do my best to get to at least the 25th...

They did a cute job "baby-ing" the existing Halloween decorations!

My husband and I spent the last weekend rearranging some furniture, going through the older kids' play clothes and pajamas and sorting out what doesn't fit. Of course, those are still sitting in piles on the floor. I have a desk at my parent's house to bring over that I'll set up for the baby's changing table and would like to have some shelving installed over that area.

An amazing cake bought for us by our wonderful boss

My husband would like the crib purchased and assembled in the next few weeks but I told him no rush on that, the baby won't be sleeping in his own room for a few months anyway. Ideally, I'd actually love to have the room set up and ready to go before he's born too. I have some decorating ideas like artwork for the walls that I'd like to purchase and it would be lovely to have it all in place when we bring him home from the hospital.

Mercy me, this little lamb pillow and blankie is sooooo soft!

I didn't quite get to do all the fun projects I wanted to do for the nursery...yet. The quilt is complete and ready to be used. The mobile is getting the finishing touches this week. I'm detailing the pieces with embroidery thread and will buy the hoops to hang them from this week. I've already instructed my husband that I'll be having him tie them on with monofiliment and he was grinning with the thought of how the finished product will look.

Sweet octopus toy to match the nursey theme

I started Heather Bailey's stacking toy but was slowed by the hand stitching sections. I have the idea to machine stitch all that I can and then have all the hand stitching parts ready and in my craft bag downstairs to work on while I watch TV in the evenings when everyone is in bed.

Isn't that pennant so cute?

Crib skirt...fabric purchased and washed but not cut or sewn anything else. Guess I can wait on that until I actually have the crib!

Blocks have been cut with fabric and I was held up because I really wanted to personalize them first. Of course my husband's indecision on finalizing a name has that project on hold for the time being. Same with the personalized fabric banner. I suppose some things can wait until after he arrives and has an official name, right?

Everything else has fallen by the wayside and that's okay. I'll get to what I can and live without the rest (or buy it at the store!).

Thank you to all my Chinaberry pals for the wonderful afternoon!

Half a year, triple the fun

2011-10-19T08:20:00.001-07:00

My cousin brought over her triplets for a little photo session in my parent's front yard. I've said this before....They have the perfect yard for portraits. There is a huge tree that makes the greatest open shade for capturing light in the eyes. The babies were having a blast rolling around on their blanket.

Here are the babies at 6 months old. They are really pushing up from their stomachs well and rolling back and forth. Can't wait until our next photo session, I bet they'll be sitting up!

This is the "big" guy. He has always been eager to please with big smiles and eye contact.

3 months old

About a month old

This little lady is a tougher nut to crack, she really makes you work for any smile. Her mom says that smiles are only to be had from this one when Daddy is around!

3 months old

About a month old

This guy has really filled out and developed a lot in the last few months and was so happy to laugh and smile for me this time. And he was showing off that he's the first of the triplets to have two shiny white teeth!

3 months old

About a month old

Party Planning for Year 8

2011-10-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

So, The Boy is in second grade this year and he's been clambering for a birthday party with classmates since well, kindergarten. He has a small class (thank the Lord!) of only 11 other kids, most of whom he's been with since kindergarten.

Happy First Birthday!

But because we are apartment dwellers and my husband has an aversion to anyone traipsing through the house and to messy kid hands and to clutter and to rambunctiousness indoors, The Boy has never even had a friend over to our house, let alone considered having a party with classmates.

#4 A Finding Nemo Theme. His brother drew the picture and we propped it on the cake with toothpicks!

The fifth birthday cake, totally designed by The Boy. He wanted Darth Vader and Indiana Jones playing soccer...done!

Planning The Boy's birthday parties is a challenge because it falls right between Thanksgiving and Christmas and around here in SoCal, we never know if it's going to be 80 degrees and bright or 50 degrees and raining. I've hosted small parties at my parents' house (they are more open to accepting messy kid hands, clutter and rambunctiousness). And they have a yard for all that good stuff to happen in! Generally The Boy's previous parties consisted of me, my parents, a few aunts and uncles and perhaps a cousin or two.

My big six year old

Bug themed cupcakes...that one with the fake bug looks NASTY!

Last year we did host a small gathering at our apartment and it was fine. Tight quarters but okay for the hour so we could have cake and ice cream.

Opening gifts on his 7th birthday

Super simple cake designs since I'd cut my finger and required stitches the week before...booooo!!

Earlier this year we hosted a family party at the park for The Girl, whose birthday is also in a tricky weather month...March. Fortunately it didn't rain on us that day, just a little windy.

Alice in Wonderland themed cupcakes and cookies.

Of course, this year The Boy's birthday is going to be very close to the arrival of his new baby brother, so planning a party for him around the actual date is out of the question. So it will definitely have to be a November party this year. My husband thought that was weird, having the party a month early. He even suggested that HE host the party in case I was in the hospital or at home nursing a newborn but I said, "no way!". #1. I can just imagine if my husband was hosting a party (hint: he's very health-conscious and frugal, which equals out to boring food and not much of it!). #2. I want to be at the party, for heaven's sake!

So now that I have the hard part out of the way (convincing my dear husband), I'm diving into the party planning!! I love planning out the details of a party and Pinterest is making it really fun.

Source: craigandwhitney.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Great tent invitations!

Source: amandaparkerandfamily.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

The pine cone garland would probably work for us...

This year for The Boy, I think we are going to brave hosting something at the local lake. He's so into camping and nature and fishing that his party will have that kind of theme. He was hoping to be able to fish with his friends but the cost of buying everyone a license for the day is a bit prohibitive. But I think a nature scavenger hunt, a prize for who guesses closes to the number of rocks in a jar, goodie bags with do-it-yourself smores kits to take home, simple camp food and a rockin' cake will be easy enough for me to carry out in my "T-minus-4-weeks-till-delivery" state.

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Julie on Pinterest

LOVE this camping themed cake! Check out the campfire.

Source: happyhomefairy.com via Julie on Pinterest

Very sweet Owl snack bags.

Obviously some of the photos of parties here won't be do-able for me in the great outdoors and on a shoestring budget, but for sure I'll be making a totally cool cakes and having plenty to eat (Hebrew National hot dogs, corn on the cob & plenty of fresh fruit have already been requested).

Source: craftsbyfriends.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Probably not do-able for me, but what a fantastic idea! I want to eat them up!!

Halloween Past

2011-10-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of designing and sewing the kid's costumes for Halloween. I don't have much spare time so it's been done in bits and pieces but I'm very close to completion!

I'm all for handmade, but even that can get pricey so I try and use a mix of inexpensive store-bought, hand-crafted and stuff we already have on hand.

Currently I have about half of the kid's costumes done for this year. I only had to buy 2.5 total yards of striped fabric and the rest is fabric or accessories that I already owned. So I'm getting by on about $15 cost for two costumes, not too shabby! They decided that they wanted to coordinate and I'll be finishing up their outfits this week and hopefully head out for some photos that I can share. I still need to complete the top for The Girl and make some sort of hair piece (probably a coordinating bow) and the The Boy needs pants and a head scarf too. Any guesses on what they wanted to be?

I've made Halloween costumes for The Boy for years. He expects that I can make him whatever he wants and since he has a wild imaginination, I often have to rein him in on what I can and can't do! In the past, we had season passes to both Legoland and Sea World and went to their Halloween festivities for a few years.

Between Halloween parties, carnivals, and the actual day, our costumes definitely get some use! And in many cases, the costumes are handed down to my nephew the following year.

For the first two years, I didn't have a functioning sewing machine, hence the store-bought costumes.

His first year, he was just 10.5 months old and his dad bought this Panda outfit for him.

His second year, I found this Dumbo costume that I could not resist! There is even a tiny Timothy mouse in the hat.

This Gnome costume was completely homemade by me and he got so much attention in this. Surprisingly he didn't even mind the tickly beard! I just made a simple tunic top, trimmed in bias tape and sewed on a band of red at the waistband to imitate a belt (complete with a sewn on buckle). The pants are just a thick corduroy and the felt boot covers match the hat. I attached a simple band of elastic (coated with a bit of foundation make-up to blend in with his skin tone) and then sewed on this bit of white fur to mimic a beard. I even sold this set as a custom on Ebay.

This store-bought Jack Sparrow costume inspired by The Pirates of the Caribbean was a hit. The hat is vintage 1970s from my brother, and will likely be worn again this year...hint hint!

This Indiana Jones costume was one of my most favorites. He wore his own boots & pants, I tea-dyed a white shirt to look khaki, and the satchel, whip and hat were store-bought. He totally embodied the character, it was a perfect fit for him!

My nephew is wearing a Spiderman outfit I made 9 years ago for my stepson! I had a basic unitard pattern and then just reworked and pieced together the color pattern (using his Spiderman action figure as inspiration). The web design was drawn on with a Sharpie.

Hollywood SuperStar Spider was The Boy's creation from start to finish. He knew EXACTLY what he wanted this costume to look like. I made a simple tunic with a spider-print overlay in the front. The arms were stuffed and attached to the sides of the tunic and then attached with fishing line to the sleeves. I made the top hat out of a cardboard cereal box, rolled up and hot glued then covered with coordinating fabric and then attached to a headband. Grandpa designed the cane from a piece of PVC piping.

This was last year's costume, Tree Man. To be truthful, he wanted to be a bush. He'd seen a show about stealth military guys who hide out in the brush, completely camoulflaged. Unfortunately the cost of silk leaves was prohibative and I asked him to settle for being a tree instead. He told me basically what he wanted and I set to work. I covered an old fishing hat with some green fabric and then hot glued on silk leaves. Same for a cheap Wal-Mart tee. We added a little grapevine nest and a faux feathery canary to the top! He still enjoyed pretending he was a bush, squatting down on the lawns as we trick or treated and then jumped out to scare people!

Last year was my first time making a costume for The Girl. We took a trip to the fabric store together and she chose these pretty jewel tones and the lovely wings (already made, hurray!) to create a Forest Fairy look. I mixed in the black accents on the collar, belt and tights to match the wings. The collar was an afterthought...turns out the top of the dress was much too large and I needed to come up with something that would hold it in place and not fall off her shoulders. So I just made a simple collar with straps that attached to the collar and to the dress bodice and then tied with a ribbon at the nape of her neck. I hotglued on some faux jewels that I had on hand. I also already had some big sequined butterfly clips so we secured those in her hair and she was ready for twirling!

Can't wait to see how the kids look this year. My son has already had a lot of input into what he'd like for the costume and is excited on what I have done so far. The Girl is just happy that her skirt is really twirly!

Oma's Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

We kicked off Autumn with a trip to the local pumpkin patch last week. We tailgated dinner in the back seat of the truck (chicken strips and bagged salad mix from the grocery store) and then went inside to start the fun.

The Boy and I have been to this pumpkin patch previously, one with his preschool, twice with his school and once with Grandma.

On his preschool field trip

2009

2009, with my nephew

2010, school field trip

It's a real family-run business, with the mom running the school activities (like showing how a pumpkin grows from a seed) and the dad operating and narrating the dairy tour. On this evening, one of the preteen sons was relocating some picnic tables on a trailer bed and another son was running the snack bar.

This was The Girl's and my husband's first trip to the real pumpkin patch. I think The Girl's prior knowledge of a pumpkin patch was of the crappy, overpriced version in the mall parking lot with tiny pumpkins for $10, carnival rides and hay thrown on the blacktop.

The Boy avoided the live animals this time but The Girl was brave enough to enter the goat pen. The baby goat was only about 2 months old and tiny enough to squeeze himself out of the gate, so the farm kids were constantly putting him back inside the pen during our visit.

I love how she is nervously ignoring the goat right behind her

My husband took the kids out on the "hay ride" and I was smart enough to remember all the unpleasant smells of the farm from the first and only time I'd taken this dairy tour and I stayed put on a bench. The Girl came back with a very displeased look on her face and my husband admitted that when she got a sniff of the combination of raw milk and manure she told him, "I'm going to throw up". Fortunately she didn't!

My husband did say that a baby calf had been born about two hours earlier and they got to see the calf and mama together. He said the mama was still cleaning off her baby, oblivious to the fact that her placenta was dangling out of her body...ewww!

A switcheroo

Their favorite part was the popular cottonseed mountain, a huge pile of cottonseed and sleds for them to slide down on. By the time we got them out of there they were covered in fluff!

They each got to pick a pumpkin from the patch before we left and we headed home for showers to wash off the dust and cotton, full of fun memories of another year at the patch. Looking forward to bringing the new family member next year!

Nursery Update - Wall Art

2011-09-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well, since the "nursery" is currently crammed with all things OTHER than actual nursery items, I'm focusing my thoughts upward and thinking of the walls.

Since we live in an apartment and can't paint the walls, hanging art is probably the best way (other than fabric) for me to add color and interest. I'm thinking of doing two collections of three pieces each in two different sections in the room. Perhaps one over the chair (that I've yet to buy) and another on the wall opposite the crib with matching frames and prints in varying sizes.

Here are some I've been eye-ing...a mix of images and verse. There is still the possibility that I'll get a wild hair and paint something on a canvas too!

One of my favorite verses, I think this one is a must have.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

This sailor boy print is so fun and whimsical, I love how modern yet still vintage it looks with the wood grain.

Source: petitcollage.com via Julie on Pinterest

A very sweet birth announcement that picks up on the pennant craze.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

All of the prints from Sarah Jane Studios are sweet perfection. The dreaminess of this one just catches my breath.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

I have long-admired her artwork and think the design and colors would be a perfect fit in the nursery's theme. However it's currently sold out, so I may have to do some sweet-talking to the seller and see if she'll relist it!

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

This one would surely get some giggles at a baby shower, I think it makes a perfect gift!

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

Mercy, this is just so lovely...In fact, I see many prints here that I'm going to need to have for the rest of the house!

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

Lousy

2011-09-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been lousy at posting this month.

#1. I haven't done much of anything fun or important enough to pull out my camera.

