Staring at the Sun

Goodbye Old Blog!

2009-08-01T22:17:00.001-07:00

Hello, NEW BLOG!
Boolmark it, update it, check it!

He's a fighter

2009-07-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Hayden.

He's got the cutest baby face, right? He's only 10 months. And his mama is so thankful that he was even sitting in that sand box because just five months before, Hayden was diagnosed with lymphoma.

He spent three months at the Oakland Children's Hospital undergoing surgeries, post op testing, chemo. It's rough being a kid.

But his smile will just brighten your day. Melissa tells me that it was a humbling thing being in the cancer ward of the Children's hospital. She was always greeted with such happiness and glee. She would walk no more than five steps without being stopped by a child undergoing cancer treatments, eager to greet other visitors, other patients. The nurses told her Hayden was always just the happiest baby all the time. Smiles, and raised arms for someone to hold him. To have the eyes and faith of a child will always baffle me.

Melissa, THANK YOU, for introducing me to Hayden. He'll have a place in my heart always.

Ever made a paper hat?

2009-07-25T22:05:00.001-07:00

Really. When was the last time you made one? With the paper? We forgot how, but thanks to modern technology Big Guy went to town with Caramel and Cream to make a few.
Baby Naomi got one too.

Indy Day

2009-07-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Independence that is.
Now don't go getting on me about not calling our Nation's celebration of freedom it's proper name.
But these are older memories and thoughts now.
And we enjoyed our parade downtown, with our friends. A beautiful show of the diversity our town has to offer.
And a wonderful meal that J and I prepared, including fresh farm fair from Fresh Edibles.
Joined by our friends later that night for pizza, s'mores and the fire work light show we watched from our front yard.
I am so thankful to be granted these privileges that we often take for granted.
God bless America.

Not.in.a.good.mood

2009-07-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here is Ella. Fresh from a nap. "Not.in.a.good.mood," she says. Wearing my winter cap. She's so cute when she's grumpy. LOVE HER!

I love a pregnant lady

2009-07-20T09:21:00.001-07:00

Michaelyn contacted me when she had a month left to go with her pregnancy.

She wanted pictures of her pregnant belly. Nothing of the nakey variety but more of just her and her belly and her beauty. Big sister Morgan would be along, too.

So together the three of us had a little "What to expect" photo session. Michaelyn is GORGEOUS! Her eyes were just sparkling. And despite the obvious discomfort that comes with being 6 weeks away from her baby's arrival she made it through!

Here are a few of my faves...

Ella is the illest

2009-07-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

The fact that she KNOWS how to sing the chorus to Run DMC's "Tricky" makes me giggle.
The fact she can point out Run and D.M.C. (RIP Jam Master Jay) in a photo makes her Daddy smile.
And the killer part is that when she wears her Run D.M.C. tee she KNOWS to look for the glasses so she can look just like D.M.C.
We could be teaching her more important things...Bible verses, addition, sign language. But she has time to learn all that later.

So for right now:

"It's tricky to rock a rhyme
To rock a rhyme that's right on time
It's tricky tricky tricky tricky tricky."

Got friends?

2009-07-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a little something about me.

I need people around to make me happy, keep me laughing and see the positive in life.

When we moved to Tracy a year ago, I was still on my high from doing thee most exciting things with thee most exciting girls in Oregon. I mean, a girls week in Portland is the ultimate way to spend summertime with your girls. Dancing til 2 AM, eating anything and everything, being on the Oregon Coast. It was bliss, I tell ya.

Then we moved to Tracy and I stayed busy for a few months. Setting up the house, getting the family on a schedule, learning about Tracy. Skyping nightly with my girls.

Before long, I was back up in Portland, hanging with my same girlfriends, holiday shopping, eating buckets of movie popcorn, watching the same movie over and over again, ooohing over the "Sexiest Man Alive" Issue of People magazine.

A month later I was headed to Vegas with my bestie for a quick weekend of dancing til dawn (it's my favorite) and lazing around.

After the fun dust settled, I started getting lonely. WAH? I want my girls. I want to sing, "Shake It" and "Burning Up" at the top of my lungs with The Farmer, as we fly on the highway to here, there and everywhere. I want to sing "All the Single Ladies" and re-enact the dance in Lou's living room. I want to laugh when The Canadian shares with me that they have loonies and toonies for coins and us all wondering where the pole dancers put their tips? Where can I get that friendship high again? I wanted it. I needed it.

So then I started looking for other stay-at-home mamas. I mean, I was new to this stay at home mama-ness. Where are these other ladies hiding? Come out, come out, wherever you are.

In the late Winter, some messed up paperwork had Ella switching dance classes. And I had the chance to meet some awesome mamas. And we had girls the same age, and we were all crafty, and we all were kind of on the same level. And at first it was just, "see ya next Tuesday." And then it turned into rapid fire FB messages on each others walls, random text messages, phone calls and now it's turned into hanging out on non ballet days, and summer music in the park, and, and, and, I got my friend high back!

It's a new season of friends in my life and I am so grateful that they are here! So grateful for the giggles they bring to my daily life, and the mama lessons they have taught me so far.

Oli graduated from Kindergarten (like 2 months ago)

2009-07-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

On a hot May morning, three kindergarten classes from Central Elementary sat in chairs facing their family and friends with huge smiles on their faces, all ready to receive their cute little computer generated diplomas.

I watched, with Justin, Ella and our family as Olivia Talei walked to her teacher when her name was called and received her kindergarten diploma.

Am I being dramatic right now? Far from it. My first born is done with kindergarten and I was so elated. I have to say, my girl is pretty smart. She has always been. Walking at 9 1/2 months, talking since age one, potty trained by 23 months. I mean, seriously. She was super advanced.

This year in Ms. Arnaudo's class I was surprised when she brought home her weekly homework assignments with stars and good job stickers on the front, started reading full chapter books in February and wowed us with her writing, spelling and math skills.

Justin and I had to immediatley stop spelling words around her because she would begin to ask, after silently re-spelling the word, "Who gets to go to Coldstone today?"

And this year, we just saw her bloom and grow taller than a beaming sunflower. Her first teacher conference left me teary eyed and a proud puffed out chest. She received a 9/10 the first time she took a "sight words" spelling test. She brought home her first story where she phonetically spelled words like [tentakal] and [pashently]. Whose kid does that? (Don't burst my bubble please.)

Anyhow. I love my Oli. On to first grade Olivia goes!

Well

2009-07-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Until I get the new blog that will be connected to the business, I will continue to post here. I think I need to be on blogger vacay til then.

Thanks for the memories.

2009-06-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

I have three more scheduled posts and then, sadly, I will be shutting down the blog. It's been fun, and I will slurp a book for the girls.

Thanks for reading, my people.

Woe

2009-06-23T14:46:00.001-07:00

I was down off the blog for three days because at midnight I had a crazy idea to get rid of the clutter which included extra e-mail addresses. Needless to say, I am baaacccck.

And check out the new SITE!

Yay!

Rockin' It.

2009-06-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

I had the joy of hangin' with Audrey and Ari. Two sisters. And they were practically twins. Audrey is my senior rep, and Ari wanted to tag along so she could be a future senior rep (next year.) These girls had it together. They both have killer eyes, hilarious laughs and gorgeous smiles. LOVED it! And they ROCKED it.

Fiji Time

2009-06-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

(A follow up to summer time).
I love my family. Really I do. I love my mom to pieces. And for Oli's graduation we had a whole bunch of Fijian's staying in Tracy. My mom, my Aunty Mau and direct from Fiji, my cousin Nisi.

Nisi is actually from Oregon but she has been working for the past two years in the land of Fiji. Aunty Mau's other daughter, Makita, lives in Las Vegas and couldn't make it up. But to have all these Fijian women in one place was pretty awesome. We used to spend so much time with my mom's family and then everyone just kind of got busy so I really cherish these infrequent visits.

Wow.

2009-06-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

First senior session.
I am pleasantly pleased.
Destinee was awesome.
Fun girl, cute style and confident.
Gotta love that!

Summer Time

2009-06-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Equals boredom. And boredom leads to helping me play with settings on the camera.

They just keep getting cuter

2009-06-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a session from Thursday...Little Mister is sooooo cute. And so is his curly haired sister.

We met up at the park and they just kind of ran around, looked at the willow trees and we all listened for the frogs in the creek.

(So thrilled with the response I have been getting for my portfolio building special. Thank you to the beautiful families I have worked with!)

Little things

2009-06-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, late at night, after the mess makers in the house go to sleep is when I have time to notice little bits and pieces that show that they were here.

Like, tonight. I was putting on my jammies. We have a lil' walk in closet. It's big enough to store some household things, ironing board, iron and the vacuum. Oli vacuums up her popcorn and craft messes now. So, today, she vacuumed up her popcorn mess.

And as I was digging in the drawers for my jammies I noticed that the vacuum was in the area it was supposed to be. But it was facing the wrong way. And it wasn't tucked in the lil' nook that it usually is.

And I smiled.

And I went to her room and saw her snoring softly in her top bunk and I whispered thank you.

Those little things just make me love her to pieces. And I am so thankful that she is here making me smile.

Yay for a sunny day!

2009-06-09T22:49:00.001-07:00

Hanna has the two sweetest girls. They are ever so petite, and when they walk it is reminiscent of ducklings. One step at a time, following their mama around. Taking in the scenery.

Little Miss E has thee most ahhh-mazing hair. We had to deal with the wind so it got a little wild but still made for some gorgeous shots.
And Little B was ADORABLE. After she figured me out, she was giggling away!
Thank you, Hanna for an awesome session!

Taking on a beast

2009-06-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

His name is Leo Tolstoy. The beast is actually Anna Karenina. I think I have tried to read his book twice. This is the third time. And also should be the charm. It is so long. And so descriptive at times.

Also, been working on my Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman study by Beth Moore. It is so eye opening. And a great perspective on how someone chooses to live life.

Will report back later.

Phew | Tracy Photographer, Central Valley Photographer

2009-06-05T16:04:00.001-07:00

These boys had me sweating. For reals. The oldest one is five, the middle one will be 2 in a few weeks and the baby is 5 months old. ALL OF THEM WERE ACTIVE. There was wrestling, kung-fu, some Han Solo action. Man alive. I did manage to wrangle them for a few good shots, though! Thanks, Katrina, for letting me get those boys on camera!

Sassy graduated | Tracy Photographer, Central Valley Photorapher

2009-06-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

From kindergarten. And with her comes a summer at home with her new skills. She leaves me notes around the house...MAKE POPCKLS. And asks when lunch is. (I tell her 12 and she responds, "We have lunch at 11 at school. (Under my breath) Well good for school.). She reads everything. So now I have to limit what I look at on the 'net for fear that she will tell people..."Mommy was looking at this site that had Headward and New Moon stuff on it. "
I love every it of her. Difficult or not, she makes me smile.

Thanks, Mrs. Eldridge

2009-06-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

I just want to pay tribute (she is not dead) to my dear friend, Amanda Lang, who is now Eldridge.

She has been my friend since 9th grade, at Cajon High School in good ol' San Ber'do.

She once told me I had balls of steel when I planned to give my crush a note confessing my profound love for him.

She sat next to me in French class and surpassed me in all conjugations, sub-conjugations, (what's a conjugation) for class.

Justin and I had the great honor of attending her wedding in March of 2007. Or was it 2008.

And I just want her to know, that yes indeed, she was the first one that told me about Outlander. But when I was in the 10th grade I was not paying attention.

So, Mrs. Eldridge. Thank you, for being wise beyond your years, for being literary savvy (is that a word?), being the first to have a true obsession for an author which lead you to ditch class, track down Diana Gabaldon at a book signing and then reading every one o her Outlander Series books as they have been released. And now there is a new soon to be released final book in the series, and Amanda I will read books five and six to stay caught up with all the Highland goodness.

Some old ones I found | Tracy Photographer, Central Valley Photographer

2009-06-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

I found these two from O's go-see for Family Fun magazine that she did not book...

I love the hallway leading to the studio. Brick interior, slick black linoleum, awesome low hung lights casting warm light and crazy shadows every where. I almost want to head back to the city just to use this hallway again!

The next two are of my lil' nephew. When he is in a happy mood, he has the best boyish grin, ever. I love his little baby teeth and his disheveled hair. Such a boy. And his mama's house has the best light in the afternoon. If he would sit still for longer than two seconds I could photograph him all day.

Yay for takers | Tracy Photographer, Central Valley Photographer

2009-06-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have booked three sessions so far! Yay for business!

Of course I am still booking so EMAIL ME!

Need your family photos updated??? | Tracy Photographer, Central Valley Photographer

2009-06-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

Now is the time. If you live in Tracy, CA or the Central Valley contact me, Kia Gregory, to schedule a photography session.

The session fee is $50 and this is the "Portfolio Building" special. You will receive a one-two hour session and 10-20, fully edited high resolution images on CD so you can have them printed at your favorite photo finisher. This is the only time that I will be offering images on disc so get in on this NOW.

I am a natural light photographer that shoots on location. This means two things...I shoot when the light is out and I shoot wherever you want! I consider myself to be a lifestyle photographer. This means that you will get the posed shots that people are accustomed to seeing on their walls BUT I like to catch those moments when your littles aren't looking at the camera.

E-mail me to schedule your session. (kdr52 at msn dot com.)

After July 14, I will have new pricing on my website. Hurry, hurry seeing that I will be out of town for one week in July!

Those Mama skills

2009-05-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Are just kicking in these days. The girls had dry coughs last night that would wake me up every 30 minutes or so last night. At 11 PM, I decided enough was enough. I went to the linen closet. Got out the humidifier. Filled it with water. Set it on medium in their room.

An hour later. Sleeping like lambs.

Yup, took me about five years but I am getting it down.

The Howard Family

2009-05-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of spending some time with the Howard family last weekend. Here are some of the wonderful images I was able to catch for them. Their daughter is an absolute doll and so is the newest addition to the family! Thank you, Howards!

The weekend is upon us

2009-05-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

First, thank you New Mexico for the Certain Dri suggestion. Headed to Target today.

Second, Justin's new favorite come back is "there's an app for that." Babe, my hip hurts..."there's an app for that." Oooh, we need to make ice cream tonight but I need to find the recipe..."there's an app for that." I truly love my husband.

And Justin's observation a few months ago...Why make a Monistat 7 or 3 if there is a Monistat 1? Good point. And I dont' have the answer, babe, but I am sure there is an app for that.

Justin's other observation why Boho Chic? Technically "bo" stands for bohemian and the "ho" part is supposed to be for hippie. Justin thinks that the "bo" part makes sense but when he went to school (and me too) "ho" stood for something entirely different. He's just sayin'.

Weekend plans? San Francisco. Love living so close to the city. One hour in the car, a night over at Mick and Raq's and lots and lots of fun.

What are your weekend plans?

Mother's Day

2009-05-14T22:21:00.001-07:00

Was good. Again, it was about the quality time I spent with my family.

I wanted to sleep in but I also wanted to go to the first service at Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore. This is a new church for us about 30 minutes away from our house. Cornerstone Fellowship had "special music" for Mother's Day. Who was the special music? None other than Sara Groves. (I have an eclectic taste of music. I can jam to Notorious BIG in the afternoon after listening to Feist in the morning.)

We made it to the second service after I decided to sleep in. And the church is HUUUGE. The parking lot is packed but as we start walking toward the courtyard I can hear Sara singing "Add to the Beauty" coming through the speakers. Eeek! I walked faster. Justin told me to slow down.

There was a little stalling as we checked into the girls into Kids Church but they were doing announcements. We found seats CLOSE to the stage and I could see Sara sitting there at her piano. SHE LOOKED SO NORMAL. She always looks so boho glam on her site and CD jackets. Her hair was pulled back, she had on a faded grey t-shirt, one of those skinny scarves, a black skirt and little open toe wedges. She was in front of her keyboard with a mic stand to the side. Her husband was on drums. Another dude on guitar. And a chick singing back up.

She spoke and her voice is so soft. But not soft in a bashful way. More like peaceful. She spoke and I smiled. It was soothing. But anyhow, it was AWESOME to see her. Just there, playing piano.

She sang "Small Piece of You" for all the mama's day and although the song is cute and light and humorous, I cried a lil' because I realized that Olivia and Ella are getting so big.

She sang "In The Girl There's A Room" and told the story of the girl that was taken by a family friend and sold into prostitution.

She sang a slower version of "When The Saints" and told the story of International Justice Mission's role in saving the little girl that was sold into prostitution and returning her to a "normal life."

The last song she sang was synced to a video of her trip to Rwanda. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. And I am thankful that part of my Mother's Day was seeing Sara and being overwhelmed with joy.

And another thing

2009-05-13T21:52:00.001-07:00

I don't understand why one armpit is always sweatier than the other. What the heck?

Fresh Edibles Farms

2009-05-13T21:30:00.001-07:00

Thank you for providing my family with the freshest salads we've had all year. This CSA business is awesome.

Also, I suggested to Justin that we adopt a little Rwandan boy as opposed to me carrying our third child. He gave me the meanest stink eye ever.

And I have considered homeschooling the girls for the past two years. Today I decided that it is too much work.

Miss California

2009-05-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

She's tripping.

She was the one that came in second to Miss USA supposedly because she took a stand against gay marriage. And since then she has been on a whirlwind tour as the "one that took a stand." She was invited to the Dove Awards, was seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America and even on CNN and MSNBC night news shows. All of a sudden I see her with t-shirts on that say something about being a Christian or what have you. And please, I know this sounds like I too am attacking her. She was verbally attacked and in the worst way. The names she was called by Perez Hilton and others were not respectful and not even necessary.

I love Jesus (but I drink a little). And the one thing I despise are opportunists. The way politician's play on religious beliefs to gain votes in the "Bible Belt" etc. It's just wrong. And all I am saying is that Carrie Prejean, she wasn't wearing those t-shirts before and during the pageant events, she didn't have that in her Miss California personal statement. But now she has been chosen by National Organization for Marriage as their spokesperson and is headed to Washington D.C. to advocate traditional marriage and star in some PSAs.

And now, this. Photos of her nakey self as a "teen" have surfaced. So her crown as runner-up is being called into question. She says that as a model she has to pose for swimsuit and lingerie type photos. Ummm, I saw the pix in question. She was not advertising lace panties for Frederick's at age 17. As a matter of fact, at age 17 wouldn't that be considered child pornography and illegal? And then the boob job. She let the Miss USA Association pay for her boob job? And an hour after Donald Trump says she can keep her runner up crown more nakey pictures surface and she is showing her mammaries. Um, Carrie Prejean. Get over yourself.

I love how she says that "we should show respect for others' opinions and not try to silence them through vicious and mean-spirited attacks." Um, Miss California. You were posing nude. Yes, you can have your own opinion because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But you were nude in some photos. I am sure that is not "Biblically correct." And stop avoiding the issue at hand. You have been lying since you entered into the contest. You violated your contract by not revealing that you posed for some nakey pictures. Even if you would have won Miss USA, these would have bit you in your lingerie posing butt anyway.

Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Trying something new

2009-05-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well. It's official. Kind of. Sort of. I am jumping into the small business world. I am now a business owner. I am now a lifestyle photographer for Kia Gregory Photography. HAHA. I love it.