#2. Most of my free time at home is taken up with situating the kids in their new room. We moved the kids into the bedroom next door and bought them a bunk bed and all the sewing stuff and baby stuff is in their old room.

There is still so much to do, including needing to weed through both of their dressers, get rid of what doesn't fit and consolidate them into sharing one dresser to free up the other dresser for the baby.

#3. Nursery sewing projects have been somewhat stilted by the moving of rooms. I did unbury my work table and started on something new so this means I have about 4 projects in the air. I am pretty darned close to completing the Finding Nemo cross-stitch! Just have to finish the little jelly fish and add the white sections. I'll be writing "Just keep Swimming!" instead of the baby's name at the bottom.

This is pretty much done except for a few small sections.

I have the ocean mobile pieces sewn and stuffed, I just need to sew on some details and then buy the rings and attach everything together.

I have the rest of the creatures done, I'll take a photo soon.

I started making this fabric toy ring set and am trying to wrap my brain about how I'm going to hand stitch some of the sections and make it durable enough yet still attractive. I didn't realize when I bought the pattern that it would require handstitching and now I'm balking at it.

I also cut out the squares to make fabric baby blocks. I want to put his name personalized on the blocks (but was nervous to make such a commitment in case my husband changes his mind on the name decision again!).

#4. Halloween costumes are also coming down the pike. Fortunately the kids decided on something pretty easy and inexpensive so I ONLY have to make a vest, a pair of pants, two headscarves, one waist wrap and a skirt!

Last year's costumes in 2010...Mr Tree

And the Forest Fairy

#5. Increased contractions and increased fatigue added to a general laziness on my part and non-desire to do anything other than lay on the sofa and watch Dr. Oz. Unfortunately I'm still working full-time and will continue to do so until I go into labor. My husband has really stepped up in the cooking dinner department but can't load the dishwasher properly to save his life, so I don't mind doing that. I also actually really enjoy laundry, so I'm doing that too. I taught The Boy this weekend how to clean the bathroom sinks and scrub the toilets. He hollered at me when he found out I was using the toilet after he'd cleaned it! "I just cleaned that MOM!"

This picture was from a vacation in July. I tried on this dress again this weekend. In this photo I just look chubby, now I really look pregnant.

#6. After the fun and excitement of summer, getting back into the school groove (and The Boy's 1.5 hours+ of homework every night), has been pretty boring.

#7. Looking forward to the fun of fall and all the photo opportunities like the pumpkin farm...Halloween...Thanksgiving!

The Boy and I at the pumpkin patch, 2010.

#8. Waiting for September to end so I can get a few fall decorations from my stash at Mom's house and decorate my buffet table. It's been pretty sad looking this summer without any color as I've just been decorating with the few things I had on hand because I didn't want to go out and buy anything. It didn't even warrant a photo, it's that plain.

So cute and colorful for Valentine's Day...now it's just white and blah...

#9. We'll celebrate our first anniversary in late November, right about the time I'm ready to pop.

I'm going to have to convince him that an anniversary warrants something nicer than baked chicken breasts and brown rice cooked at home for dinner.

#10. These two. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do with a new little brother in their lives. They are anxious and excited, pretty much the same as the rest of us!

If you give a kid a camera...

2011-09-07T10:48:00.001-07:00

If you give a kid a camera...

You will get some very goofy expressions.

You will get a kid's perspective.

You will also get some very relaxed smiles from adults that generally don't like having their photo taken.

Did I mention that you will get some very goofy expressions?

And sometimes you get a great surprise and there are some beautiful shots!

The Weekend that Was - My Birthday

2011-09-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yep, another year come and gone.

*sigh*

There is something to be said for having your birthday fall on a holiday weekend. Every 7 years or so your birthday is on the actual holiday and you're pretty much guaranteed a day off work and probably some sort of BBQ.

That didn't happen this year, my birthday was the day after Labor Day, but we did still celebrate with a BBQ on Sunday.

There were kids, happy to run around the yard and play...

There were hamburgers on the grill, carrot cake and my favorite, banana walnut ice cream!

And there were pictures of me and my nearly-27 week pregnant belly...

On Monday we were all off from work and school, so we headed up to the mountains for the afternoon and our favorite pie shop. Danny packed us a lunch of turkey sandwiches and SunChips and we ate in the shade of a big tree. Afterwards, we walked to our favorite candy shop for our usual sample tasting of wasabi peanuts, boysenberry cider and pretzels dipped in spicy mustard. We bought a jug of cider, a packet of licorice and the kids picked out some chocolate-peanut butter candy for my birthday.

Me & Danny

It was warm and humid and we had a few sprinkles on us. Turns out, back in our city (45 minutes away) it was pouring rain! Lucky us, being able to avoid that.

We stood in the long line at the pie shop and got our favorite apple-boysenberry with a side of cinnamon ice cream. There were, of course, many goofy faces and much silliness. Seems I can't take a photo lately without one or all of the kids making the goofiest face!

The Girl has had this front tooth that's been wiggly for over two weeks, yet she just couldn't bring herself to pull it out.

The Boy had been ITCHING to get his hands on that tooth. If it had been The Boy, he would have yanked it the moment he felt the slightest little wiggle!

The Boy, reaching in for his chance at the tooth

When we got home that evening, Danny & I heard a ruckus upstairs and then moments later, cheering. The kids came down, chanting, "He pulled the tooth! He pulled the tooth!".

The kids reenact the tooth-pulling

And there it was, a big ol' gap where that tooth had been hanging by a thread.

The new tooth, permanent tooth is already making its appearance through the gums!

First Day of School & How We Streamlined the Morning Routine!

2011-08-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten & First Grade

Our proud Second Grader! I'll have to get a photo of him next to Grandma's fence for a height comparison.

So, The Girl started school about 2 weeks ago but The Boy just started yesterday. They don't go to the same schools. He attends a Catholic school and she goes to a public school with a program for special needs children. The Boy's school is about 7 minutes from our house in one direction and The Girl's school is about 15 minutes away from our house in the opposite direction.

What does this mean for me in the mornings?

It means we leave the house almost an hour before I have to get to work so I can drive them both to their respective morning care programs. The Boy is able to run inside by himself but I actually have to street park and get out of the car to sign The Girl in each morning. This calls for us to wake at *yawn* 5:45 am each morning. I'm already cringing at the thought of adding a baby to the mix early next year!

A few weeks ago I'd mentioned that I was going to start streamlining the morning routine to allow the kids more independence and the ability to do for themselves.

Source: amazon.com via Julie on Pinterest

#1 PROBLEM - A KID'S ALARM CLOCK
I wanted them to get used to waking with an alarm clock so I started using this to wake them for summer camp. I found this amazing dual-clock from Timex. I love it so much that I ended up buying one for myself too! I can set it for two different times, only to go off on weekdays, the time sets itself and it has a radio or buzzer (I hate being woken by a buzzer, so I love the radio feature!). Now they are totally used to the alarm clock and are not having any problems getting up by themselves.

#2 PROBLEM - GETTING THEIR OWN CLOTHES, UNDERPANTS & SOCKS OUT
Using the closet organizers we already have, I have their wardrobe lined up for the entire week. I move The Girls socks & matching hair bows downstairs on Sunday so those are ready for the week ahead (bows have a box that goes under the bathroom sink with her hairbrush and the socks go into the shoe storage bin).

The Boy always wears a uniform & white socks so he doesn't even have to think about it, he already knows what he's wearing. The Girl has been grabbing her clothes out of the closet and getting dressed fine on her own (though a few times the shirt has been on backwards!).

#3 PROBLEM - PREPARING THEIR OWN BREAKFASTS
I took these pictures on Monday morning so I did supervise them that day but today they did everything on their own.

Fixing her own cereal (obviously, previous to brushing her hair!)

The Girl made her own bowl of cereal. I purchased plastic bowls from Target and have them in the dry food cabinet. I poured milk into a smaller bottle so she doesn't have to wield the full jug of milk. However I don't think she poured herself enough cereal today because she was done eating before The Boy and that never happens! I think I'll start portioning out the cereal into baggies and she can get her serving from there.

Heating up water for oatmeal

The Boy loves oatmeal so I taught him how much water to put in the Pyrex measuring cup and which button to push on the microwave to heat it. The handle doesn't get hot so he's able to get it out by himself and pour the water into the bowl with the oatmeal. Right now we still have some Quaker Oat packets so he's using those but when those are gone, I'll be creating various oatmeal packs with dried fruit and brown sugar mixes of our own.

#4 PROBLEM - TRUSTING THEM ENOUGH TO PUT ON THEIR OWN TOOTHPASTE
They are now able to get their teeth brushed with minimal mess (The Girl did drop a big blob of pink toothpaste on my bath rug yesterday). I purchased them two different types of toothpaste so it's very easy for me to know exactly who made the mess and who didn't rinse out the sink after spitting!

I'll show you on other day how I tacked the remaining problem on my list, ALLOWING THE BOY TO MAKE HIS OWN LUNCHES.

I had the day off on Monday to be with The Boy on his first day so we actually dropped The Girl off first and then went to The Boy's school.

Outside his classroom

Playing a bean-bag toss question game with his new teacher

These two sillies are seated next to each other in the classroom too...might not be the best idea, but I'm sure the teacher will figure that out soon enough!

Happy First Day of Second Grade sweetheart!

First Day - The Girl

2011-08-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was The Girl's first day of school.

I had the privilege of taking her that day. She was not one bit anxious. Not even all that excited either, frankly. Ask her how her day went and she'll just flatly say, "I'm fine. It was good". She'd been attending summer day camp at her campus for the two days before school officially started so I think that might have eased her back into the routine easily. She even saw her teacher the day before so she was able to say hello.

She has the same teacher as last year. I can tell that she's glad that The Girl is back in her class again.

See, The Girl is mildly Autistic and her classroom is full of children who are also special needs. Some are like her, delayed in speech, unable to grasp particular concepts and have limited social skills. Other children in the classes have more intense needs, like one child who is both Down Syndrome and deaf and another who is still learning how to swallow solid foods.

My heart goes out to the teachers in these classes for their unlimited patience and their persistence and tireless drive to teach these challenged children. Blessings to all teachers starting out their school years, may they find reward in it everyday!

August - The Weekend that Was

2011-08-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Friday night kick-started with my first girl's night out in 9 months. I went with my cousin and her girlfriends to Lips, a local drag queen dinner show. My brother and sister-in-law took me here about 4 years ago for my birthday. However, since I'm currently pregnant, my girl's night was literally a sober night and watching a drag queen show without the aid of a whiskey sour this time just wasn't the same. Still a lot of (raunchy) fun but a little harder to get into the spirit without drinking a few spirits!

This is my memento from my last Lips experience. I have no idea what I'm laughing so hard about...

The next day was back into Mom-mode and we met some family at an newly opened indoor playhouse.

Going down the gigantic slide

In the ball pit

Mr. Sweaty Head holding his second cousin

We were there for three hours and the kids were sweat-drenched and ready for the pool afterwards.

My 3-year old niece is fearless!

Practicing diving

Sunday we went to church, then a restaurant lunch at a popular deli (a rare treat for us, we don't usually go out for lunch), shopping, haircuts and home to rest for a little while. That evening we did Mass and my aunt & uncle's 40th wedding vow renewals.

We met afterwards for dinner at the pizzaria. There were about 75 people crammed in with the music from the jukebox blaring (someone there in the bar had a heavy metal fixation). My dad pulled me outside to see this lovely sunset.

Despite ordering first, we were unfortunately served last and didn't get home until after 9pm. Nothing like eating a heavy meal and then going straight to bed!

On the way home, my husband told me how the 50+ year old waitress hit on him when he got up to request the check. Apparantly she told him, "Okay, if you're not interested in me, I have a cute young daughter" to which he says he told her, "Hey lady, I'm married". I'm not sure I'm buying this story, as he is prone to joking but he is insisting this time that he's not pulling my leg! Hmph!

DIY PROJECT - Soap Sliver Pocketed Washcloth

2011-08-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 9 months since my husband and I got married and I've slowly discovered this little idiosyncrasy about him.

My husband has this thing about not using up the last bit of something.

This is odd, because he's extremely frugal and doesn't like to waste. There have been many a discussion about the leftovers in the fridge that don't get eaten or how that backpack with the holes in the bottom just needs a little patching; no need to purchase a new one! So I just don't understand why that new jar of Nutella needed to be opened when there is still enough for 3 more servings in the first jar? What was wrong with that last capful of dishwashing detergent...why did a new bottle have to be used already? Or why does he have two tubes of toothpaste on the bathroom counter when there is probably a week's worth of brushing still in the first tube?

After staring at the slivers of Dove soap that he had piling up in the soap dish in the shower, I knew there was something I could make that would put those leftover bars to work.

So I made a pocketed washcloth where he could slip in those leftover bits and lather up to his heart's delight, happy in the knowledge that he wasn't being wasteful by unwrapping a fresh bar when these other pieces weren't quite done yet.

Or at least, that's my idea (and the point I'm trying to get across to him!).

I bought an inexpensive washcloth. I folded it up to resemble an envelope, folded up longer on the bottom and not as much on the top. I marked the center with some disappearing ink and pinned in place.

I sewed up the sides of the cloth (had to hand-crank the machine over the very thick sections), then sewed a double-stitch on each side of my pins.

I cut the cloth along the marking and now had two pocketed washcloths. I simply slipped the soap slivers inside and set it inside the shower. Now my husband uses the washcloth as normal except now the soap lathers from the inside out without him having to rub it on a new soap bar first!

Hooked

2011-08-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my husband went out with a friend on his first ocean fishing boat trip. It was a 3/4 day boat that sailed out from here in San Diego to the Coronado Islands in Mexican waters. He borrowed an ocean rod & reel, packed up his tackle and snack bag the night before but he was so excited (like a kid at Christmas), so I'm not sure he slept much!