Let's see, where to begin. I have always loved, loved, loved photography and when Justin started teaching it 6 years ago, became more interested in it. After years of dreaming I met some people who knew a little about the business and encouraged me to get on it.

First big assignment was the Easter Mini Sessions for the Central Valley Playgroup. I was nervous. It was disastrous. My camera battery was dead but I think it was the battery sensor that was jacked. I had to borrow a friends camera to finish the job. Lesson learned. Bought A LOT of back up batteries and hopefully I can get a back up camera soon.

Then I had a session with a cute lil' family of four. I am a lot more satisfied with the pictures I took. But always room to improve.

Took an on-line workshop that has given me a lot more tools but I need to take more photos so that they make sense.

But here I be. And hopefully, if my little business plan works as written, my business will be successful this time next year.

Things that irk me

2009-05-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

Washington Mutual is becoming Chase. I hate it. I have been a WaMu customer since 1999. And now this. Now I have to deal with numerous e-mails updating me of the switchover process, and my mailbox contains at least one letter a week from them as well. "Important Message from WaMu Regarding Your Account". Retarded. Makes me want to switch to Wells Fargo.

And this whole car accident bizness has been causing me insane stress. Like crying, yelling, need to "punch someone in the face" stress. (Speaking of punching people in the face, Ella told me that she was going to take her doggy with her to the gym and if a kid tried to take it from her, she would punch them in the face.) Anyhow, I was tired of calling my insurance company and the other parties insurance weekly, sometimes twice weekly, so I decided to hire an attorney. Met with my attorney at his office last week and now I am feeling better. Feeling a lot better knowing that I have someone that will do the yelling for me.

But I am still not 100%. I have freaking NERVE DAMAGE in my RIGHT PELVIC JOINT! WHY! GAH.

Thirty or Eighty?

2009-05-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

I celebrated the big 3-0 last week. But a few weeks before that I was talking to a friend and we were updating each other on life. The conversation started out good. Gossiping about celebs and others we loathe. Then it steadily turned into...

"I saw you in some pictures recently on Facebook. Were those grannie glasses you were wearing?"

And then the conversation got a little dismal when I revealed to her the following:
I got my hair done and I discovered a lot more gray hairs then there was last year.
The doctor recommended I wear a girdle to support my back since I had a sprained back muscle. I had to wear a GIRDLE!
I was having a hard time bending and lifting since the accident and my chiropractor recommended physical therapy.
My right hip was in pain and I couldn't get out of bed some mornings. Justin was rubbing me down with Icy-Hot.
My sinuses were causing me headaches again.
I had to drive a mini van around for a month since my SUV was in the shop. The mini van makes you lose all kinds of street cred.

Not even 31 and I am already falling apart.

But, on a positive note. I had in my mind that I would put on the sari my mom got me, have a birthday bash somewhere cool, with all those that love me and I hold dear to my heart.

Then the week came and I was just blah. And then the day came and although I was expecting a pony the day turned out to be just right.

I woke up and Olivia was so excited it was my birthday. It was almost like she thought it was Christmas. As a matter of fact, Ella kept saying, "Merry Christmas, mama." I got big huge hugs from both of my girls and a kiss from my man.

The day included a birthday song message from The Canadian, a lot of texts and Facebook love. A beautiful bunch of ranunculus flowers (my new faves). A lovely dinner of chicken curry, rice and veggies. A yumm-o dark chocolate cake with a "3" and a "0" and a little retro ballerina figurine on it. Again, just perfect.

I mean, what else did I expect? Kanye West did send me a birthday message via e-mail. Pretty awesome. Oh, and I did get Teen Witch on DVD (finally)!

I went to sleep with a smile on my face. And that's all that matters.

Funnies

2009-05-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

Not Sunday Funnies but still funny nonetheless...

Olivia at the end of her voicemail telling me she missed me...
"Hope you're having fun in Vegas. And remember what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Love (pause) Oli."

HAHA.

Ella at 6:54 AM on Sunday morning in my bed...
"Mom, there's something wet."

what?

"There's something wet in here?"

Where?

"Here."

Did you wet my bed?

"No, it's just wet."

Birfday observations to come soon. It was a good one.

This is what the attitude looks like

2009-05-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

So sweet and unassuming, right?
She is grounded from her shows, candy, cakes and other sweets and doing any activities that we don't pay tuition for...bad behavior now has a new consequence. She is not happy at all.

What happened to just being nice?

2009-04-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

It is rare.

In the mornings the girls and I walk to school. I try to make eye contact with the high school kids that park on our street, and make it a point to say "good morning" to faux hawk boy because we have been walking past him since August. He has mumbled "hi" to us once, maybe twice. He does look up and offer a semi-smile. Good enough. We pass a group of kids on the sidewalk, most of the time boys, and they NEVER move to one side, or make way for me and the two littles. NEVER. The other day I had had enough so I said, "Excuse us, please" and one of them reluctantly stood to the side while his compadres continued on their way. Moving slow like the Blob.

Grocery stores. I can tell the new guy from the veteran. The veteran employee has a sixth sense for customers in need of help and will become busy with the first detection. The new guy will take 7 minutes to help you look for mirin oil in the very limited "ethnic aisle 18". That's nice. Even when he can't find the mirin oil he wants to look it up in the inventory system. Nice.

Insurance companies. What happened to getting back to people right away? I understand you're busy and even after "one business day" you still haven't returned my call. Even if you have no new news why not call and say "Hey, nothing new to report." Is that too time consuming? How many people on your caseload? Twenty? Even if you had to make 20 calls like that a day, that would not take up eight hours. Jerks.

And my neighbors. We live on one of the three cutest streets in our neighborhood block. We have almost historical homes. A big ol' church at the end of the street, huge birch and oak trees. Love our street. Neighbors not so much. I know who my neighbors are but they are sooo quick to turn their back when you walk past their yard and want to say hello. Weird. right.

If this was Leave it to Beaver (minus the monochromaticness of it's people) we'd be up in each others yards, sitting on each others porches, offering up recipes for tri-tip. What happened to those days.

I guess everyone is too busy to be nice.

Tonight's Hulu adventure

2009-04-28T00:45:00.000-07:00

Is brought to you by the show "The Unusuals" on ABC. (Well, Hulu takes you to ABC and then you can watch all the new episodes there but whatever.)

I love it. I love all the "Law and Orders" and all the "CSI's" so when ABC started in with the promos I was a lil' intrigued. I forgot to set the DVR and a few weeks ago caught the beginning of the third episode. The opening is two of the detectives chasing a one man band down the street while some Beastie Boys song plays in the background. Hilarious. The image of a man with a bass drum strapped on his belly, cymbals on his knees and his harmonica near his mouth hauling donkey down the street while wearing a red plaid jacket and toque (thanks Tobes) is making me giggle right now.

Anyhow. I like the show because it reels you in with humor it and ends up hitting you in the emo-tenders. Like last weeks epi was called "Crime Slut" and altho' the idea of a chick on a crime spree to get her wedding for free makes you laugh the other story line was an old guy with terminal cancer who was lost in Brooklyn trying to find his way back to the happiest time in his life (a playround) and is found dead on a swing. See, hits you in the emo-tenders.

So, if you haven't seen it. And you like crime shows. WATCH IT.

Five and a half is hard

2009-04-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

Especially for Olivia. Who has about two months to go before officially been five and half but is still as head strong as ever.

Recently we have been butting heads. I dread waking up in the morning to see what mood she will be in. Most of her attitude problems stemmed from the events that happened to Sandra Cantu, an eight-year-old girl fron our town who was kidnapped, sexually assualted, murdered and found in a suitcase two miles from an irrigation ditch. We tried to be the gate keepers of Olivia's news regarding this but guess what, kindergartners talk and we live in a relatively small town. And she came home and told us stories. So we decided to take tell her the truth of the story leaving out specific details.

We were at a picnic for Easter weekend and Olivia repeatedly walked away from J and me. Over and over again. Justin had the last straw when I was in the bathroom with her sister. J was in the bathroom next to us. Olivia decides she does not need a bathroom break and just walks out while I am finishing up her sisters bathroom business. Like she just waked out. I cannot keep two hands and both eyes on Ella and the toilet and before I know it Olivia is walking towards the play ground again. J realizes that she has left me. Cuts his break short and rushes after Olivia. Grabs her arm and pulls her to the sidewalk. I rush out and he is just disgusted with her. Disgusted because we have had NUMEROUS conversations with her about being vigil of adults that SHE KNOWS (in this case, J and me). And to never leave where we are at without seeking our approval first.

(This is a long one.) So we sit down. All of us. And J starts in on her. Explaining that the news reported that Sandra's family did not know where she was after she played at a friends and that is how she was kidnapped. We also told her about people with bad intentions being at normal places. Like the park.

Little did we know that this conversation that we had with her would be the beginning of nightmares and her refusal to go to bed without us present. For two weeks she has howled, screamed, run out of her room, made me check and recheck doors, etc. She has slept on my bedroom floor with the bright lights on three times. We have prayed, reprayed, turned on closet lights etc. Finally, the past four days, she has been a little less stressed. She still needs us in her peripheral, she still needs me to check all doors and windows before I turn on her night light and close the door but she is sleeping back in her room again.

So sad that a lil body can experience so much stress like that. And the attitude is going away too. Thank the lawd.

Four Months Apart

2009-04-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

And oh so serious. Hunter was born July 9 and Ella March 2. So that puts them four months and a week apart. Exactly.
These two are always on each other. Ella pulling Hunter to have him hurry up. Hunter telling Ella no. It will be interesting to see what these kids get into as the years go on. Cousins.

It's a new day

2009-04-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

I was in theee worst place last week. Like bad.

I was up a lot of pounds on the scale. Stoopid scale.

I was feeling like an old lady because of me achin' back thanks to the car accident and the never ending claims investigation.

I was moody blues because we had been driving a rental for 26 days.

Oli was sad about Sandra Cantu and mad that I told her about it and giving me an attitude like no other.

We had to pay taxes. Uncle Sam, why?

I haven't gotten into any sort of schedule since I got back from LA with Katie Lou like TWO MONTHS ago. Laundry was blocking the back door. I bought the girls new undies and socks instead of washing the ones that were dirty.

Then I was thinking about will.i.am's song, "It's a new day." And I only know the first verse and the chorus and I started singing it before I went to bed one night. Then I woke up and it was still in my head. And then BAM instead mood adjuster. I was singing, dancing, up early, ready to get back into the "game" of life.

Anyhow. This song was written in reaction to our new president, and although some of my blog readers, ok all of my blog readers, well maybe 25% of them, didn't vote for Obama it's still a good song. Damn it.

I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming
Have finally came true
Yea, I woke up this morning
Feeling alright

Hulu

2009-04-21T00:26:00.000-07:00

I thank the Lord Jesus I do not have addictive tendencies. OK, I do have addictive tendencies but not to anything deadly.

It is past midnight and I have watched the first two episodes of Parks and Rec. Last weeks episode of SouthLAnd and I am now watching Fringe.

Jesus, give me strength to wake up at 6:30 AM to start my day.

And it just happens sometimes

2009-04-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you just click well with people that you don't know allll that well. Is that a bad thing? Does that say a lil' bit about my personality? Maybe? I think I can count at least ten relationships that I have like that. (You have kids? Why has it been three years and i didn't know you had kids?)

OK, so this past week we were in Git r' Done-Oregon. Gittin' our Spring Break done.

My dear friend Krystal planned a Girls Night Out at Splitz Bar and Grill in the lovely town of Roseburg (sarcasm). There was about 14 wild and crazy ladies out for a few hours with not a care in the world.

I think we had more fun on Facebook replying to the 80+ reply thread then the actual meet up. Just kidding. But the thread leading up to the event and the thread after the event were all pretty amusing.

GNO was just about a lil' bit of freedom. No worries about babies, nursing, toddlers fighting, angsty teenagers, husbands mad because dinner was cereal not chicken. Laughing at jokes, sad stories of running out of gas on the way to the GNO, bad interpretations for the old people that were hard of hearing (that was you Kris). Sad when it was seven and people started heading for the door. Good times.

I think I was excited to hang with all the ladies but most excited to meet Kris. She is CRAZY (in a good way) and I love it. So comical. So animated. Never met her before that night and hope to see her again later this year so we can chat more. (Or maybe that will ruin our friendship?) She has four kids. All boys (she needs to be Queen for a day), ages 14, 10, 6 and 2! Carazay right? And she told me she made it to level hard on Guitar Hero. I keep denying Justin permission to get Guitar Hero but we may have to get into the mix to catch up with the Simmies.

Getting back to GNO. Definitely jealous that these ladies live within 15 miles of each other so they can meet up more frequently. And why in the heck are there no pictures from this night?

A lil' song and dance

2009-04-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Just for Jonah;)

Facebook

2009-04-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Is really addicting. Like bad. Like a sickness. No, like crack. I see myself in a dark alley, using wireless to get my Facebook hits.

SICK.

But oh so fun. I have "reconnected" with so many people. And connected with people I didn't know well from high school or when I lived in Oregon.

I have message threads in my inbox that are 49 posts long. I have inside jokes with a few people that bring me giggle during the day:) Sometimes the giggles can hit me like a bad "strome".

Anyhow. Facebook=My own personal brand of heroin.

My bestie told me to get on Twitter. No way. No how. Not gonna do it. Twitter would turn me into Amy Winehouse. No joke. I have followed a few people on Twitter and it's fun, a lil confusing and it can suck you in like Facebook. My most recent Twitter obsession? MC Hammer. Yes. He's the authority on Twitter, according to Harvard Business School. By following him, I hope to run into him soon. Like he was at Famous Dave's 4 days after we ate there. SOOOO CLOOOOOSSSSSSE!

But anyhow. Facebook. Bad, bad Facebook. Naughty Facebook. I love Facebook.

I am updating

2009-04-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

So check out all the new posts and come back for the pix I am adding later...

Thanks a million faithful reader(s). HAHAHA.

April Fool's EARTH MONTH REALLY IS REAL.

2009-04-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

So, April Fools! I am so glad I am not the kind of mom that thinks things out way in advance.

(Oh, Valentine's day is tomorrow??? Of course we can make your 28 classmates little cards! [Noooo, why didn't I think to put this on the calendar two weeks ago?])

Anyhow, thanks to one of my mom friends, I subscribed to a magazine called Family Fun Magazine. It was $6 for a year! Every other month I get great ideas for things to do for the upcoming holidays or to be more creative with the family. But of course, that magazine is now MIA and so, no fake veggies made out of breakfast foods for dinner. But I should dig it out for some fun Easter ideas.

OK, but back to April Fools. Today is Justin's grandma's birthday. She died in October of 2007. I often wonder if people made it a point to fool her as a birthday present.

And since April 1 also marks the first day of Earth Month. HAPPY EARTH MONTH. This year we are making more of a Green Effort in our house. I have been desperately trying to spend only an hour a day on the 'puter. It's not working. And then there are the other green things we have been doing...recycle center, CF bulbs, hang drying the clothes, walking whenever possible.

We are now shareholders of a community supported agriculture farm! Yeeeahhh! Farmer Bob and his wife Diana of Fresh Edible Community are now our sole providers of fruits and veggies this season. BUT we are on a waiting list, so we won't start until May 2. Yes, after Earth Month but better late than never. And the drop off location is less than a mile away. Niiiice.

OK, so go. Be green. Be a fool.

Oh where did the time go?

2009-03-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

In 30 days, I will be 30.

Time, where are you? Come out, come out where ever you are???

Hilarity at it's best

2009-03-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

As mentioned early, I like the big flat thing sitting in my living room called the TV. Mmmmm hmmm. I said it. I like it. I love it. As a matter of fact, I might marry it.

No. That would make for an awkward sleeping situation.

Anyhow. I will never forget The Office Super Bowl Special. It was only a Super Bowl Special because it was on after the Super bowl. It had nothing to do with the actual Super Bowl.

And I know this was way back when but I will always remember it because of a few things...

My bestie's hubby, Adam and I sometimes have text wars. Our war will usually end with an insult followed by the text "Boom, roasted." And that ensures a winner.

Olivia has gotten me a few times with "Boom, roasted." If she's not liking my hair, she will throw in an insult followed by "Boom roasted" and in unison the family replies with..."ohhhh." (Don't think we are mean for insulting each other. It keeps us all grounded).

Ella will just say "Boom, roasted" because she's Ella. And we all laugh because...she's Ella.

Well, anyhow. You really need to watch the episode on hulu or something.

And here are the roasts from Micheal Scott himself...

Jim: You’re 6′11″ and you weigh 90 pounds. Gumby has a better body than you. Boom, roasted.

Dwight: Kiss ass. Boom, roasted.

Pam: You failed art school. Boom, roasted.

Meredith: You’ve slept with so many guys, you’re starting to look like one. Boom, roasted.

Kevin: I can’t decide between a fat joke and a dumb joke. Boom, roasted.

Creed: Your teeth called. Your breath stinks. Boom, roasted.

Angela: Where’s Angela? There you are. I didn’t see you behind that grain of rice. Boom, roasted.

Stanley: You crush your wife during sex, and your heart sucks. Boom, roasted.

Oscar: You’re gay. Boom, roasted.

Andy: Cornell called, they think you suck. And you’re gayer than Oscar. Boom, roasted!

SHIT-What happened?

2009-03-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

(So sorry for the potty mouth but i have to keep it real.)

Because I was in a car accident today and the first thing out of my mouth was "shit" and the next words out of Ella's mouth were "Shit, what happened?"

So, I was leaving the gym with Ella fastened in her car seat. She was wet because she had just finished swim lesson. The gym is less than two miles from our house.

About two blocks from our house, I am driving through the Holly and 11th Street intersection, blasting K-LOVE and looking at Ella in the rear-view mirror when BAM-out of no where a blue SUV runs her red light and I smash into her. Her car made two rotations in the intersection and came to a stop. I parked the car in shock and wanted to hop out of the car and run over to the lady and ...I have no clue what I wanted to do but I remembered that I had Ella so I had to make sure she was okay.

Anyhow, I am still in shock over all this and I need to be thankful that we were protected by God and our Ford Expedition. Now time to deal with all this insurance mess. BLAH.

(Does that look like $5,900 worth of damages? Cause it was.)

Special Shout Out

2009-03-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

To my man for smelling good every morning since I bought him some of this. Good night nurse. He be smelling good. I just want to squeeze him whenever he gets out of the shower. He smells so delicious. He is currently using this scent and I recommend it.

It's available at Target. That makes it even better.

LA...Californ-I-A

2009-03-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

I would blog about it. I want to blog about it. I liked my lil trip with Louie. It was verry good times.

We stayed in a funky hotel called Custom Hotel in LA.

We met up with friends.

We went to the beach.

We stayed out late.

We thought we were gonna be sexually assaulted by the 2 AM door knocker that could not hear us yelling..."WRONG ROOM."

We went to Magic Mountain for 8 hours and rode four, maybe five rides.

We were sad to leave each other at the airport.

I love meet ups.

Good times.

Chapter Books

2009-03-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

We are moving on to big things these days...