They left the dock at 6am and didn't return home until nearly 6pm. I got a phone call from him as the boat was coming back into dock.

"I caught the biggest fish of anyone else on the boat".

Danny with the big catch of the day, the only yellowtail caught on the boat

He walked in the front door with a huge bag full of fish. I stayed clear of the kitchen (and the smells) as my pregnant appetite isn't so crazy about pungent freshwater fish odor, if you know what I mean. Fans were blowing and the windows were wide open in the kitchen as he and his friend sorted the fish in the sink.

Fortunately the deck hands had done most of the dirty work on the dock, gutting, deboning and cutting into more manageable pieces. There was rock cod, barracuda and the Mother Lode...a 30 lb yellowtail. Of course, Danny had to bring home the tail to show me (I'll admit, it was a lovely yellow and green shimmery color, but I didn't really need to have it so close to my face!).

Our fridge was soon stuffed with over ten bags of fresh fish, labeled with a Sharpie. He immediately squeezed lemon over one of the steaks and put into the oven for a quick dinner.

Of course, he's HOOKED on sea fishing now. He is itching to go back out there again but I told him first that our freezer is already stuffed to the gills (hee-hee!) and he's going to need to eat some of the fish he caught before he goes out again for more.

Sunday was our fish fry. Danny's friend, wife and kids came over with their outdoor propane burner, fresh tortillas, a rockin' creamy salsa, and the perfect recipe for beer batter. The men set to work frying up the meat while the kids swam. The smell of yummy grease and fried fish was irresistible and the men nibbled the entire time. Pretty soon the kids were out of the pool and clamoring for fish. Even The Girl, who is one of the pickiest of eaters asked for a piece of fish... I think her grandma nearly fell over in shock!

Soon enough we had everyone settled in with a plate of fish tacos. I alone ate three, which is pretty good given my lacking appetite!

The kids kept going back for more pieces, wrapping them in napkins and gobbling them up!

Needless to say the fish fry was a success and we can't wait to do that again. Now Danny will just have to go out again and catch more of that delicious fish!

Nursey Project - Ocean Mobile & a Change of Plans

2011-08-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you're crafting, what you picture in your mind on a particular project tends to morph over time, in particular when it comes to the actual logistics of putting it all together. This happened to me often when constructing and altering clothing patterns. I mix and match patterns together, adding a ruffle here and an inset of ric-rack or piping there and the result is often a far-cry from the original idea.

When it came to making this nursery mobile, I just hadn't been able to wrap my mind around how to create a three-dimensional stuffed figure, my non-math brain just wouldn't do it!

I pulled out my sketches for this project again and decided the best way to start would be to just bite the bullet and try my hand at putting one of the figures together. I took my original sketch of the sea horse (which was a whopping 12" tall!) and scaled it back to just under 6" tall.

I cut the sketch outline into a pattern, doubled over the orange felt and then cut out the shape. I free-hand drew the blue details with a disappearing ink pen directly onto the felt. I sandwiched the blue bits in between the two orange shapes and then pinned around the entire piece.

I started off handstitching the edges with three strands of embroidery floss however I wasn't pleased with the results (I just knew the stuffing was going to work its way out from between the stitches). I ended up pulling the hand stitches out and machine straight-stitched instead. The nice thing about felt is that it doesn't fray so you can stitch the wrong sides together and the stitching can show on the outside and the felt will still have a nice clean edge.

After stitching (and leaving a small opening), I stuffed it with fiberfill. Even with my bodkin tool, I couldn't get the stuffing to reach the tip of the skinny nose but I wasn't too concerned about it, I think it looks fine unstuffed. Generally with stuffed animals you have to OVERSTUFF because with squeezing and cuddling, the fluff inside gets smushed and flat but that won't be a problem with the mobile figures. Since the mobile will be hanging up and not getting touched, I could just stuff it to what I wanted it to look like and sew it up closed.

After stuffing and sewing shut, I was ready to add some detailing, so I threaded three strands of floss and stitched the creases of the sea horse, looping the thread around and pulling slightly tight to create a cushioned-look. I handsewed on one "horn" to the front of one side to make him look more dimensional.

I have some black beads at my mom's house and know they'd be perfect for eyes for my sweet sea horses, I just have to remember to grab them next time I'm there. And voila! I'll have one figure done!!

Now that I have this adorable sea horse nearly complete, I'm rethinking the entire mobile and considering making it ALL with sea horses! My original plan was to have a crab, a whale, a sea star, a sea horse, an angel fish, a jelly fish, and a sea turtle. I'm not confident that I could do some of these figures justice at all, but I know now that I can make a cute seahorse and perhaps some sea stars? To be honest, I know I could make a jellyfish and an angel fish too, so it's really the crab, whale & sea turtle idea that I'm thinking about dropping from the set.

And I'm okay with that!

When I've pushed myself to stick to the original plan it seems that I just end up frustrated or disappointed, so I'm going to allow myself to veer off course and see where this new idea takes me! I'll be working on the project this week and will update when I have something completed to share.

Mobile hang-ups

2011-08-11T14:59:00.001-07:00

After making a few sketches, I still couldn't really bring myself to actually decide on a firm pattern for the sea creatures I'm going to make for the nursery mobile. I'd expected at this date to actually have things cut out and started, but no, not yet...

My original sketches were way too big, like actual stuffed animal/cuddling size and that's not right (imagine those hanging up in a room, that would be some monster-sized mobile!).

I think I have decided to just do them in more of a flat style instead of round and three-dimensional. The math wiz (ha!) in me just couldn't get the grasp of designing anything remotely three-dimensional, so flat it is. I will be adding fluff inside to puff them out a little and I'll be adding trims and details to them to add some lift to them and make them look not so flat.

I just don't want them looking "cartoony". I do want a colorful but more true-to life-look. So I'm definitely back to the drawing board (so to speak, and literally too, I guess...).

In the meantime, Sew4Home has added a few more cool nursery projects to their website and I'm printing them as they come up. Check these out!

A fabric covered tissue box holder, who doesn't need one of these! I have so many scraps, I could make one of these for each room in the house...hmmmm....

Source: sew4home.com via Julie on Pinterest

Grommetted curtains, which I'd make with a blackout lining. I'm thinking solid turquoise with a red trim would look great in the room.

Source: sew4home.com via Julie on Pinterest

Fitted sheets. I want red gingham!

Source: sew4home.com via Julie on Pinterest

A pleated crib skirt, which is probably more appropriate in a boy's room than the ruffled version. I have more of the crab fabric that inspired the room, so I'd probably use that in one of the middle panels and have each panel be somewhat different all the way around and then have a solid turquoise in the creases to tie it together.

Source: sew4home.com via Julie on Pinterest

"I'll do it myself"...I hope!

2011-08-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

So we have 8 more days until we have to get back into the swing of homework and school drop offs.

Miss Chocolate Ice Cream face

The much neater Slurpee-Sipper

The kids are still relishing their summer schedule (these were taken after I picked them up from their summer camp field trip to the museum & treated them with 7-11 goodies). I am taking comfort in knowing that even with the summer routine, we didn't stray too far from their usual bedtimes and the kids and I do have an iron-clad morning routine in place.

When Danny and I got married late last year and we all moved into our apartment, it was difficult adjusting everyone to a morning school-day routine. Of course Danny's out because he's up and out of the house before daylight, so it's all left up to me. I remember the first morning I woke up The Girl. She squinted open her eyes, hair tangled up like a bird's nest and silently opened up the curtains to look out into the dark morning. She turned her head to look at me and the expression was priceless, very much a "What in the world are you thinking woman? It's still dark outside!".

5:15-Alarm goes off. I hit snooze!
5:24-I get up, put in contact lenses and pee.
5:30-I wake up the kids by opening their room, setting out The Girl's clothes on her bed with a pair of underpants & socks. The Girl gets up and heads to the bathroom. The Boy crawls out of bed and they switch places when The Girl returns. She shuts the bedroom door & gets dressed. In the spare room where The Boy keeps his clothes, I set out his uniform, a pair of underpants & socks (to remind him to change them!)and then head downstairs.
5:35-I prepare breakfast. It's generally frozen waffles (made fresh over the weekend from Bisquick mix), a bowl of cereal or peanut butter toast. The Boy likes canned or fresh fruit, yogurt, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos and oatmeal but The Girl will only stick with the first three things so it's all kept pretty basic when she's with us. I set it on the table with a glass of milk for each kid along with their vitamins and they start in eating once they come downstairs. If I've not yet packed lunches the night before, I'll do that now too and also pack up my own lunch & snack to take to work.
5:50-I head upstairs. I put paste on the kid's toothbrushes (because they tend to get the paste all over the sink if I leave that for them to do) and then get myself ready. Make-up, clothes, hair. I shout down encouragements to "keep eating" to The Girl, who often moves slow as molasses in the morning & supervise tooth brushing if need be. The Boy turns on the TV (because he's always the first one ready). It's generally Big Cat Diaries on Animal Planet, Family Matters or Full House on Nickelodeon or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney Channel.
6:20-I head downstairs. The Girl sits on the ottoman and I brush out her hair and set it for the day. It's nearly waist length and wavy so it has to get set out of her face, so I usually have to secure little elastics near the forehead line and braid or put into ponytails.
6:30-I'll do a quick kitchen check while the kids put their shoes on. Sometimes I'll turn the dishwasher on if it's full. We grab our backpacks/purse/lunch bags/etc and head out the door.
6:40-Drop off The Boy at his school (I keep the car running & he goes into his morning care group).
7:05-Drop off The Girl at her school (I have to actual park on the street, escort her inside and sign her in to her morning care group each day).
7:30-Squeal into work, just on time!

We were able to relax a little on the timeline and pushed this all back about 20 minutes in the summer since they were both attending the same camp and I didn't have to drive to two different places. I have stuck with this morning routine for the past 8 months and the kids know just what to do now without any prompting.

But I can see it now. Come early December, I'm going to be adding a newborn into the morning mix. The kids will still have about 2 weeks left of school before their vacations, I'll be nursing the new kid and still trying to get them all out the door and to their two separate locations on time for school. And then of course, once I have to go back to work (ugh, I cringe to even think...) I'll be getting three kids ready and driven to three different locations and still trying to get myself to work at a decent time! I'm going to be pushing this timeline back probably another 30-45 minutes then so I'll have time to feed/diaper/dress another little body.

So, in anticipation of having another little one to care for in the morning, I think it's time to mix things up a little and streamline just a tad bit more.

#1. A kid's room alarm clock.

Source: 4alarmclocks.com via Julie on Pinterest

I am going to purchase an alarm clock for the older kids that we'll set the night before. This way if I'm in another room, nursing the baby, they'll still be waking on time and getting their morning routine in motion. I hope that they won't figure out how to press snooze...

#2. Getting their own clothes, underpants and socks out.

We already have these fantastic closet organizers so they do know what they are wearing for the week in advance.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

I had these exact organizers customized with Monday through Friday so the kid's clothes are already laid out for the week and ready to go in their closet.

It would be really easy for me to make a little bag that hangs over the hanger that would include their underpants and socks for the day (and maybe The Girl's hair bow?) so they don't grab orange polka-dotted socks when they are wearing a striped red dress (when left to her own devices, it's happened!).

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

A pattern for a clothespin hanger, but this could hold socks, underpants & a bow

#3. Preparing their own breakfast.

I was reading another blogger's idea about making up their own oatmeal packets into individual Ziplock baggies. The Boy would definitely go for this and he's advanced enough to measure out the water or milk and push the correct button on the microwave to warm the liquid before stirring it in the bowl.

I can do the same with cereal in bags for The Girl. This is something we could set up once a week, place all the choices into a basket in the pantry closet and then reuse the bags for the following week.

Source: sarahandabraham.com via Julie on Pinterest

I can easily set out bowls onto the dining room table the night before, or even get special morning breakfast-ware that could be kept in the pantry when they kids could reach them (because too many times I've found a kid on the counter trying to reach the porcelain bowls by themselves!).

Source: containerstore.com via Julie on Pinterest

I will have to purchase two new things however. A new Pyrex measuring cup (because I accidentally smashed mine into a billion pieces all over the kitchen counter last night!) and a smallish pitcher/container to hold milk that the kids will be able to pour by themselves. They aren't confident enough to handle the gallon jug alone, in particular when it's full. The smaller one above looks perfectly sized.

#4. Trusting them enough to put on their own toothpaste (or at least cleaning up any messes they make in the sink!).

#5. Allowing The Boy to help prepare his own lunches for the week in advance.

I think if we prepare ahead of time like with the breakfasts, he will be able to just grab a drink, a snack, a premade sandwich, a bag of chips or cookies and be good to go!

Source: chinaberry.com via Julie on Pinterest

The Girl already owns this freezable lunch bag.

So, how does that all sound? I know that I'll have to implement these changes slowly over the course of the next 2-3 months as we get back into the swing of school mornings. The Girl (being Autistic) can be a challenge to motivate but she's such a stickler for the rules that if I make these changes slowly (but mandatory), it shouldn't be an issue.

What changes have you had to make to your morning get-out-the-door-on-time routine?

Nursery Project #1 -Quilt completed!

2011-08-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing for over 20 years and have never attempted making a quilt before. But I figured crib sized was a good place to start and I am SO happy to share these completed photos with you of my finished baby quilt!!

The pattern was free on Sew4Home and very easy to follow.
The quilt binding instructions are from Heather Bailey. I was able to use all fabrics that I already had on hand (except for the white tone-on-tone fabric, I did buy that at the quilt shop). Once I got the top done, I went back to the quilt shop and they guided me in the right direction on what kind of quilt batting size & style to purchase.

Reverse side

The entire thing went together quickly, including the dreaded handstitched binding(completed during a Toddlers & Tiaras marathon this weekend!).

I think this was the perfect nursery project for me to start on as I'm really able to see all my planned fabrics together, harmonizing in one place. The first thing my husband asked was how I got my top stitched lines so straight! Easy...I used my long, clear ruler and a temporary marker to draw across the diagonals of each square and then just stitched on the line.