Olivia has moved away from reading Biscuit and other "I Can Read" Beginner books and has moved on to Chapter Books.

It is amazing how the skills she has been gathering at school came together one day and now she just...reads. She sounds out words she does not know and she sits and reads. It started out with Little Bear Books and then some books from the library and this weekend we picked up the Junie B. Jones books and she is as happy as a clam. At first she had to read out loud but now she reads silently.

And she uses a bookmark to save her place.

(Tear.) My big girl is growing up.

Side note. I am no longer allowed to visit questionable websites on the net because Olivia will stand over my shoulder and read. So much for reading Lainey to catch up on the latest celeb gossip.

A CELEBRATION

2009-03-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Justin and I celebrated 8 years of happily wedded bliss this year.

Hot dog, who would have thought that 8 years would find us back in Cali but this time in Nor Cal; loving on our two beautiful girls; waiting in limbo to see what happens with this RIDICULOUS budget situation?

And I love how we are always too lame to do anything fun in celebration of our happy years. We just kicked it this weekend. Nothing special. As a matter of fact I pushed you out the door to go an Oakland Warriors game on Saturday night. Ha. And tomorrow I am headed to LA to visit a friend. Ha.

Anyhow. Eight years with the man I love. That's a Martha Stewart "good thing." Let's go big for the 10 Year, shall we? Perhaps a European whirlwind vacation?

Pink Slip Friday

2009-03-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

This shite is ridiculous...

Because of California's less-than-rosy economic outlook, K-12 schools are trying to absorb more than $8 billion in state funding cuts.

The state of California handed out 26,500 to employees in the public school systems. Yes, that was not a typing error. EFFING 26, 500 teachers and support staff are getting pink slips. I mean. We got professional athletes, entertainment industry workers and CEO's making millions of dollars a year but we can't find a way for 26,500 employees in education to keep their jobs.

GAH, it frustrates me to no end. Really.

And yes, Justin is being laid off. But he didn't even get a pink slip. He was hired as a temporary employee. So his contract is up on May 29 anyway.

I have my tin can ready and I am choosing the font for my card board sign. It will come to that it seems.

Pink Friday

How the Sam Hill

2009-03-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Do women/people who stay home do it? I mean how? My house is a MESS. FROM TOP TO BOTTOM A MESS.

Dinner hasn't been made by me in weeks. I mean on and off. But I stay home. I should cook at least 4 times a week. Nope not me. Justin makes it. We've been big on breakfast A LOT. Isn't that sad.

And I have no clue why I cannot do it. I mean. Do I need a schedule. I bought a calendar. Does that count. I have a planner. Oh, I need to USE them. Ooops. Forgot about that. But it seems like my schedule is JACKED. I mean I have to be around for Olivia at 8 AM and 2:15 PM, Monday through Friday. Then Oli has dance on Mondays at 5 and piano on Tuesday at 4:30.

Ella has dance on Tuesdays at 10 AM and then swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12 PM. What the what? Aren't those times spread out? For everything. I mean I can only go shopping certain hours. I can't go to Pleasanton for shopping unless I leave early in the morning. And Ella is always in my mix so I can't scrapbook, edit photos or do anything I want to do unless it's on the weekends. And the house is empty.

I think a lot of it is my fault. I watch a lot of TV. THANK YOU DVR. And I am always on the INTERNET. I need an intervention. Where are Barney, Ted, Robin, Marshall and Lily when I need them. Are those your friends? Yeah, my TV friends. Don't you watch "How I Met Your Mother?" Hee hee.

Anyhow. I need to get off the 'puter. Get myself into a habit of laundry twice a week, cooking three times a week, cleaning bathrooms and kitchen thoroughly once a week and organizing all of the other stuff once a week.

I need to.

Three is the place to be!

2009-03-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

Ella Makare, born in the wee hours of the moning three years ago this glorious day. I remember that the nurse was a little concerned since I was at 10 and 10 and Dr. Hollander hadn't even reached the parking lot yet. He came flying in still getting his gown on at around 4:10 AM and after he said push, there you were Ella. All 10 pounds 15 ounces of you. Good grief. You were gorgeous. Your lil dark eyes were wide open and you were just as pink as could be. I LOVED YOU from the first warm sniff of you. And of course I continue to love you more.

According to BabyCenter.com here is where you're supposed to be at...
• Uses sentences of six or more words
• Speaks well enough for strangers to understand
• Starts to use "s" on verbs to show present tense ("he runs")
• Develops friendships independent of you — at preschool, for instance
• Plays with other children, instead of just side by side
• Uses an adult toilet
• Stays dry most nights

So my little lady you of course are above and beyond all these milestones. You are yelling at us with gusto, what we need to do. (AND DO IT NOW.)

You speak well BUT YOU NEED TO BE LOUD AROUND STRANGERS. Don't be all shy and bashful. You lil' monkey.

And you use plural from what needs to be plural. That is something I didn't notice was important in cognitive development until today!

You are a social butterfly when you are comfortable. We are in a play group and although you act clingy, I see you in the corner, giving those kids the side eye and then quietly playing with them, learning how they play with each other, understanding the rules of play.

I am amazed to see you in dance class. I think Miss Barb makes you truly comfortable because when I watch you through the window you are so happy, so confident. You even take on the role of leader and I like that quality!

And the whole potty training bit, girl, you've had that done since the beginning. OK, since you were 2 and a half. But we have piddle accidents and that is it.

You make us proud big girl! Grow strong and happy!

Ella's PARTAY!

2009-02-28T23:19:00.001-08:00

Thoughts on my baby turning three to come on Monday.

Side note about Alf

2009-02-20T18:34:00.001-08:00

She has a big heart.

She is always helping out others. Including the homeless person at the gas station that she sees once a week.

She is a hard worker. Like, she refuses to retire. She is a 69 year old Registered Nurse. Going Aunty, go!

She is very religious. She takes her faith seriously. She knows The Bible like the back of her hand.

She is the best cook. Her baked mac and cheese, TO DIE FOR.

Her potato salad...LOVE IT!

Her grits with salmon, eggs and capers...MMMM I am hungry!

Loves, my Alf.

In Your Senior Year Did You?

2009-02-19T19:20:00.000-08:00

Facebook. Sucked me in big time. Sometimes I can spend hours on it. Shameful, I know...This was one of the numerous "tags" I have received in the past week.

IN YOUR SENIOR YEAR DID YOU...

1. Did you date someone from your school? Yup.

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Hell to the no.

3. Did you car pool to school? Me and the lil' brother and lil' Chris. Bumping Notorious BIG, Tupac, Jon B and Outkast from one speaker. Good times.

4. What kind of car did you drive? '72 Super Beetle. When that wasn't running a 1981 Volvo DL. Yeah, I know. You hate me.

5. What kind of car do you have now? 2004 Nissan Altima.

6. Its Friday night what are you doing now? Hanging out with the family. Maybe movies. Maybe a puzzle?

7. It is Friday night...where were you then? Football games in the Fall, Basketball games in the Winter. Then I was just driving. Probably with Naasira in the car.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? Me? Work? Haha.

9. What kind of job do you do now? Internet Research Analyst ;) and Domestic Engineer.

10. Were you a party animal? I mean, I went out but I never did anything I didn't remember.

11. Were you considered a flirt? Prolly. I dunno?

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? I was in a high school musical. And no, we were not "all in this together."

13. Were you a nerd? I was in the "advanced" classes but not really a nerd.

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? Psssh. Nope.

15. Can you sing the fight song? I know it was the same song as the USC fight song and it went something like "Fight the team across the something..." OK, no I can't sing the fight song.

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Mr. Loomis. He was super nerdy and I LOVED IT.

17. Where did you sit during lunch? I went off campus. Jersey's Pizza or Bakers. Sometimes I don't think I ate.

18. What was your school's full name? Cajon High School.

19. When did you graduate? 1997.

20. What was your mascot? Cowboys.

21. If you could go back and do it again, what would you do? I wouldn't have skipped so much and I would have applied to more than just two colleges in the Spring of '97. Who the hell was my counselor?

22. Did you have fun at Prom? It was AWKWARD.

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Nope.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Nope. Plastering a fake smile on my face and telling everyone how WONDERFUL my life is does not sound fun, AT ALL.

25. Do you still talk to people from school? A handful.

26. School Colors? Green and Gold.

27. What celebrities came from your high school? Maybe Adam Hart. He's pretty famous in my book. He almost gave me a "Hart Attack" once.

Shout out to Alf

2009-02-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

You all remember Alf? The little furry guy from Melmac. Well, I have an Aunty Freda and we call her Alf. Mainly because she does some crazy, random stuff. AND I LOVE IT.

Aunty Freda isn't really my aunt though. She is my Mom's best friend and so we call her Aunty out of much love and respect.

Here some things about Alf you might like to know.

She's little. Like maybe 5'3" and weighs about 130. She moves fast, sleeps soundly and is pushing 69. And Oprah said, "Black don't crack." She wasn't lying.

Alf used to be big into football. Like going to Laughlin with all of us so she could watch the games. She also used to win a lot of nickels in Laughlin and give them to me and Jason to use at the arcades at the Golden Nugget.

Alf loves to spoil those she loves. So much to the point that whatever was trendy she was buying into. Jason and I used to wear Hypercolor, Crosscolors, Reebok Pumps and Air Jordans, all thanks to Alf. Rollerblading is the next big trend? get yourself some new blades from Big Five. Thanks, Alf.

But you'd better try your best too. Graduating from school it better be with honors. Playing flute? Well let's buy one so you can practice daily. She was good that way.

And now Alf has taken to spoiling the kids. For Christmas, Oli and Ella got some new True Religions. Yes, you read that right. I made a trip to Nordstrom, returned them and used the money to enroll Oli in piano. A wish that Aunty Freda has had since October 7, 2003.

And I guess I've been missing on Alf because Ella keeps asking about her. Since Ella could walk and talk she was asking for Aunty Freda. Where Aunty Freda go? Aunty Freda, where are you? And Ella loves giving Aunty Freda hugs. It's cute. I wonder if Ella will turn feisty like Alf?

Miss you, Aunty Freda.

This is why I love you, Mama.

2009-02-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

I called my mom this morning. Altho' she didn't call me back she did have enough time to leave this message on Facebook.

Frances Reams at 10:46am February 16
y r u relaxing. go to work y dont u? especially if u want those frye boots. ha ha ha remember how u n jason used to laugh about my black frye boots. what goes around comes around!! look who wants frye boots now!!! na na na na na

Love it.

And yes, I still want those Frye Boots.

These aren't my kids

2009-02-11T11:23:00.001-08:00

For the past two weeks the girls have been opting to watch no tv and to put puzzles together instead.

We have about four small puzzles with about 24 pieces each. Both Olivia and Ella will take them out one by one and sit on the floor and put them together. Sometimes they work together but most of the time that ends in fighting. They also have a bigger Olivia the Pig puzzle they put together too. My cousin Kita bought Ella a book of fairies that has about 8 other puzzles in it as well.

Puzzles are everywhere.

But here's the puzzling thing. Ella will sit in her room, by herself and put these puzzles together. My little almost three year old just sits on the floors for at least an hour just figuring it out.

Who would have thought that puzzles would have beat out The Backyardigans?

Defining Moment

2009-02-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

(CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)

"I'm too old for this shit."-Leslie Hart. November 7, 2009. Appx. 8:30 PM.

Leslie and I decided it would be a good idea to go to a N.E.R.D. concert at University of California, Riverside.

Let's just say it was one of our not so bright ideas.

We got to UCR at 8:30. N.E.R.D. went on at 11:20.

We knew it was going to rain. We knew there was going to be tents to offer shelter from the rain.

We did not know there was going to be mud. Crazy, thick, turn your jeans and Chucks a pretty shade of brown, mud.

Let me also say I am not proud of my behavior, but I did yank hair when the college kids decided to stop and smoke right in front of me. (It wasn't cigarettes, kids.)

I did encourage Leslie to throw an elbow into the neck of another girl who decided to stop just right from oh her leaving Leslie nowhere to breath.

I did start my own mosh pit (after Pharrell uged everyone to) with Leslie, and flail my arms and kick my legs and some mud up. At the end of it a girl, who apparently was caught in the moshfire, said to me "I am so mad at you, right now." My response was, "don't come to a concert and expect to leave unscathed."

We got home at 1 AM.

We awoke the next morning and Leslie said to me, "I am glad you were there so we could share our 'wake up, we're old now' moment together."

Amen to that, sister. Amen to that.

It's February?

2009-02-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

What the Sam Hill? Where did January go? This is NUTS.

I was gonna organize the hall closet, donate all my old scrap stuff to Goodwill to make room for the new stuff, get my sewing machine serviced so I can finish up some quilts for the girls. I was gonna be down by 4 pounds but I am only down by 2.4. I was gonna, I was gonna...

THIS IS BANANAS. JANUARY COME BACK.

It's the 300th Post!

2009-02-01T12:35:00.001-08:00

Holy Cannoli!

Three hundred posts!

I am a blog POSTING MASTER!

Not really.

I would like this post to carry some meaning. But it won't. I am not that kind of person. But I would like to share that I am not buying books anymore. I went to Costco yesterday and touched all the new books. I really wanted to buy two of them. But I refrained.

I went to Target today and went to look at books again. Saw two more that I wanted to buy. But I did not. After I read books that I buy I either pass them on or donate them to the library.

I am thinking now: what a waste. Each book costs on average $8.49 and believe me I have bought A LOT, A LOT of books. It doesn't seem like a good investment for me right now or anymore. I think, geez, I really wanted a pair of Frye Carson boots (MOM-GET ME SOME BOOTS FOR MY BIRTHDAY), or a new Apple iPhone (JUSTIN GET ME AN iPHONE FOR MY BIRTHDAY) since I only have a Shuffle. Both of these things I am sure I could have bought easily if I hadn't invested in books like, "The Private Lives of the Roman Emperors" or "Anna Karenina".

It is rare that I re-read a book. I can count on both hands how many times I've re-read books. And when I try to re-sell books on Half.Com the hassle isn't worth it. So, anyhow. There's my thoughts for my 30oth post.

And besides, there is a library a block away from my house for a reason.

Gym Observations

2009-01-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

"I be up in the gym just working on my fitness. He's my witness (oooh, wee)." Thank you Fergie for the song.

Back in the gym full swing. Last week it was twice, this week it was twice with two more visits planned. I need to be in the gym to maintain this bodacious bod I got going on. NOT. I gotta be in the gym four days a week to lose another 12-14 pounds. Good grief. I lost 14 and gained 2 back. What happened to my metabolism? Why can't I be 18 again? Or at least have my 18 year old body? Mm hmmm. Those size 9 Guess Jeans that I just got rid of two years ago. And not because they were super old but because I finally came to the realization THAT THEY AIN'T FITTING. That's how I got my man, by the way. Those jeans. HAHA.

So anyway, now I spend (or plan to spend) 4-5 hours at the gym a week and there is a lot to see. Yessiree. There are the "'roid heads". Who go in at 6 AM, and basically pace back and forth while they lift a heavy set of weights. They seem to spend more time pacing back and forth and looking at themselves in every mirror in the weight room as opposed to working out. They have the big ol' jug of protein drink/weight gainer. They also have like a gallon of water. Most can be seen wearing old gym shorts and a tank or gym shorts and a thermal long sleeve tee. For some reason they always wear ankle socks to show off their chicken legs. "Hey, 'roidy, maybe you oughta work on your calf muscles instead of curling 100 pounds."

You gotta love the old people that are dedicated to their vitality. This is the guy that comes in with sweats under his basketball shirts and then the t-shirt he got for free at a casino off the I-5 somewhere. They usually hit up the elliptical or the treadmill machines at a motivated speed. Sometimes they can be seen making the rounds working on their arms and legs. They are so cute. They never push themselves. They aren't their to impress. They are there to LIVE!

I always find my time analyzing the gym bunnies. The ones that are there to...I don't know what they're there for. I mean, I guess they are there to maintain the beautifulness they already have going on. They walk in with lil' running shorts and tanks, or yoga capris and a cute hoodie. They have fresh new Nike's and their hair is either in a pony. Look close enough and you will see a light dusting of face powder, a lil' application of blush and some waterproof mascara. Sixty percent of their time they like to stand around and talk to the cute gym staff. All smiley and cute. So chipper to be in the gym.

Then there are the ones like me. It's not a love relationship with the gym or my shape. At least not yet. I need to lose 12 pounds but to make me feel really good about myself I need to lose 30. I show up in a raggedy tee, that I prolly got on clearance from Old Navy, and some sweats that I wear to the store on the weekends. I think I've had my Nike's for a few years and the tread is wearin' thin. I come in when I can. Maybe at 6 AM. Maybe at 4 PM. I might do the elliptical, I might walk on the treadmill. If I forget my iPod forget about me going in at all. I will turn around and go home. I will go to a class or two because having an instructor in their telling me what to do and others in there sweating it out with me kind of holds me accountable. And I like to people watch out of the corner of my eye. I take frequent water breaks. And when I am all done I AM A MESS. No congregating afterwards. In and out.

But, it's good. I'm going. And there are many other types that go to the gym and I am sure I will identify more in the next months. I will let you know about my findings.

Breakfast. It's what's for dinner.

2009-01-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

Last night we did breakfast for dinner. And it wasn't just a crappy bowl of cereal. Oh, no. IT WAS WAFFLE'S using the electric waffle iron, turkey bacon, scrambled eggs with feta and milk, orange juice and espresso using the little espresso maker. Mm hmmm, that's what I'm talking about.

While we made dinner, er, breakfast...WHATEVER. We were listening to music in the kitchen. For the holidays Patty and Jason got Justin and me a iHome. We have never had an iHome and we love it. We make playlists that are somewhat kid friendly and can rock out all the time at home now.

Anyhow, the iTunes were bumping, our lil' kitchen was filled with the four of us and we were jammin'. Here's some video to mark this happy memory. Please do not knock the yellow walls of the little kitchen, the puppy calendar on the wall, Justin's bright yellow shirt and gray sweats ensemble or my lack of self video camera skills.

Word.

I know a place...

2009-01-25T16:08:00.000-08:00

"Where ain't nobody crying. Ain't nobody worrying." Anotha song stuck in my head...BUT I KNOW A PLACE WHERE I CAN GO AND SPEND AN HOUR DOING NOTHING!

IT'S THE LIBRARY. OK, well I do stuff when I go to the library. Touch the spines of the books when I walk past them. Ooooh. Feels so good. Wish I had more time in the day to read

So I am a happy gal because I always forget about the books on CD and the CD sections at the library. Yesterday and today I went and picked up A LOT OF AUDIOBOOKS and A LOT OF CDS! I checked out 35 items these past two days. And I know I will never get around to listening to The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance on my iPod but just in case I ever have a long trip planned, there it is.

And then the CDs. It's not like they had a bunch of new releases. BUT they did have a lot of stuff I would never get/pay for otherwise. Josh Groban, Spice Girls Greatest Hits, Peter Gabriel, West Side Story Muscial Soundtrack.

I mean, it was there and I figured why not. I am busy uploading 17 new CDs to my iTunes library, right now! Yesterday it was 10 other CDS and three audio books! CAN YOU TELL I AM EXCITED?