I do plan on starting my felt mobile next but am still looking across the web to find good real-life sea creature inspirations before I create my stuffed versions.

In the meantime, I have my Finding Nemo crossstitch that I've been toting around with me on the weekends on visits to my parent's house. Don't be alarmed that all of the characters are missing their eyes, I always save the white and the detailing for the last....but in the meantime, they are a little disconcerting!

Next up, the mobile!

Nursery Project - Planning the Mobile

2011-08-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

So the quilt is almost done.

This is the pattern I used, free from Sew4Home website. My blanket has squares in the crab print, a colorful stripe, lots of polka dots in orange and turquoise, a bright blue solid, and a swirly red print. I liked the look of a simple white background so that's how mine looks too, in a tone on tone white stripe. I'll share photos as soon as I'm finished with it.

I'm sure you can imagine my disappointment in reading the very last line of instructions on quilt binding when it said to handstitch the final seam closed. Whaaa?? Well, an hour and a half last night and I'd only finished one side, so it looks like I have approximately 4-5 more hours of handstitching ahead of me...

Did I mention that it's really hot in my house and sitting with a blanket on my lap in 90+ degree weather isn't really wildy fun?!

But with the quilt project winding down, I'm already planning the next one. My next project is going to be an ocean-themed felt mobile.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

These mobile photos are ones I've found in my online searching, I love all the handmade details!

Source: birdface.net via Julie on Pinterest

I have it in my head what I'm going to make. I have already purchased these lovely felt squares from Heather Bailey's online shop.

Source: heatherbaileystore.com via Julie on Pinterest

I still need to purchase wooden rings and then paint them. I have wool stuffing at my mom's house and of course, my husband (being an avid-fisherman) has plenty of fishing line and will likely string it all up for me when I'm finished.

Source: buymodernbaby.com via Julie on Pinterest

This handpainted wooden one is so cool, if only my husband had a jigsaw!

Source: blablakids.com via Julie on Pinterest

I'm intrigued by the hanger of this one, I think I could do something like this that would reflect an under-the-sea theme.

I will need to draw and cut out my own patterns for the shapes. I plan on making a red crab, an orange seahorse, a turquoise whale, a lime green turtle, a cream-colored starfish, a blue angel fish and a yellow jelly fish (with dangling trim). I'm also going to buy these felted wool balls to string like "bubbles" from the fishing line!

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

This mobile will hang far far away from little fingers so I can decorate it with as many sequins, buttons and beads as I want!

Oh, and by the way...this mobile will have to be crafted all by hand. Each individual character and every little sequin, button and bead will need to be sewn on using my little fingers, which are likely to be sore by the time I finish handsewing that quilt binding!

Under the Sea - Planning the Nursery #2

2011-07-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Continued brainstorming for the nursery-to-be...

The room we're working with in its current status is a sewing room/The Boy's changing room/TV room/junk collecting spot.

As mentioned before, I am going with an Under the Sea theme for the baby's room in bright colors of turquoise and red with lime green, orange and cream.

I have about 2 yards of this wonderful crab & seaweed print for ages and I'm so glad I never used it for anything. I love the bright red and lime green!

I also have this wonderful (and mighty pricey, I might add) seahorse print in aqua and orange. Not sure I'll actually use this here, but it does go with the theme...

Mix it up with some turquoise, red and lots of polka dots (I'm a sucker for polka dots) and I'll have a fun, bright room that he'll be able to grow into.

I've been following the Sew4Home website for years and have made a few things with their free patterns. They have a great number of baby nursery things that I can't wait to get started on! This is what I have planned (obviously I won't be making them in any of these pink fabrics!):

Fabric boxes to organize diapers & toiletries

Crib skirt

Quilt(ambitious, we'll see how it goes!)

Matching pillow (for me to use in the glider chair)

Baby Blanket

Window valance. I'm going to need to buy blackout curtains though because the sun comes right in through the vertical blinds that are there already.

Hooded towel

What do you think? How much of this dream list will I actually get done? Only time will tell...

Under the Sea- Planning the Nursery #1

2011-07-18T13:20:00.001-07:00

So, this past weekend I spent at my parent's house while my husband tiled their front living room. I didn't have much to do...all the Better Homes & Gardens magazines had been read, I'd been chatting with my mom for 5 hours, I'd already taken The Boy to lunch, I took a two-hour nap...I'd run out of things to do and I was bored!

I headed over to JoAnne Fabrics with some ideas in my head. Knowing now that I'm having a boy, I've settled on a theme for the nursery: Under the Sea!

For my stepson, who is now 13, I'd made a crib bumper and skirt in a bright animal print and a fleece blanket. For my son, who is now 7, my sewing machine was out of commission at the time so most of the stuff I bought for his room were used items off Ebay. We were living at my parent's house and able to paint the walls so we used Disney-themed colors and did the upper half in blue (Pooh's Favorite Things) with soft lime green (Tinker Bell) on the bottom half. I had some sweet peel & stick butterflies to put over his crib and mixed in yellow gingham on the crib sheet and changing pad cover.

This time around, I'm ready for bright colors again and have decided, that bright aqua and red will be the main colors with a mix of orange, lime green & cream. I already have some fabrics (which I'll share later) and I picked up a few coordinates at JoAnne. It's important to me that the room have things that can "grow" with this new little one. I don't want anything too baby-ish or that will look dated in a few years, but should still look like a little boy's room.

I've been perusing the web in the evenings and "pinning" things I like in Pinterest.

Source: babysupermall.com via Julie on Pinterest

I like this bed skirt but there is a bit too much powder blue in this crib set for my taste.

Source: sarahandabraham.com via Julie on Pinterest

No idea why this picture is soooooo tiny! Personalized banner...I can totally make this! And I can use coordinating fabrics to match the other things I have planned to make.

Source: laylagrayce.com via Julie on Pinterest

And for another option, check out this darling banner that sticks to the wall!

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

A sweet personalized print to match the theme & I like the non-traditional nursery room colors

Source: landofnod.com via Julie on Pinterest

Beach pails to hold baby stuff...these would be great for holding diaper supplies on a shelf above the changing table & they can hold toys or school supplies later.

And because I need a hand-sewing project to do while my husband & I watch America's Got Talent, I picked up this Finding Nemo cross-stitch kit (a whopping $4.29 at JoAnn with my 40% off coupon!).

I'm picturing it in a bright teal frame, won't that be fun?

I think I'll leave off the name personalization and date because I want to get it framed and hung in the nursery as soon as possible (and if I wait until he's born before I finish, it's just never going to get done!).

I want to round out the room with red gingham sheets (because I'm a sucker for gingham, The Boy had gingham sheets in his nursery too).

And I'm going to paint my own version of this ocean-themed print to hang over the bed. Why buy something if I can do it myself, right?

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Julie on Pinterest

Memory Lane

2011-07-16T10:34:00.001-07:00

My husband is busy today, tiling my parent's living room. They spent last week tearing out carpet & baseboard and last night buying the tile and putting together the fancy new tile saw. Right now I hear the noise of lots of scraping, mixing, cutting and general busy-work chatter between him, my brother and my dad.

The Boy and I are here, just hanging out until we can decide what in the heck we want to do with ourselves today.

He's watching some annoying kid's show on TV and I'm perusing old photos on my parent's computer.

I love this one of the boys eating popsicles on the front porch a few years ago. I have this as my mouse pad, it's always been one of my favorites.

And the two cousins in a tractor at the pumpkin patch. Such adorable little faces...and chubby little hands!

This is The Girl, about a year before Danny & I started dating. At this time, she'd been coming to play with the boys for a while in my parent's front yard. Check out those ringlets, most of her natural curls are gone now.

This was the first outing we took with the kids once we started dating. We took them for a hike on a nature trail a few miles from our house. I have this photo framed in our house. I'm not sure we could ever get them to voluntarily hold hands now!

And this one was at our second outing, an Easter weekend egg hunt at the lake. Look at the chubby baby faces on these kids!

This was taken on The Boy's first fishing trip, when Danny introduced them to Lake Morena, worms, bait and trout.

Ahh, memories!

Boys Vs. Girls

2011-07-14T09:02:00.001-07:00

If you notice a BOY TREND on this blog, it's because our family is heavy on the snips, snails and puppy dog tails!

My stepson is a ripe ol' 13 years old!

Picture him with the same 'do, except now it's dyed black!

We have my son, who is 7.

A girl! My stepdaughter is also 7.

My 6 year old nephew.

Oh look, another girl! This is my cousin's daughter, who is starting kindergarten this year.

And then the flood of boys picked up again.

There are two three-year olds...

Two two-year olds...

And three more that were born recently, all sons of my cousins.

Oh look, the triplet sister, another girl, how about that??

Round out the list is my newest nephew, born just around 10 days ago.

And now to add to the boy tally, our little bean, due in early December.

I couldn't believe it, another BOY! My mom, for one, was happy. She and The Boy were about the only ones voting boy again, the rest were pushing for some pink! My mom loves having grandsons and said, "At least we won't have to buy any more toys...we still have all the dinosaurs, trains and swords we'll need!".

We received a printout of 5 images, only two of which are slightly discernible. The other ones (including "gender") are so obscure, I guess that's why the technicians make the big bucks because I literally couldn't tell heads or tails from them!

Here is the bottom of his foot

And this one is a silhouette of his face and the bones of his arms extended over his head

Here we are together (excuse the blurry shot by The Boy, he's usually much more steady!). This was taken just before I left for the sonogram appointment.

A 2 and a 3

2011-07-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

It's BABY month, in addition to being birthday month, I guess...the past few weeks have been filled with new births as well as happy birthdays!

Two cousins, from separate sides of the family, have little boys celebrating their birthdays this month.

We have this little guy, my cousin Vanessa's son, who just turned 2. The day was celebrated in the park on a day where temps were reaching 100 degrees.

He loves riding his daddy's skateboard!

They had a big plastic pool filled with sodas and ice water and of course after the sodas were gone, this was the ideal location to fill up squirt guns and take a cool dip!

Watching the water drip off his diaper!

We all took turns passing around cousin Michelle's 3 month old triplets too.

As I was getting ready to leave the party, I got a call from my sister-in-law Samantha. She was at the hospital and her doctor was ready to perform her c-section but she couldn't get ahold of her husband!! Ack!! After a few quick calls, we were able to get him on his way (he was at the pool with their other son and hadn't gotten the calls). He was able to get there in plenty of time to see the birth of his second boy. We went to visit them in the hospital the following day and see the one-day-old little guy and his happy parents.

This past weekend, we drove up to my cousin Marianne's house for her 3-year old son's Cars-themed birthday party.

This is the first time in three years I've been able to get him to stop and look at the camera for me!

The house was stuffed with kids, so most of our time was spent in the shady breeze of the back patio. My cousin Joe's baby son was there and Danny was able to meet him for the first time. As you can see, they got along sweetly.

And The Boy loved tickling all the babies feet and rubbing their soft skin. I think he's going to be a pretty good big brother.

As a side note, today is my wonderful husband Danny's birthday! I'm picking him up from work and we'll go to the hospital to find out the gender of our baby. This will be the first time Danny will have gotten to go to any of my doctor's appointments, so it's also his first time hearing the baby's heartbeat or seeing the baby on a sonogram. Please send some prayers our way for a healthy-looking scan.

Flashback to the 90s

2011-07-08T12:41:00.001-07:00

It's been *gasp* 20 years since I graduated high school.

This weekend was our class reunion and it was the first time in 20 years that I'd seen many of these people.

Sweet 16, taken a month before I started my senior year of high school

I grew up in the same city, going to the same elementary, junior high and high school so some of these people I've known since I was 5 years old! Some of them I only hung out with during school hours in elementary, some were friends in junior high, some just during high school years and then some of them I didn't start hanging out with until after we'd graduated and were all attending our separate colleges.

Many of them participated in AYSO soccer with me and then later, dance classes at Harper's Dance Studio. There were Brownies and Girl Scouts. There were the wild slumber parties where we often stayed up all night in a tent in the backyard playing the new Madonna cassette tape over and over. Some of us were in the marching band together (I carried the first letter A that spelled out our high school's name).

Me in 5th grade, how many of my elementary friends remembered me (an odd combination of The Boy and my nephew!)

Some still live in the same city (myself, included) but most are living elsewhere. Some became teachers and are working back at the same school!

I'm a different person than I was back in school, despite the fact that my face hasn't changed very much! I used to be much more shy and nervous and now I don't have any problems in social situations. So I was really very surprised how many of my old classmates even remembered me! I guess I just assumed I was that quiet girl with the big glasses, sitting in the back of the room, hoping that nobody noticed her was really noticed after all!

Independence Day - Use your imagination!

2011-07-05T08:26:00.001-07:00

These are photos of our Independence Day celebration last year, July 4th, 2010.

The Boy

My nephew

The boys, lighting sparklers

Last year, we swam, barbecued, watched fireworks and sat in the shade. The next day my (future) husband left to visit his dad in another state for two weeks and The Boy and I went to the County Fair.

And that was 2010.

And now for 2011!!

But you'll have to use your imagination because sadly...

I forgot my camera at home this year.

Yeah, so my parent's house is only about 7 minutes from my place but I just couldn't bring myself to drive back home for anything.

I'd been up since 11pm the night before, preparing food and my feet and hips were absolutely aching from being on my feet so much, I was ready to relax & put my feet up and not go anywhere!

The Fourth started off at 7:30am like this:

Danny was my kitchen chopper, cutting vegetables for pico de gallo and making guacamole. I'd put a pollo asado marinade on the chicken legs the night before and broiled them up that morning. I also made baked beans from scratch and baked and iced red/white/blue cupcakes.

Photo courtesy of Tidy Mom Blog

We took everything over to the parents' house. We started off with the lunch that Danny and I prepared at his mom's. Alongside the Pollo Asado chicken, we served the tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo and chips. My sister in law also brought her famous shrimp & pork pancit, which was a big hit.

Photo courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Afterwards the kids (and many of the grown-ups) went swimming and my mom & I sat under an umbrella and chatted.

Insert photos of kids swimming from previous summers here...

The Girl last summer, she was there this year swimming away...

My nephew was there this year, and he had a pool noodle again but he didn't need arm floaties this time, he's learning how to swim alone!

The Boy, soaring through the year last summer. I'm sure we had a few duplicates of this photo this year too.

After the kids were out of the pool, I made this Patriotic Drink recipe for everyone. Very light and refreshing (and super-cute!).

Photo courtesy of Family Fun

We ate dinner at my parent's house, with my brother and sister-in-law in charge of breaded pork loin, burgers, dogs and I baked the beans in the oven and toasted burger buns.

With fireworks still 90 minutes away, we headed home to get the kids ready for bed. After quick showers and pjs, we took them outside and just down the block to watch the city fireworks show that takes place about 2 miles away from our house. Within ten minutes after the show the kids were in bed, asleep.

Pretty disappointed that I forgot my camera on what would have probably been a 75+ photo day. Oh well, there's always next year!

Pausing for Pregnancy -Week 17

2011-06-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Danny and I were watching the show "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant" last night. I've always kind of wondered how that could be true...you know, how could a woman just not KNOW?!

I'm officially 17 weeks and 1 day pregnant today and besides some aches and pains and restless sleep, I don't feel any differently than I did before. And certainly aches and pains and restless sleep can easily be chalked up to any number of other afflictions so I do see how it could happen, how a woman might not know she was pregnant. A lot of the women on that show had irregular periods already, endometriosis or cysts that already caused aches and cramping or they might have already been heavy-set to begin with and didn't realize the weight gain was because they were pregnant.

At 16 weeks and 4 days pregnant

The show last night had a woman delivering her baby (breech!) in a truck stop bathroom! That story would have been crazy enough but she didn't even know she was having a baby!! They played the 911 call on the show and it was incredible to hear the woman screaming in the background that "it's a BABY!".

I'm going to assume that things will go similarly to when I was pregnant with The Boy. I know that every pregnancy and delivery is different but I'll just assume at this point that things will be similar.

About ready to pop with The Boy

With The Boy, I woke at 5:30am feeling like I might be having contractions. I'd been having Braxton Hicks (false labor) for about 4 weeks, so I wasn't too concerned. I took my stepson to school and went to work. I had a doctor's appointment that day so I told my coworkers that I thought I might be in labor and that I'd call if I wasn't coming back to the office! I went to the OB/GYN who confirmed that I was dilated. I had an appointment at the main hospital for a kick-count test right after that, but I was getting to the point where I didn't think I should be driving anymore. I went home, picked up my mom, she drove me to pick up my stepson from school and we drove together to the hospital. They examined me again there and said that I should go home and rest and come back when the contractions were closer together. That's what I did. I got to the hospital around 6pm, started pushing around 10:30pm and after 3+ hours of straight pushing, my little boy was born at 2:22am.

The Boy, one day old!

I am certainly hoping for a few changes:
#1 - Not to have to drive all over town dropping off that person, going to work, seeing this doctor, picking up this person, seeing that doctor, etc all while in labor.
#2 - Not to have to push for 3+ hours!

According to the multitude of online fetal sites, my baby is about 6" long, cartilage is turning into bone, and the baby is starting to hear, yawn and swallow. Awwww!!

From the outside, I don't really look particularly pregnant. I've gained a total of 6 lbs and look like...well, that I've gained 6 lbs! I really just look more chubby than usual. My doctor told me that I have a "large uterus" so while the pregnancy websites say my uterus should stop 1.5-2" below my belly button, my uterus is actually at or just above my belly button already. That could be part of the reason I don't look bigger from the outside, the baby has enough room internally to spread out inside and doesn't have to push out my belly quite yet!

Most of this "bump" is padding that was already there, if you know what I mean

In 12 days, we'll find out the gender. So far most everyone is voting for a girl but that's pretty much how the vote went last time and it ended with The Boy! We'll see what happens this time!

A Firecracker Countdown

2011-06-28T13:34:00.001-07:00

I claimed my buffet server back from the dreaded ugly water bottle and I decorated for Independence Day weeks ago.

The hurricane glass is from my cousin's wedding, the vanilla candle inside from Bath & Body Works and the red polka dot plate I bought around Valentine's Day from Target for about $3. The hobnail cake stand is my joy, purchased at a local antique shop for less than $40. A splurge but it makes me happy!!

The milk glass vases were from my wedding and the flags were three for a dollar in the bins at Target.

The paper lanterns were a new find at Target, two for $2. I'd love to find some battery operated tea lights to put inside, wouldn't that be fun?

The mosaic covered candle was a wedding gift, but I have seen similar ones at Kohls.

This little birdie matches quite nicely!

I bought navy blue striped cloth napkins at Target too. I debated between the red stripe and the blue but chose blue in the end so that I could do a beachy theme on the buffet for summertime and everything would coordinate.

How have you decorated for the Fourth?

Our first weekend away

2011-06-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

The day we got married, November 20th, 2010, our best man (Danny's cousin) booked a room for us at a lovely boutique hotel in La Jolla and we had one overnight stay without the kids. It was raining but we walked up the main street, had Mexican food for dinner, listened to the band in the lobby and the next day after walking along the coastline a bit we went to the movies and then went home to the kids.

At the La Jolla shores, the day after our wedding

We still didn't have any place to live together at that time, so he went back to his mom's house and I went back to my parents and we lived like that for another 5 days until our apartment was ready to move in.

So we've never had a real, official honeymoon. We went straight from being single parents to "married with kids" and the adventure began! And now with our little surprise on the way, we'll be new parents again in early December.

When the opportunity came up for a getaway, we took it. Journey Community Church was holding their 18th Annual Marriage Retreat in Palm Springs and we knew this would be a nice weekend away for us. We paid in affordable deposits over the course of a few months, the church handled the reservations, all we had to do was show up. There were to be couples seminars in the ballroom and plenty of free time with each other. Ahhhh, we were really looking forward to it!

I got my toes painted and bought a new pair of flip-flops just for the occasion!

Doesn't the flower look like a little starfish? So cute!

Danny had a class on Friday night so we weren't able to get out of San Diego until 7:30pm. Unfortunately the first seminar was being held at that exact time, so we missed the first evening of activities. It took us four hours to get there, over an hour longer than expected because of some road construction but it was a pleasant drive and we pulled into the Indian Wells Resort Hyatt Grand Champions around 11:30pm. This is considerably later than our usual bedtime...But we were on vacation!!

The resort is just beautiful, with water fountains and cooling misters all over the place, towering palm trees in rows and rows, chocolate chip cookies & Arnold Palmer drinks in pitchers in the lobby, and a cluster of swimming pools. Of course the entire resort overlooks a lovely golf course.

This was the view from our room!

Neither of us had ever been to Palm Springs before but found that with Hwy 111 it was very easy to get around. After a morning of sessions, we hit the road.

We discovered a delicious bbq restaurant a few miles down the road and after filling up on tri-tip and pork sandwiches, coleslaw and fries we took a stroll around the outdoor mall where I was about ready to jump into the fountain.

Palm trees at the resort pool

We headed back to the resort and decided to try out the adult only pool area. To be perfectly honest, we seriously lasted about 7 minutes. The only two unoccupied lounge chairs were in the sun. The air temperature was at least 108 degrees. The pool temperature was a very unrefreshing 85 degrees...yuck, like taking a dip in a bowl of soup! And it was covered in a milky film of sunscreen too.

The crowded, warm pool

My honey, contemplating why anyone is in that pool

Me, dipped in sunscreen and with a gigantic old lady sun hat

We packed up and headed back to the room where Danny took a cold shower and I relaxed in the cool water of the bathtub! We were able to nap and then headed out for dinner around 6pm without any agenda or plan.

Dressed for dinner!

Yep, 111 degrees at 6pm!

We ended up at this elegant Hawaiian fusion restaurant and decided to share the pre fixe meal. We started with these amazing chicken meatball lettuce wraps (I'm so going to try and recreate these at home!), a wonderful crusted shrimp entree with lemongrass and an amazing molten chocolate souffle with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Of course everything had fancy names and terminology (raspberry coulis, Tom Yum broth?) but what it came down to was that the food was delicious, very elegant and slow paced and we had a great conversation.

Hotel fountains at night

Danny in the moonlight

Since neither of us was down with spending $300+ on couple's massages or facials at the hotel spa we packed up the massage oil and facial masks from home and relaxed in the comfort of our hotel room.

Watching TV until it's time to rinse off the mask

On Sunday morning, after one more session it was time to head for home.

With one of the weekend host couples. They were also our pre-marriage counselors and performed our wedding ceremony as well!

On the way out of town, we spotted these gigantic dinosaurs and I just had to stop. There is a dinosaur museum attached but we only stopped to take a few photos. Anyone who remembers the movie "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" will recall these guys! He sits inside the big T-Rex with Simone & they exchange dreams... Please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers this?

In any case, that was our vacation...what we are now technically referring to as our honeymoon. Though if I can get another chance, I think we'll need just ONE more little weekend getaway like this before December, don't you think?

Baby bump

Beauty Shop

2011-06-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

So it took me a few days to get the photos of my new hair-do. My husband and I went on a Marriage Retreat/very belated honeymoon this weekend and unfortunately everytime he points the camera my way he seems to have the most difficult time focusing properly!

At the Hyatt Grand Champions in Palm Springs

I turned the camera over to The Boy this evening and he seems to have a better handle on how to focus.

Unfortunately first I had to allow him some hair styling beforehand. He wielded both a comb and a brush, one in each hand, and proceeded to circle me, swishing hair this way and that.

VERY windswept!

First my hair was pushed forward into my face. Then he brushed it all back, with his hand pressing onto my bangs in an attempt to get them to lay flat.

With my bangs combed into the middle...

There was a lot of giggling, alternating with a very serious face and pursed lips. I drew the line when he said, "Let me just add a little water..."

Getting closer...

After I humored him for a while (with silly photos in between), I was able to get a somewhat decent shot of my new hair.

A little bit more like how I've been wearing it.

It's much darker than usual, which I know will fade out a bit over the next few weeks. I also have short bangs across my entire forehead, which I've not had since I think The Boy was born. The style has been super-easy too. I've been able to just wash, comb through some lightweight anti-frizz cream and go.

I love that my hair is totally out of my face too (my crazy pet peeve). Over the weekend I was able to twist it up in back and secure with two bobby pins for a different look.

It's been such a big change for me, that I really do still jump a little when I look in the mirror!

A foot shorter

2011-06-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm a foot shorter today.

Well, technically my hair is a foot shorter. And I already feel so much lighter and cooler and more "put together" than I have in a long time.

My hair was getting so long and unstylish and unfashionable that I was starting to feel very schlepy.

It's bad enough that I'm pregnant and don't fit into any of my old jeans anymore and that I've resorted to all things drawstring. And I can't bear to wear closed-toed shoes so I've been living in flip-flops. And I've been so hot lately that tank tops are just about all I've been wearing (along with my ever-so-uncute nursing bras)...so I really didn't anything else to make me feel more unsophisticated. The hippie hair had to go.

I've been resorting to pony tails and buns for quite a while because just the feeling of that carpet of hair on the back of my neck has been driving me nuts.

And the gray...I've discussed the gray hair already. I'd had my hair colored in November when I got married and then colored it from a box in February. However I was so unhappy with the orange cast I've been getting after the color fades out. You can really see how light the ends got after being sunlightened over the course of the year.

So, I just got my hair done yesterday and will have The Boy take a picture of it this evening for me to post and share.

All that hair is GONE. And good-bye gray!

Hints:

It's darker.

It's much shorter.

I have bangs.

Well-Trained

2011-06-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

The kids are in ESS (Extended School Services) this week at one of the local elementary schools. It is an extremely well-run program, the staff is attentive, they split up the kids into manageable groups, keep them busy and active and best of all...the kids LOVE it! When I picked them up yesterday, they were excited about the craft projects they'd made and were filthy-dirty and pink-cheeked from playing outside all day.

On a daily basis, the kids aren't always a cup of tea. They are both 7 and both high-spirited (a nice way of saying they are a handful).

The Boy is a teaser. He will bug and bug and bug a person until they just can't take it anymore and will haul off and slug him! He's also majoring in the art of negotiation. I find anything I have an answer for is retorted with, "No, but..." and followed by his reasoning for why I should change my answer!

The Girl is Autistic and generally pretty easy-going but once she gets going on an idea, she has a hard time letting go and it usually escalates into a fit. She doesn't like being in trouble (well, really who doesn't?) but can't admit when she's wrong, she will adamantly insist that she's right...even when we KNOW the truth!

So my days are generally spent refereeing these two strong-headed kids. Neither of them are particularly good at giving in, which I suppose is a strong suit but a challenge for me. I'm so moody and hormonal lately (16 weeks pregnant) that I just don't want to hear any more tattling ("She poked me in the eye" and "He stole my book") or "Stop that! Stop that! Stop that!" on a loop, you know what I mean??

At the Fair this weekend

This past weekend we decided to take the kids to the Fair. My husband's grandma works there as a supervisor so she'd already given us free entry tickets and 20 ride coupons. I'd told the kids that they'd each get to ride about 3 things.

We first walked through one of the animal barns and checked out the hundreds of prize chickens and roosters, the goats, llamas and the biggest steer I've ever seen.

"Let's go on the rides!", said The Girl.

Soon, I said, we're going to eat first.

We got souvenir cups and drinks from Nana and went to the Chuckwagon to eat. This was the only money spent all day, $19.50 on two plates of food that we split between the four of us. Oh, the smoked bbq pork sandwich with cole slaw was SO good and even though Danny said, "I'm not that hungry" he still ate half of it and all of the beans (which I knew he would!). The kids shared a foot-long hot dog and criss-cut fries.