And with the addition of the Apple iTunes Genius Application, all these CDs makes my music library even better ibecause now it will have more of my music to make suggestions from as opposed to the side bar suggesting I buy 10 new songs to compliment the one song I have of Landon Pigg. Oh he was at the library too! Tres fun!

I am going to hit up the other three libraries that I can drive to within 30 miles just so I can add to my music list. I NOW HAVE 208.6 DAYS WORTH OF MUSIC. AHHHH! Mama needs a new iPod! Can someone say iPhone? Can this stay at home mama justify that purchase?

Off to listen to Footloose: The Musical!

(The above picture is of my books as well as the second stack of CDs I got).

Love Jones

2009-01-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

"I gotta love jones." Anyone remember that song from the movie "Love Jones?"

Anyhow, I love my TV. I have shows that I watch. I have new rituals that go with watching them. And thank the Lord for the creation of the DVR and our ability to afford it.

BUT, they are canceling two of my favorites. Pushing Daisies and Lipstick Jungle. WHY must dumb dumb reality shows get higher ratings than these two shows?

OK, Pushing Daisies...A man named Ned has the ability to bring the dead back to life. The catch is, it's only for one minute, if they are alive longer than a minute someone must die in their place, he also can't touch someone he saves again or they will die and he can't save them again.

So the whole show is about his life, and how he owns a pie shop called the Pie Hole (like shut your pie hole) and he has a quirky group of friends including a PI named Emerson (a big guy that knits) who gets rewards for solving murder mysteries with the help of Ned's special power.

ANNNNNNDDD Ned's childhood crush Charlotte, aka Chuck, dies when she is on a cruise but he saves her and someone else dies in her place. So now Ned and Chuck live in this world where they are not able to touch each other or Chuck will surely die again. Oh and the waitress at the Pie Hole is Olive and she is itty bitty and has this beautiful singing voice and she is crushing on Ned but for the most part he has no clue (until recently).

GAH, I LOVE THAT SHOW. And the colors and the characters and the jokes. Oh, the jokes. "Mimes do it silently."

But ABC is putting the kibosh on it because there aren't enough viewers. BOO THAT.

And then Lipstick Jungle. It ahs only been on for a year and I was just getting used to Nico, Victory and Wendy. Now, what's gonna happen to Wendy finding a new career. Does Nico pick Kirby (hot, younger guy) or Griffin (established career man and also her boss)? And what about her biological clock? Baby or no baby? AND Victory and Joe! Do they get married? Does Joe get saved from financial ruin?

Why NBC? Why?

How am I gonna get through laundry? How?

Practice makes perfect

2009-01-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

How can you tell Olivia that with out her huffing and puffing around the house.

Olivia is kind of at the difficult mini stage in her life where "I KNOW" comes out of her mouth before I can finish explaining something.

She breathes heavy and juts her chin out when she has blocked me out of her mind.

Sometimes her response is "Nuu ahhh." And not in the the cute lil' kid way either.

But of course she is more sugar than vinegar so I guess I can deal with this mini attitude problem she gives me when she's home.

In more updates, she has been doing well at ballet! She takes a ballet and tap dance combo class on Monday nights. She enjoys pulling on her tights and her leotard, grabbing her dance bag and heading downtown to the studio. Her teacher, Miss Holly, always tells her that she has a beautiful line when she poses in arabesque.

Aunty Freda has always wanted Olivia to take piano lessons. She even paid for them. So since the beginning of this month she has been taking piano lessons at the music shop downtown. Tuesdays she gets her lesson book and we head on down the road again.

But she does not like to practice piano. And this is when the attitude comes in. All she has to do is give me 15 minutes of practice time a day. No attitude and she gets a macaroni noodle in her jar. BUT SHE IS SO LAZY. Does not like to sit up straight, sits on her legs and when I ask her to play Merrily We Go Along again because she messed up she huffs and puffs.

Then of course I lose it. And I have given her the you are lucky and we spent a lot of money on this stuff lecture. I have given it to her three times already since the first week of lessons.

But she is getting better. I ask her to show me how to do it. And that seems to help. And this new reward system we have going on is really helping too.

But geez, if this is what it's like at 5 I cannot imagine 15. Sheesh or maybe even 13? I hope it doesn't start at 13.

2009-01-21T17:13:00.000-08:00

This post has been three days in the making.

Three days because I have not had the words to express my awe and amazement of how far this world, that I was born into almost 30 years ago, has come.

Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. January 19. Olivia asked why we celebrate this man? I tried to explain to her that almost 40 years ago people like Mommy and Mommy’s family were not allowed to be happy here because other people were angry with the way they looked. She did not quite understand me. How am I to tell my child that he marched and battled for equality? That he was assassinated because people were scared that he might win the battle? I could tell her the story of David and Goliath. But in that story David won and in this one our hero did not. I did not want to explain to her any further things that would hurt her little heart.

Yesterday. January 20. I am sure that in 10 years this day will also be recognized nationally. Today, a man that so many people are still unsure about, raised his right hand and took the oath as the 44th President of the United States of America. He took this oath as the 44th President. Most importantly he is the 1st African American President of the United States of America. I am still crying thinking about watching President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and his two little girls walk out onto the blue carpeted platform in front of the on Capitol Hill. I sat speechless as my eyes welled with huge tears that dropped on Ella’s face as I cradled her in my lap. I was watching history being made. I helped history be made. I am living in a historical moment.

I hope that Olivia and Ella understand the importance of this day when they get older. January 20, 2009.

Just the way I have finally understood the importance of people that I have actually known that walked and fought in the Civil Rights Movement. My Great Grandma Hersey, who died last year. My Grandfather Reams. Who is still alive but his health is waning. An old Costco member named Mr. Cole. He used to harass me like no other but when I saw the old black and white photo of him, 40 years younger, dressed in a shirt and tie, walking with a picket sign, I welcomed his friendly banter because I know that he got it worse than I did.

People that withstood hateful glares, listened to hurtful words and even may have experienced physical pain to make a mark in my history books. People that may have never heard the words thank you. Thank you for enduring countless lashings and tending your wounds. Thank you for picking cotton and tobacco in the fields. Thank you for marching in the streets. Thank you for going ahead of me to see to it that I would be able to VOTE, share the same sidewalks, drinking fountains, public transportation and so on as any other person with US Citizenship.

And I know that other races had it just as bad as African Americans. But wow. The day finally came.

Chris Rock said the importance of seeing a black man run for president is that now we can send our kids out of the door into the world and tell them, “You can be anything you want to be” and they can believe it. Because a person with their complexion, with a family that resembles theirs has the highest power in America.

I heard an athlete say, Now I can just be an American, not an African American.

President Obama described America as a “Patchwork Heritage.” And I hope that we all see that and we all embrace it. Because our nation started out and was built on dirty secrets and dirty blood. And tears. A LOT OF TEARS.

And now here we are. Yes, we have a long WAY to go, but this step. This GIANT step that we took on November 4 and that has come to fruition on January 20 has made me embrace the change that has come and I want to face it with a smile on my face like the sun on a summer day.

I like him A LOT.

2009-01-18T22:37:00.000-08:00

J. Apple of eye. Pep in my step. This guy always understands me. He cares for me. I like him.

Actually, I loves him. (I know he hates it when I use proper English.)

Anyhow, I have been hating my new job as Domestic Engineer. It is a lot of prepping and cooking meals, cleaning the kitchen, washing and folding laundry. I try to embrace this job but I just can't get into. I am not helping kids get into college, or families understand the financial aid process. So it feels like I am doing nothing of importance.

It's Friday and I needed a day off from my job. So I told J, I am only rinsing and stacking dishes in the sink, I am only sorting laundry and I am only making beds. I am not vacuuming, emptying the dish washer, cooking real meals...nothing. I told him I'd get to it Saturday.

So Saturday rolls around and I sleep in until eight. Wow. Eight. Haven't done that in a while. Woke up and the kids were fed and there was oats in the pot. So I ate oatmeal and told J, I'll get to my duties in a bit. And thanks for taking care of the chilluns.

Justin told me not to worry. He got out the iHome, put on some Jack Johnson and went to work. Cleaned the kitchen, swept the floors, steamed the floors, vacuumed the carpets, and started washing laundry. Wow.

He surprised me again when we went to Wallie's Drive Thru across the street. They make they best hand scooped ice cream shakes. He told me to order whatever flavor I wanted and we'd share. So I order butterscotch. No clue the guy doesn't like butterscotch. He took a sip and told me to enjoy it. I asked why he didn't say anything to me while I ordered and he said he wanted me to have what I wanted. Wow.

So, yeah. That guy that I married...I LIKE HIM A LOT.

Makes me sad

2009-01-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it makes me sad that there are still so many people that are so racist in this world that we live in and have the gall to open their mouths and speak hurtful words or use the safety of their computers to post horrible statements.

I understand that Freedom of Speech is the First Amendment and the right of all American according to the constitution. I understand that most other countries (I say most, because I know that Freedom of Speech is not the case in other countries) also protect their citizens freedom of speech but it hurts my heart to see horrible things on my computer screen. To catch people's conversations. To know that I have friends, I take that back, acquaintances who believe the same as these strangers.

I can only HOPE that when my children get older and they understand what hate is that they won't have to experience it first hand. They won't have to hear it with their innocent ears, see it with their young eyes. America has come so far that you'd think that acceptance is a virtue. I know that love is a virtue and that should include acceptance, right?

I have never been so sad about this place that I call the home of the Free and the Brave as today.

Resolutions...NOT

2009-01-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

So on some people's blogs, they're like...

"THIS YEAR I PROMISE TO SOLVE THIS ECONOMIC CRISIS WE ARE FACING BY HAVING MORE GREENER PRACTICES AND BLAH BLAH BLAH."