"When are we going on the rides?", asked The Girl.

Pretty soon, I said, let's digest our food and then we'll walk over there.

After exploring the fine art exhibits, student showcase, and refilling our drink cups (thanks Nana!) we wandered out to where they were holding a chalk drawing competition. The infield and kiddie rides could be seen from this point, including an elephant ride, the gigantic slide and Ferris wheel.

There was no stopping them now.

"I have an idea!" says The Girl, "Let's go on the rides now!"

Talk about subtle! We finally headed over to the infield, bracing ourselves for what isn't always a pleasant experience. I warned the kids to watch where they were walking in case someone had spilled a drink or thrown up. The carnies were hollering out about how everyone wins a prize at their games but we headed to the other side of the infield with our 20 ride coupons in hand.

We'd prepped them about being able to ride about 3 things. The kids quickly agreed that The Spider was the first ride. This was followed by something fast and spinny (too spinny for me to take pictures!) and then the Swinging Pirate Ship.

We had 5 tickets left. Each kid ride takes between 3-5 tickets so instead of buying more tickets, Dad suggested that we find a kid and give the tickets to him. Our kids loved that idea and scrambled to spot someone. They were so excited to walk up to the kid and hand over their leftover tickets.

We walked out of the infield, past the booths selling fried-everything-on-a-stick, Hawaiian ice, past the balloons and inflatable things and past a screaming child hopping up and down mid-temper tantrum.

"Thank goodness we don't have one of those", I whispered to my husband.

Our kids held our hands and we went happily back to the bus that would take us back to the car. They were excited to sit in the farthest seat in the back.

"That was easy," I said. Danny looked past me at the kids, sitting together and looking out the bus window, sipping our of their drink cups. "Yeah, it was...they never asked for anything".

It was true, we'd prepped them beforehand so they knew what to expect (lunch, drinks and a few rides) and they never asked for anything else. It reminded me of the Disneyland trip, where they were absolutely perfectly behaved the entire two days, despite the long hours on their feet. They never whined or asked for anything during that trip either.

It's unfortunate that my daily dealings can't run as smooth. Too bad I can't make every day as exciting as The Fair and each errand as fun as Disneyland or the kids would always be cooperative and happy!

"We have them well-trained", I said.

Me...like Martha

2011-06-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

I saw this pie in the Martha Stewart Living magazine about a month ago.

It was calling to me... Strawberry-Lemonade Icebox Pie.

Doesn't that just scream SUMMER???

Ahhh, it sounds so refreshing.

And so with Father's Day coming up and my dad being a major sweet tooth, that's what I decided would be my contribution to the Father's Day dinner at my parent's house.

I have made apple pies with my tried-and-true recipe within the last few years but it's been a very long time since I attempted any new pie recipes. In fact I know exactly when I made my last pie. I was about 16 and I made banana cream pie for Thanksgiving with family. I used ripe bananas, like you would for banana bread, and the pie was so sickeningly sweet and mushy. Live and learn...ripe bananas for bread...fresh bananas for pie!

I made the crust the night before, baked the filling and let it sit overnight in the fridge. After church on Sunday, I made the berry topping and whipped up the fresh meringue. I didn't have a "kitchen torch" as per the directions and didn't feel like turning on the broiler in hot weather, so I just flipped on the butane lighter and toasted the meringue a bit until it looked like the photo.

What do you think? Did I do good?

Looks like it jumped right off the magazine page, huh?

And it was yummy.

Quite a bit on the sweet side so I know I could cut out some of the sugar from each of the steps next time I make it (crust has sugar, filling has sugar, meringue has sugar) but it was tasty. Just know that you can cut some of that sugar and the pie will still be sweet enough.

And Dad enjoyed it!

Here is the recipe if you'd like to try it yourself...
Strawberry-Lemonade Icebox Pie.

Kicking off the Summer

2011-06-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday was The Boy's last day of school and it went out with a BANG!

Or should I splash?

We started out the morning after assembly and prayers (small group that morning with the pre-K, kindergarten and 8th graders having already graduated earlier that week).

We gifted The Boy's fantastic teacher with a scrapbook of pages that each child had decorated and a gift certificate. She was incredibly touched. We have been so blessed with having her this year, she is amazing with these kids and they each love her so much, you can tell.

After the gifting, the kids headed off to Mass and their awards ceremony (and I had to go home and work for a few hours so I missed this). Imagine my surprise when I came to pick up The Boy after school and he was holding a plaque proclaiming that he was the Most Improved Reader in the first grade!!

He was absolutely beaming and again I praise his teacher for the improvement as she had him work with her in private tutoring sessions at the beginning of the school year when he was struggling with his reading. It has made a world of difference and he is really picking it up so fast now, I'm always impressed when I hear him reading aloud...now we just have to work on spelling those words over the summer!

We immediately headed over to the park for our end-of-the-school-year party, sure to become a tradition! I brought corn on the cob, there were hot dogs on the grill, lots of fresh fruit & veggies, chips and sandwiches.

There was also this amazing summer-inspired cupcake/cake from one of the moms who is a cake decorator in a grocery bakery.

It was just as yummy as it was pretty (even though the frosting was pretty melted by the time we ate it!).

The Boy ditched his school uniform for a swimsuit and soon the kids were ready for water balloon games and squirt guns!

I say the kids, but many of the grown ups were eager to join in on the fun! I was spared because I was holding my camera, but I'm sure I wouldn't have minded getting a little wet, it was a warm day!

Everyone had a blast and it kick started summer in a wonderful way! It was also a nice way of saying goodbye to one of our little gals, who is moving away soon. Here is the gang of 12 students, including siblings!

Have a great summer kids, see you in the fall!

Hair it all is...

2011-06-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Me at four, such sweet honey-blonde curls!

I need a hair intervention.

This is the longest my hair has been since...well, forever!

I think I was actually a senior in high school when my hair was this long and that has been...well, forever!

Ahh, the 80s! I'm certain my hair was permed. FYI, I made that red blouse too...

When my hair is behaving itself (and I feel like styling it), it looks pretty nice. To get it to behave, this usually means applying Dove smoothing cream (which I have only a smidge left of and I think it's been discontinued), blow drying it with a round brush (which takes about 15 minutes to get completely dry) and then either flat ironing or using a curling iron to straighten out the fuzzy whisps around my hairline.

A good hair day *cough* three years ago!

Another good hair day, the day after the wedding. Nice professional color!

I have a natural wave which can be both a blessing AND a curse. It can have a decent curve to it which adds something but if the weather is too dry (or my head gets sweaty), then the whispy curls around my hairline start to fly out like wings above my ears. My hair is actually quite fine but I have a LOT of it, so processing it so that it behaves can be so time consuming. Most of the time I twist it up into a clip and let it air dry and that's that.

This is usually how I wear it (and I add a headband or pin if the bangs are in my face).

Wedding Day Hair, definitely not how it is usually (colored professionally, highlighted, teased and curled and held back with literally 50+ bobby pins!).

I was also blessed with the genetic predisposition towards going gray at a young age. I have seriously been coloring my hair consistently since I was 19 years old so up till now I didn't realize just HOW gray I was getting. This is the longest I've gone without coloring (it's been 4 months since I last colored). Those wiry grays look so lovely and sparkling on top of my head (if I were 65!) but just add to the fuzz and disarray. And I'm only 37, I'd rather not have a full head of gray already, thank you very much!

A good hair day about a month ago, I like the cut, but the grays were already creeping in!I know you can see them, no reason to hide...they are even WORSE now!

Just a few weeks ago, I bumped my head on the inside of the car trunk. My husband came over to look and said, "Oh yeah, you have a little red spot there...and wow, you ARE getting a lot of gray hair!" Sheesh, honey, that's just what I wanted to hear!! We did laugh about it though, it is what it is!

This was almost exactly a year ago, at The Boy's kindergarten graduation. I had shorter bangs which I would sweep to the side, that's another option.

Three years ago, short and cute with side swept bangs...maybe I'll do this again?

So, as easy as it is to have long hair and to just put it back in a pony tail, it's time to let go. I've never been one to cling to my hair...I have no emotional attachment, just cut it and go! I've even cut my own mid-back length hair to shoulder-length myself before. All of my early twenties I cut my own hair. I'd just pull it in a pony, clip it in the back and it would look funky and choppy and I'd dye it a fun auburn and be good for a few months.

I'm just stumped as to how to cut it now. I like the pixie but I think it might be too short for me, though I love the thought of not having anything falling in my face.

Me with a pixie cut, I was about 6 years old (I'm the one on the left! My brother & I have the same hair cut!)

That's the big issue, really, I hate hair on my face, especially in the summer when I'm hot. And then I'm back to square one, pinning it back, getting headbands, growing it out just long enough for a pony tail and then I'm where I am now again!

How my hair typically looks, slicked back into a ponytail (me and The Boy last August).

A bob is so cute, but then you have that "hair in the face" thing again. I think I'm just concerned I'm going to look too much like my mom, as she is already my doppleganger.

See???

Okay, okay, I'm really liking this one. This was a good length for me (and too short to put back in a pony!)

I think I like this even better with the bangs!

I'm going to be making a hair appointment (in an actual salon!) and having my hair both colored and then cut. What style should I get?

Taking Flight

2011-06-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

I redecorated the blog for summer. Love the combination of yellow and gray right now. The yellow is so fresh...it reminds me of lemonade! Hope you like the change.

The kids have been "growing" butterflies for the last few weeks.

I bought this set online and ordered the caterpillars. The kids have had a wonderful past two weeks, watching the teeny-tiny caterpillars eat and grow, spin silk and attach themselves in their crysalis. I did not take pictures of this action, the jar with the caterpillars got pretty nasty looking!

Then we moved them into their mesh cage and within a week, they were lovely painted lady butterflies. We fed them sugar water for a few days and then released them into my mom's yard on Saturday.

The Boy scooped each butterfly out carefully and tried setting them onto the flowers. A few of them had a hard time figuring out what to do once they were released. One of them just wanted to hang out on The Boy's arm all day!

The Girl wanted to hold a butterfly too but when she reached out to the butterfly she quickly pulled back and said, "I'm just shy...maybe I'll try to hold one next time".

One of them hovered on his hand briefly before taking off over the house.

Two of them preferred to walk on the ground from flower to flower (one of the butterfly's wings didn't develop properly when he came out of the cocoon so we made sure he had a special spot under the flower bush).

This one finally took off after the first one, flying over the house.

This was such a beautiful experience for the kids and even me, watching something develop from tiny creeping caterpillar, instinctively into cocoon and then flying away, right out of our hands.

First Trimester Nesting

2011-06-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

So yeah, I'm only just moving out of the first trimester of my pregnancy and it's a little early to be nesting, I guess. However, the disorganization was getting to me and now that nausea is behind me (I hope) and more energy is ahead of me (I hope), it was time to make some changes.

But some of our life "behind closed doors" was looking pretty ugly. There were a few spots that we'd been learning to live with but well, enough was enough! After a while, you just have to do something drastic...even if that mean spending a small fortune at The Container Store to get it right! (Right?)

Saturday morning, 8:15am:

I set out for The Container Store with a list and measurements in hand. I had specific areas in need. After less than an hour, my shopping cart was literally overflowing...in fact one of the employees carried the rest to the register for me!

I came home with this!

My loot!

I apologize in advance for the crummy, blurry photos. I have terrible lighting in this house and refuse to use my on-camera flash!

#1. The plastic food storage. I'd been keeping it in the original box, which was driving my husband crazy. He packs his meals at 4:30am, often his breakfast and lunch (and sometimes dinner if he has school that night) and digging through that cluttered box in the wee-hours was frustrating.

The kitchen cabinet, before

The kitchen cabinet, after

This was Danny's number one request for new organization. I opted for a large bin that will fit all of the Sterlite neatly, paired with their lids. I like the color coordination of Sterlite. The edges of each piece is trimmed with a certain color that matches with the same color trimmed lid. The bin can be pulled out and set on the counter for easy sorting and putting away of clean containers.

The plastic bin to hold all of our food storage containers.

#2. Pots and pan. The annoying thing about this cabinet is that it's so deep and high but only has this very small and narrow shelf in back.

I bought a lid rack to set on the shelf. We had some other things under here before (like the colanders & Pyrex) but I decided to relocate these. I moved some of the things that we don't use often (like the coffee mugs) up to higher shelfs and placed the colanders & Pyrex on accessible shelves in the cabinets above the counter.

#3. Pantry. This was becoming a disorganized mess of half-used bags of chips, cookies that had to be stored in Ziploc bags because of ants and gigantic Costco-sized bags of rice and beans.

Cluttered upper shelf, before

Big bags of food, before

I bought some ready-to-pour containers as well as some bowl-shaped storage. I particularly like the bowl ones because I have no plastic bowls & this is nice to eat out of (like when you make popcorn) and then just pop the lid on to store the leftovers. I labeled everything with my Dynamo LetraTag that I've had for years...love that thing!

Kitchen Pantry, after

Kitchen Pantry, after

Neat & tidy, with space to spare, after

I also bought this simple sectioned off container to hold small spice items and I can pull it out quickly onto the counter to find what I need (instead of knocking over the mustard and seasoned salt each time I needed the garlic peeler).

Spice organizer

#4. Desk. The drawer was a equal mess of important papers (marriage certificate, social security cards) and unimportant junk (coupons, batteries and random cords).

Desk drawer, before

I picked up some inexpensive drawer organizers to hold and separate the stamps from the stationary and the paper clips from the Post-it notes. There are some office supplies that we don't own that I'd still like to purchase like a stapler and ruler!

Desk drawer, after

The cabinet needed a serious weeding out too as the green box had become a catch-all of receipts and paystubs.

Upper desk, before

Up in the cabinet, small clear bins hold all the cords, thank you cards and camera accessories. A new open-topped filing box holds paperwork that needs quick accessing and the striped box was reorganized to hold less urgent stuff (like manuals & warranties for all the household items). At some point we'll get a printer too.

Upper desk, after

#5. Shoe storage. This was number 2 on Danny's hate list of "see-what-you-can-come-up-with-to-fix-this-please". We have this storage bench and the rule of taking off our shoes when we come in the house. The Girl puts her shoes on the left and The Boy's go on the right and my shoes & Danny's shoes go in the basket. Neither of us were really crazy about having to see the pile o'shoes the moment we walked in the front door.

Front entry, before

Front entry, before

I measured the bench openings and found baskets that fit nicely. Now each of the kids has their own bin and the shoes fit much better inside. I took Danny's gym bags and fishing pole out of what had become a permanent home next to the TV and moved them into the bedroom closet and placed our shoe basket there so at least now it's out of sight.

Front entry, after

#6. Kid's Toys. I'd already purchased some small storage bins for them to separate toys into but now we had to tackle the bigger stuff.

The Boy's big box of Legos needs to be sifted through and moved the figures into their own bin and Bionicles into another.

New kid's storage

The Girl's Littlest Pet Shop stuff got it's own big bin and little dolls and figures into a bin as well. Everything fits under the bed, hurray! Now the ultimate goal...making sure it all stays in the appropriate bin (fruitless, I'm sure!).

New kid's storage

#7. Kid's Books. This bookshelf was getting wildly out of hand. I've sorted this before but The Girl likes to drag out multiple books and then shoves them back whereever they fit when she's done so picture books were mixed up with coloring books and chapter books were scattered with things that weren't even books.

Kid's bookshelf, before

The Boy and I dumped out the bins and sorted whe we could into the appropriate bins. Oversized items went back into their bins (blue for The Boy, green for The Girl). I sorted the books with what The Boy usually reads (science topics, animal books, beginning chapter books) on the left side and The Girl's books (Dick & Jane, picture books and coloring books) on the right side.

Kid's bookshelf, after

Still to come...

#8. My closet. The lightbulb burned out and needs to be replaced to organizing there is difficult at the moment. I have already weeded through pre-pregnancy clothes that aren't going to fit me for the next year or so and put those in bins under the bed. However, Danny's work clothes are stacked up all over the top shelves and I know there could be a better system for this.

#9. Bedroom, including end tables & dresser. The dresser is going to go and make room for my sewing stuff (which has to move out of the spare bedroom to make room for the nursery!). All the stuff in the dresser will be sorted into plastic storage drawers to go in the closet at some point. And those end tables...well, circa 1972 and handed down from my parents, I think they just need to go away and get something more modern, don't you think? I know you agree (and you haven't even seen them!)

#10. Spare room conversion. As noted, this will become the nursery. At the moment, it's my sewing/craft room, slash kid's TV room, slash The Boy's dressing space. The entire closet is holding his wardrobe and there is a dresser here with his clothes. the dresser is going to have to be sorted so that it will hold both his and the new baby's clothes. The TV will go and we'll likely purchase a smaller set to put in the kid's room. All of the sewing stuff will be moved into my bedroom...sigh! It was nice while it lasted.

#11. Kid's bedroom. At the moment, this closet hold all of The Girl's clothes and not much else, but I'd like to utilize the upper shelf for some storage. This dresser is too large so I'd like to get something smaller that will hold a small TV on top.

Top of The Girl's dresser

#12. Hair accessories. Right now, these are scattered in about 3 different locations (box in The Girl's closet, top of her dresser and in the downstairs bathroom). I'd like to finish this letter with some ribbon to hang most of them from, get a bin to store the clips and another bin downstairs to hold elastic bands, brush and spray along with bows she will wear for the week.

#13. My buffet. I'd like to find a place for that water bottle and get my lovely buffet back in full so I can start decorating it pretty again!

Disneyland - What else is there to do?

2011-06-02T10:43:00.001-07:00

Okay, so you've ridden everything from Pinocchio to Pirates of the Caribbean and eaten everything from cotton candy to corn dogs (or prunes and peanuts in our case?!).

The Castle at night

What's next?

There are about a million other things to do at Disneyland besides rides and fair food. In addition to the basic stuff that is considered an "attraction" on the park map like parades, shows, fireworks, character meet & greets there are also so many other little things that make Disneyland a great place to spend your day.

Attractions:
In Disneyland -
Start off your morning riding one of the Main Street Vehicles down the center of the street. There is a fire engine, a car or the horse-drawn trolley. The drivers are always helpful and friendly with tips and Disneyland trivia.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walkthrough is one of my new favorites. There are miniature scenes brought to life with special effects as you walk through the stairways.

Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island is always a hit. However stay with your kids because if they go into one of the narrow cave tunnels they may come out on the other side of the island without you!

A load of gold!

Mark Twain Riverboat or the Sailing Ship Columbia take you on a gentle spin around the Rivers of America.

Captain EO starring Michael Jackson is an 80s classic. Worth a giggle for those that remember seeing it the first time around!

Disney Gallery features original artwork and models that were created as a precursor to many of the attractions in the parks. Blue Sky Cellar in DCA is similar, though it shows designs of what attractions are in the works.

Mickey's House & Minnie's House are both fun little walk-throughs and you get to meet the characters afterwards. Donald's Boat, Chip & Dale's Treehouse and Goofy's Playhouse are nice places for kids to run around (and plenty of sitting space for grown-ups in the shade!).

Inside Minnie's House

Innoventions is one of my boy's favorite spots because it's full of science-type, futuristic stuff and video games. I like it only because it's air conditioned (though highly lacking in places to sit).

Enchanted Tiki Room is one of my favorite places. Don't be shy...sing and whistle along with the songs. I promise you won't be the only one!

Pixie Hollow and Princess Fantasy Faire is nothing we've done before (boys were never keen on meeting princesses!) but even with The Girl, I hesitated going in to these after noting the quantity of princess merchandise seen in the lines.

The farm animal petting zoo in Frontierland is a quiet area and you can see the turkeys that the President pardoned for Thanksgiving the prior year!

Making friends with a goat

Put your change in the Frontierland Shootin' Exposition and use an infrared rifle to shoot at the interactive targets. My dad always make it a point to spend a few quarters here on every trip!

In Disneyland's California Adventure -
Take a walk through either the Boudin Bakery or Mission Tortilla tours and get a yummy sample at the end. We watched them make huge Mickey-shaped loaves of sourdough last time!

Animation Studio: From the moment you walk in the room and witness the floor to ceiling movie scenes being shown on the gigantic screens, you will be immersed in all-things animation. Watch the Zoetrope (over & over & over!), visit with Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo in an interactive show, take a drawing class from a Disney animator, and draw a cartoon in the Sorcerer's Workshop, walk through the Beast's library or karaoke with Ursula the Sea Witch.

This is along the entrance to the Animation Studio

My kids always love running around in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. This time around they did a little rock climbing, tire swinging and rope bridge walking!

Shows:
Disneyland -
The Star Wars show in Tomorrowland is always great fun and even though The Boy has never been chosen to participate, he still enjoys watching. His older brother was picked and went on to cross lightsabers with Darth Vadar!

Battling Darth Vadar...in Crocs!

Fantasmic is an amazing, bright, colorful (and loud!) show on the water. Get there early and find a place along the rail (you'd be surprised, some people camp out there very early to get a good viewing spot!).

The Golden Horseshoe is my favorite lunch spot because you can sit inside the air-conditioning, eat a nice meal and watch a hilarious show, Billy Hill & the Hillbillies!

California Adventure -
The Aladdin show is jaw-dropping fantastic and a definite don't-miss. I can't even tell you how many times we've watched this show, it's incredible.

The Disney Jr. Show Live-on-Stage was a big hit with our kids this time around. The Boy enjoyed jumping up and dancing and The Girl talked about the "gold doubloons" that fell from the sky for weeks!

It's Tough to Be a Bug takes some thick skin (I still close my eyes and cringe at some of the scenes!) so be cautious taking skittish people into this one!

With Flik in Bug's Land

Muppet Vision 3D is a fun one, especially for those familiar with Kermit and the gang.

We experienced World of Color for the first time this trip and WOW!!! It's really extremely well done, appropriately full of color and beware...if you stand too close, you will get wet! We were in the second section and still got drizzled on.

And then what??

Just sit and watch. There are so many great people-watching locations throughout the park. Sit on a bench or in the ice cream parlor along Main Street and watch the families rush by. Aladdin's Oasis (in between the Tiki Room & the Jungle Cruise) was where we stopped to eat a snack on our last visit. Sit in the shade of trees in front of the New Orleans train station or on the winding staircase in the Court of Angels and sip a mint julep.

In the Court of Angels

Catch an impromptu show! Mary Poppins dances with the band in front of the Castle or you can clap along with the Dapper Dans on Main Street.

Dancing along with a Cast Member

I've seen Alice and the Mad Hatter conducting a game of musical chairs near the ice cream parlor and have had a conversation with a moving & talking trashcan. There's a "beauty" contest in front of the Golden Horseshoe (that my stepson participated in).

Participating in a show by the Golden Horseshoe

Some of these things are just luck, they aren't featured on the park schedule so you'll never know when they'll pop up where you are.

Toe-tapping on Main Street

Singing B-I-N-G-O with a cowboy

Pose for pictures. There is always something coming up and with great backdrops to pose with, take the opportunity for a great shot!

In front of what would eventually be The Finding Nemo Submarines

In front of what will be the new & improved Star Tours ride

My family posing in front of the future Cars Land area

With Wall-E

Shop! Or at least just go inside and see what fun things there are. We love The Mad Hatter's Shop for obvious reasons.

Look for Hidden Mickeys! There are books about this subject or just set yourself free while walking through the park. The Boy found this one in a vent just under the stage inside The Golden Horseshoe!

Do you see the Mickey silhouette?

Just wander around and explore. There are so many gorgeous details in the buildings and in the designs of the gardens. Instead of walking straight across the drawbridge and into Fantasyland through the Castle, try taking the paths on the side. The path on the left is great for photo taking and you won't have anyone blocking your view of the Castle.

On the left-hand path

The path on the right will take you to Snow White's Grotto with statues of the characters and her magical wishing well.

On the right-hand path

At the Grotto

Tossing pennies into the Wishing Well (money goes to children's charities)

Walk by Rancho Del Zocalo's restaurant at night and admire the gorgeous hanging glass lamps. Jump on the dance floor in Tomorrowland when the live bands play at night (I have so many fun memories of The Boy at 4 years old, doing "the robot"). Touch the apple in front of the Snow White ride and hear the witch cackle. You can also see her open and close the curtains above the ride from one of the windows. There are a wild amount of little details that set Disneyland apart from all other amusement parks.

Meeting Mickey for the first time

If you are interested in all the other little things that really make up the BIG picture of why Disneyland is "The Happiest Place on Earth", read some of the forums or blogs online.

Until next time...

Fair Food - What to eat at Disneyland

2011-05-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Look who's eyeballing that cherry!

I used to take my stepson to Disneyland at least once a month when we had season passes a few years ago. There were always strict instructions from his health conscious grandfather, "Don't let him eat too much fair food". It got to be kind of our joke because as much as I enjoy a corn dog or popcorn occasionally, anyone would know I'm not letting the kids gorge themselves on sour balls, cotton candy or churros!

But in my opinion, a chocolate-covered banana once in a while doesn't hurt anyone!

For the most part, whenever we've gone to the Parks, for main meals we've always gotten one platter to share between me & the kids, maybe a side of fruit and taken in our own drinks and healthy snacks (like granola bars, fruit cups, nuts, etc).

This time was no different. My husband is also very health conscious so he loaded up his backpack with bottled water, powdered Gatorade to mix in, individual zip-bags of prunes, apples, trail mix, clementines, peanuts & granola bars, along with some 100%juice fruit snacks for the kids. That is the nice thing about Disneyland; they allow you to bring in your own food, so long as you follow their guidelines. And of course, use common sense. Since you can't bring in a cooler, mayonnaise-based meals or things that need to be kept cold wouldn't be the best choice. And I've lived and learned in 100 degree heat, neither do granola bars with chocolate!

Day 1:

Breakfast. We ate at home, since we were driving up that morning. We did give the kids snacks to eat while we were walking into the park.

The Girl, eating her picnic lunch

Lunch. I'd preordered these World of Color picnic meals online. They came with the meal, drink and a ticket to stand in a reserved area for the World of Color show that evening. All of the picnics are served chilled. We sat in the Sonoma Terrace area, a wonderfully shaded spot that allowed us to rest and eat quietly.

I got the All-American. I ordered Danny a Mediterranean Vegetarian, which he loved! Whew! He can be a challenge to please, but he really liked this dish. The kids each got a Junior All-American. Since we ordered 4 meals, we got a World of Color reusable tote, which is so nice.

I'm not sure why the kids are always posing like Egyptians lately...

Dinner. Our hotel, the Park Vue Inn offered a free social hour with our booking, so after checking in, we went to see what was available. Apparently they change the offerings daily, but when we went there were two kinds of soup, a simple green salad, mini breaded chicken patties with buns and condiments to top them with. Simple. Satisfactory. And best of all, free!! We ate up and went back to the hotel room, where we found a complimentary gift basket for us that included wine (you can change that out for apple cider in the lobby) and fresh fruit. A very nice touch! We packed up the fruit and took it back with us to the park.

Day 2:

Breakfast. Another free meal provided by the hotel. This time there was fresh fruit, cottage cheese, juices and milk, make-them-yourself waffles, bagels, toast, pastries and doughnuts, hash brown patties and sausages. Wow!

Lunch. We stepped off the train late-afternoon in New Orleans Square and my husband spotted the clam chowder in bread bowls and he was sold on eating at The French Market.

I was good with that and knew just what I wanted: The citrus chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies and the cornbread! I regret not taking a picture of this beautiful dish but well, I was hungry and the food was soooo good!

Danny shared the soup and salad combo with The Boy. I pulled off some chicken meat for The Girl and she happily nibbled on steamed carrots, chicken and the top of The Boy's sourdough bread bowl.

I nearly licked my plate, the food was absolutely heavenly, especially the potatoes! At $13.49, this is honestly comparable to what you might pay at a restaurant anyway. And I was full when I was done, despite having shared. Danny & The Boy didn't even finish eating their bread bowl, they were both stuffed. After eating we sat for a bit, admiring how well staffed the dining area was with Disney employees. We were instructed to leave our dinner plates and silverware on the table, the employees would quickly bus the tables and clean them off for the next guests.

Dinner. We left the park around 6 and drove out a bit before stopping for dinner at Panda Express.

So really, we only purchased two full meals in the park, which ran us less than $100 for two days. With the free meals at the hotel and supplementing in between with snacks we'd brought, it was quite a bit less spent than we'd expected. The Picnic lunches were pricy but also included the World of Color pass, so we didn't have to stand in a Fastpass line to get that ticket to see the show.

I'd like to direct you to the All Ears website, which keeps updated Disney dining menus for all of their eateries. I've found this to be extremely helpful when budgeting for a trip or when figuring out who-wants-to-eat-what ahead of time.

These are photos and thoughts from previous trips:

There are select full service restaurants. The Blue Bayou is always a treat but I've always enjoyed Cafe Orleans ("Mickey" shaped Beignets!).

Counter service varies from location to location. For instance, at the French Market and at Rancho del Zocalo, though you self-serve your food (cafeteria style), you are served on a real dish with real flatware and someone will bus your table when you are done. However, at other places like the Bengal Barbeque or the Golden Horseshoe, your food is going to come in either paper or plastic with plastic flatwear and you'll be responsible for clearing your own table when you're done eating.

Crowned with a pirate hat during dinner at Cafe Orleans

For snacks, you can't beat the Little Red Corn Dog Wagon (they are best ever!), the Gibson Girl ice cream parlor on Main Street (if you can get a seat) and the Mint Julep bar (where they also serve "Mickey" shaped Beignets).

Slurping down a mint julep

Of course the Tiki Juice Bar is unbeatable for Dole Whips, if you don't mind waiting in the line that takes FOREVER!!! Over at California Adventure, you can get a margarita or a cold beer over on the wharf, too.

Offering Cinderella a ranch dressing coated carrot

For character dining, we've done quite a few of these but not for a while. The most recent was Goofy's Kitchen which is in the Disneyland Hotel. Talk about a buffet! If you can't find something to eat there, well....

Ignoring poor Pluto at breakfast

Up next, what else is there to do beside go on the rides and eat fair food?

From "baby rides" to the zippiest of coasters

2011-05-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Both The Boy and The Girl are 7 years old and tall enough to ride every single thing at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.

In front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Being very sweet 7 year olds, they are at that perfect "in-between" stage of still loving the DisneyJr preschool shows like "Jake & the Neverland Pirates" and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". They have no problem still riding the so-called "baby rides" like Dumbo or Pinocchio but are eager to try out the zippy roller coasters like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain.

The first day I decided that the very first ride they should try out is the fastest coaster in the parks, California Screamin', which also happens to go upside-down!

The Girl & Danny going through the loop!

My husband rode with each child individually, starting off with The Girl. She looked very confident at the start and judging from the smiles when she got off the ride, I'd have guessed she had a great time!

Just taking off...

Same thing with The Boy, though his expression at the beginning of the ride (before it had even begun to MOVE) was slightly more terrified. However, when he got off the ride he was all smiles and excitement.

They haven't even taken off yet and already The Boy looks terrified!

My husband, on the other hand, seemed to be the one who was most tormented. He said that both kids had frightening reactions during the ride that I'd never had guessed at. He said that he thinks that perhaps the height requirement for this ride should maybe be raised a bit because he didn't think the kids were able to handle it.

He said The Girl filled her cheeks with air, like she was holding her breath, then said to him that she was going to throw up!

Danny said he swears that The Boy passed out! He said his head dropped down and that he was patting The Boys chest and that my little guy rolled his eyes around to straighten up but that he looked pretty out of it through the entire ride.

YIKES! Yeah, judging from their happy expressions a few minutes later I really never would have guessed that this ride wasn't really as the kids were portraying.

Wearing 3-D glasses for Toy Story Mania

We moved on and other rides along the pier like Toy Story Mania in 3-D, Silly Symphony Swings, Jumpin' Jellyfish, Golden Zepher were more appropriate. The Girl didn't like Mickey's Fun Wheel, likely because they chose a cage that slid back and forth each time the wheel turned a notch.

Bumper "Bugs" in Bug's Land

Bug's Land had some slower paced rides that they loved but once they moved over to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, The Girl was having nothing to do with that, so Danny and The Boy rode alone. That was The Boy's first time on that ride and he actually loved it. I think The Girl was put off by the "spooky" aspect because she didn't want to ride The Haunted Mansion or Indiana Jones either.

The Hollywood Back Lot

Soarin' Over California was a success, both kids really loved it. The Girl was nervous though when the preview video watched before the ride mentioned that we would be flying!

The next day at Disneyland, we started off less vigorously, sticking to the slower rides in Fantasyland (like Peter Pan, Casey Jr. Circus Train, It's a Small World and the Carousel). Small World was a favorite of course, I think The Girl would have rode that all day! We built up speed a bit with the Teacups , Matterhorn, Roger Rabbit's Car-toon Spin and Gadget's Go-Coaster.

Getting a surprise splash on the Go-Coaster

By the end of the day, The Girl in particular was picking up steam and ready for action. All of her earlier nervousness about fast rides was disappearing and she happily jumped on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. In fact, they ran off the latter ride and went right back in line to ride again!

Having a fantastic ride on Big Thunder Mountain!

In the past, The Boy has been hesitant to ride fast rides. Despite the fact that his older brother was riding them, he wasn't ready to take that leap yet. I'd tried cajoling but it seemed the more I pushed, the more he dug in his heels. It wasn't until he was really ready to ride them did he try and of course, enjoy them.

Me & The Girl on the Carousel

Not pressuring the kids (especially The Girl) or forcing them to ride anything they weren't quite ready for was particularly key for them on this trip. We were fortunate that they were game for trying so many new things...very brave of them!

Next up, that all important question posed by my health-crazed husband...what to eat for two days at an amusement park?

Disneyland with Special Needs

2011-05-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

This picture of my husband is deceiving...

It wasn't an easy sell...getting my husband to agree to a 2-day trip to Anaheim (which is just about 90 minutes north of us) to spend at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. He wasn't sure he wanted to spend that much money. He wasn't sure the kids' attitudes would hold up for two days of non-stop action. And what would we eat?

But I'm a tough cookie and very convincing and was finally able get him to agree that a family vacation to Disneyland would be perfect for us!

Once I got the go-ahead, the planning machine was set into action!!

My travel lists and itineraries were pulled out, online research was done, reservations were made and menus were printed out. Outfits for the kids were made by me in a few late-night sessions. I bought snacks & bottles of water and we packed everything up the night before.

That day, we got up and ate breakfast and were on the road by 8:30am. I knew that we wanted to go to California Adventure the first day and that park opened at 10am. I'd booked the Park Vue Inn right across the street from the park. I'd never stayed here before.

View of the park entrances (behind The Boy) from the lobby of the hotel.

Coming out of the Disneyland esplanade (where the two parks face each other) there is a transit drop off/pick off area that you walk through, then a street light and our hotel was literally right here at the light. They allowed us to park in the lot for the day after doing a pre-check in (no cost, usual Disneyland parking is about $15 and many of the area hotels charge this same amount per day that you park in their lot). We were also given tickets for a free "social hour" meal later that night and a free breakfast the following day. I will never stay anywhere else, this hotel was really a good fit for us!

We walked over to the park and immediately headed to Guest Services. The Girl is Autistic and though melt-downs are currently at a minimum, my husband and I were reminded of our road trip spring break vacation last year. Each stop on that trip was met with a meltdown of epic proportions every time we had to transition to the next event. It was truly a difficult time. We'd never taken her to Disneyland before so we weren't sure what to expect with the prolonged exposure to all the bright lights, long lines, loud noises and over-exhuberance that is an amusement park.

I'd read on the Disneyland website (and other resource sites) that there is a Guest Assistance Card for those with special needs. After explaining to the Cast Member what her possible issues might be (anything from a full-blown tantrum with hitting and screaming to laying down on the sidewalk and refusing to move), he gave us a card that showed the dates we would be visiting, the number in our party and instructions of use. He even told us where we could get free ear plugs (at First Aid) in case any of the attractions were too loud.

We would show the Guest Assistance Card to the Cast Member at the front of each ride (Disneyland is very well staffed & there was never a problem finding one or two people at each line). They would instruct us where to go, which was either through the Fast Pass line or through the exit. The entire party (up to 6 people) can use the pass along with the special needs guest. We only used the card when lines were very long, otherwise we just waited in the usual line up.

Sunglasses are helpful to ease the annoyance of sun in her eyes. Earplugs were good for loud attractions.

I will greatly admit that having a special needs child is a challenge in itself because you never know what you might get one day (or moment) to the next. Having the pass that eased on the line waits make a huge difference in the enjoyment level for The Girl, and actually for all of us.

There were no less than six times that she got to the front of the line and then decide she did NOT want to ride after all. A few times she got back in line again after bailing out and would go on the ride. I think being able to have that ability (for her to think it over and then try again) was very helpful. I know that if we'd been standing in a 30 minute...60 minute...or goodness, a 90 minute line only to have her say she didn't want to ride would have been very frustrating for everyone.

About mid-day, my husband held up the Guest Assistance Card and said, "this really does make the day enjoyable for everyone". I have to agree!

Next, up fast, faster and fastest! From the toddler rides and attractions to the zippiest of roller coasters.

Whatcha been up-to?

2011-05-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted! Not that I don't think about posting...I've just been pretty busy growing a baby and all that other stuff!

What have we been up to?

Baby Growing:

Tomorrow I will be 12 weeks along. The last few weeks have been pretty good. My stomach is feeling a lot better now and I'm sleeping well at night, too. I was miserable morning, noon and night for many weeks. It's so hard to force yourself to eat when nothing sounds good and everything makes you feel nauseous. I was also having a very hard time at night, just laying there, unable to sleep or waking multiple times and not being able to get back to sleep.

Now I'm at the point where, for the most part, I don't feel anything at all. The baby is less than 3" long so I still don't actually look pregnant yet, just more chubby than usual. I am wearing jeans that are about one size up than what I usually wear, however I do have the buttonhole looped with a rubber band so I can keep the button undone!

I had my first appointment about a month ago and she gave me a sonogram image with a due date of December 6th. We did tell The Boy and The Girl that we'll be having a new baby in our family at the end of the year. The Girl is indifferent though she did offer two baby names: she says we should call it Cindy-Lou-Who if it's a girl and Alvin (as in Alvin & The Chipmunks) if it's a boy.

The Boy, however, is wildly excited. He seems to believe that he will be changing many diapers. By the time this baby is born he will be 8 and though he will be fully capable of changing diapers, I have a feeling that once the smell hits him, changing a stinky diaper will be the last thing he'll want to do!

Heading to the end of the school year:
Only about 2 more weeks for The Girl and 3 more weeks for The Boy until the last day of school. I have been diligently keeping a calendar to track which weeks we'll have The Girl, which weeks they'll go to summer day camp together, which weeks they will go to Vacation Bible School, which weeks my mom will have The Boy, which week my mother-in-law will be keeping them with her during the day, etc. It's a challenge to get it all set up, especially since the camps require pre-registering and payment.

We went to Disneyland:
I'm sure you figured that out by the photos! I'll post more about this, but in short we had a fantastic trip. We were reminded of what great kids we have. There was no whining, no complaining or crying, no tantrums...only lots of laughing and good-times!

A Bun in the Oven for Mother's Day

2011-05-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

First off, let me wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day! She does so much for us (and for her "second son", The Boy).

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Nearly 7 1/2 years ago, I was pregnant with this guy. At my first doctor's appointment, I was given the due date of December 6th. At my ultrasound, the doctor changed the date to December 9th, and that is the same day he was born. 2:22 am and weighing 6 lbs 13 oz.

The Boy at 3 months old

The Boy at 7 years, 5 months

With all the baby buzz going on in our family recently, it's no doubt that I was caught up in all the newborn madness!

I am now proud to announce that my husband Danny and I will be welcoming a new member to our family in early December. I was recently given a due date of December 6th.

Our Baby Bean

Blessings to all of our moms on this special day (and every day!)

More babies...

2011-05-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today was another baby-filled day!

First up was the baptism of my cousin Joe and his wife Vivi second son. It was my first time meeting baby Roy and he was so beautifully behaved (didn't even cry when he had the water poured over his head!).

Look at those round cheeks!

Right after the baptism, we drove about a mile down the road to another cousin's house, whose wife Hisae is having a baby in October. Her mother was in town from Japan so it was decided to throw her an early baby shower so her mom could be here to celebrate with her!

This diaper cake was amazing!! Everything was "gender neutral" since Hisae doesn't yet know if she's having a boy or a girl.

Can't wait to find out if it's "pink or blue" Hisae!!

Babies Babies Babies

2011-05-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

BABY - times three!

My cousin invited me to visit her 5 week old triplets and of course, I had to bring my camera.

The babies were sleeping when we first got there but once one of them awoke, pretty soon they were all up. They were all so sweet, quite content just to be held and even happy to just lay down and look around.

Our first little guy was our happy photo tester, so easy to move around and furrowing his forehead with each pose.

Logan

Our second little guy even gave me a few smiles! He's the most filled-out one, which I expect the other two will start to resemble in a few more weeks.

Hunter

Baby girl was the last one to wake up and didn't even need a bottle, she got right to work with the photo shoot. Once she got her thumb in her mouth though, she was out for the count!

Hailey

I can't wait to capture these itty-bitties as they continue to grow and change!