Well, this year, I plan on doing the same as last year. I mean I did good with life last year.

Why should I add some more drama to it? No, matter of fact, why should I lie to myself this year. As a matter of fact I don't even think I did resolutions for 2008 because it doesn't pay to lie. God smites liars. So there.

So last year, I watched a lot of tv, gonna do it again this year.

Last year I also read a lot of books, and books that I don't normally read, and I am gonna do the same this year.

Last year I tried to live by a budget and I didn't do well. So this year, budget, what budget?

I don't think I started out the year saying I was gonna lose weight, but I lost 12pounds! So this year, I'll lose another 12!

I did say last year that I was totally gonna read the Bible and I only read half (or a little less than half). So this year, I can read the second half. And the New Testament is an easier read anyway. Hee hee.

Oh and the beginning of last year had me splitting my time 50/50 between work and family. I don't have a job now! So, I can spend all my time with the family. All of us, getting on each others last nerves.

OK. I resolve to not dwell on these things and revisit how I didn't do next year. BREAK!

At the beach

2009-01-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara really is a pretty place. Even though it was January 1, and the morning had started out really foggy and cold, the afternoon warmed up to be GORGEOUS! And the girls loved chasing the waves!

Working a lil backwards.

2009-01-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

The girls.
Olivia in front of a weird, old, oxidized building at the Hoover Dam. It was damtastic.

Ella got her silly on, too!

Oli being one of the 12 Dancing Princesses out on the upstairs patio at my moms house in Kingman. It was beautiful outside but supa-dupa cold.

Trips are being planned

2009-01-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

This year, J and I, (after we rob a bank of course) are planning some road trips. Some with the girls, some without them.

We live so close to the Bay Area that we plan on going over there at least once a month to check out something touristy...

We would like to hit up:

Coit Tower
Golden Gate Park
Alcatraz Island Tour
The San Francisco MOMA
California Academy of Sciences

Santa Cruz has the Mystery Mansion
Then there is the Santa Cruz Boardwalk

We are also going to check out an Oakland A's Game and a San Francisco Giants Game.

Since we are basketball fans we are going to try for tickets to a Berkley game and a Stanford Game.

Our anniversary is on March and we are going to spend the night in San Francisco and do a walking tour of all the old towns OR head over to S. Helena, stay in a little motorway and hit up the Culinary Institute of America for some gourmet food. Yum.

This Spring Break we are road tripping it up to Oregon for the week. While there I will head up to Portland to hang out with Katie. Hopefully Amy will be up so I can help her do some photo shoots.

This Summer we are supposed to be headed out to Alabama. There will be stops in Las Cruces, some place in Texas and then hopefully, Mobile. While in Mobile we will do a day trip to Pensacola. Then head back home with a stop in New Orleans and a stop in San Antonio.

Adam and Leslie want to take another couples trip to some far off destination. Fiji in 2002 was the last time we took a trip together. We are thinking Mexico this time around.

Then hopefully that will be all the trippin' we will be doing.

PS3

2009-01-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

Will suck your social life away.
Little Big Planet will keep you up til midnight tryng to save Uncle Jalapeno.
SingStar will have you drinking hot water with lemon and honey to soothe the throat.

Yes, it has gotten that bad.

30 Rock

2009-01-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Was hilarious. The best part was Kenneth doing the rap from the movie Teen Witch because "the usual warm-up comic O.D.'ed at a gay man's apartment this morning." Where do people come up with this stuff? Still makes me laugh.

Promise to update with pictures from Thanksgiving 2008 (haha, I am soooo behind), my trip to Omaha with the girls, my trip to Las Vegas with my girl, Christmas with the Gregorys, Christmas in Arizona with my beautiful "broken" family, New Years with Leslie and Adam, and our day trip to Santa Barbara.

And you were wondering where I've been. HA!

Down 14

2008-12-04T14:52:00.001-08:00

Pounds that is.

I was shooting for losing 30 pounds between August 13 and December 12 but I just couldn't do it. I wasn't as motivated. I did lose a dress size! So cool. I stopped trying to lose weight around November 1. And I have managed to keep off those 14 pounds. And the good news is If I shoot for another 14 pounds in the next 3 months then I will lose another dress size! That will be fine enough for me. In four months I can be the same size I was on my wedding day!

Dang, that's awesome. So here's to losing 14 more pounds in the next three months. No pressure at all.

Earl Grey is my own personal heroin

2008-12-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

(Boo hiss said the Twilight fans).

Tea. I like it. I love it. Can't get enough of it. I blame my tea addiction on my mother. She can drink through five cups in a day. I know she slowed down some time ago but now it looks like I've picked it up. Last night I stayed up til midnight. Could not remember what I drank. Then at 12:01 AM realized that I had three cups of tea, back to back in two hours. I KNOW! So bad.

And now I have a headache. And i just boiled some water in my cute robin's egg blue tea kettle. And the Earl Grey tea bag in my big red cup a steapin'. And my friend Raquel taught me a little treat, take dulce de leche and use it as a sweetner. It has less calories than sugar AND it gives your tea that milky taste that I like. And I just so happen to have some dulce de leche that I got from Patty this past weekend. Hee hee.

Tea.

Ella

2008-12-02T18:43:00.001-08:00

Is still cracking me up. She gets a lot of hand me downs from her sister. Like even underwear. Is that bad? Anyhow, she loves to get things that are "fo MEEE?" from the store without Olivia having previously owned it. We bought some $9 shoes from Target to go with her hand me down Christmas outfit from her sister, (that actually came from Cousin Lomi) and she hugged 'em in the cart the whole shopping trip.

Anyhow, on Black Friday Crazy 8 (a Gymboree company) was having a sale. I managed to log on and snag a jacket for Ella that was $14.55! And it's pink and has a fur trimmed hoody! Didn't think it was gonna get here so fast but since they ship from Dixon, CA it got here today. I was going to save it 'til Christmas but it has been so cold that I let her try it on. SHE WAS SO HAPPY. Like grinning from ear to ear and saying.."Fo meee? Fo meee?"

And here it has been two and a hal hours and she is still wearing it with the hood on thank you very much. I will take pix of her new jacket tomorrow but here are some from a few months ago!

What in da het?

2008-12-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

That is Ella speak for "What in the heck?" We don't really like it since it could easily come out as "hell" the way these kids like to "make up" words through rhyming these days. So we asked her to say "what in the world." Which now comes out as "what in da word." Which is truly kinda cute.

Olivia has been wowing us with her memory skills. Like we should be using it for better good. But she watches a commercial, goes to Target with me and then says, Mom, look it's sham wow, it holds 20 times it's weight in liquid. Yes, thank you. She is five.

At least she is listening and retaining information. HAHAHA. Oh and reading and spelling phonetically ( which I LOVE)! She writes me little notes and letters and leaves them for me all over the house. One of those letters was "Dear Mom, can you pleas fiks my perpl swtar with the flowers." I guess she spells a lot more words than the average kindergartner but I LOVE when I see her hand written notes all over. I have been saving them but I already have a huge box filled with this stuff. What do I do?

Girls Weekend

2008-11-30T21:04:00.000-08:00

Was originally planned in December to see the movie Twilight. My friend, Mrs. Simmie, asked me about the movie. I almost forgot that was why I went to Portland. Summit moved the movie date up. So girls weekend got moved up.

But my thoughts...liked it but didn't LOVE IT.

Like you have to be a "wait 8 hours in line at a book signing, to get Stephenie Meyer to sign all your books" kind of fan to love the movie.

You have to be a "visit the Twilight movie set during three days of filming during rain and hail, then get invited to go back to set on the coldest night in St. Helen to score interviews and witness the process" type of person to loooooove this movie.

You have to be a "go to Comic Con in San Diego to take pictures of the Twilight cast, hopefully score interviews and get posters autographed for a friends site" type of fan to LOVE THIS MOVIE!.

You have to be a "script reading fool before the movie is out" type of person to freaking LOVE THIS MOVIE.

You have to be a "going to the first midnight show and waiting 6 hours in line to make sure you get prime seating in the theater when they let you" type of person to whole-heartedly LOVE this movie.

You have to be a "Ohh ma gawd, I am crying bcause the intro music started before the screen flashes with a deer and dense greenery" kind of person to ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS MOVIE.

What? Oh, wait, I did those things? Did I not? And yet I did not love it.

Justin and I watched Twilight in the comfort of our bed (please do not ask me questions so I will not have to tell a lie). This was my fourth viewing. Yes, you read that right, FOURTH VIEWING. So, while watching it with Justin the two things that I loved the MOST...The musical compositions and Billy Burke as Charlie. Yes, two minor things are what made me smile during my fourth time through.

Things I hated, Robert Pattinson's "American accent." Blech.

The horrible makeup on the vamps. RIDICULOUS. You can tell when they first started filming versus when it was further along in filming.

Nikki Reed DOES NOT WORK AS ROSALIE HALE. I don't care what you say, Twilight Fandom. She is too volumptuous and you can tell she is not a natural blonde.

And was the biology scene supposed to be that corny? The obvious "I'm gonna puke" look and actions from Edward was horrible. I laughed out loud all four times.

I could go on but I won't. Twilight is a must see for the book lovers. If you didn't read the books don't go see the movie or you will gouge your eyes out. As a fan of the books, I endured the movie because now it was almost a "right of passage." Does that make sense. Like I did all I could do as a frenzied fan, including meeting Robert Pattinson three times, that I had to see the movie AND I HAD TO LIKE IT.

Oh, and now with the filming of New Moon underway, you best believe that I will be using my connections to see the set and meet the cast again. Mm hmm. That's just how I roll.

That 'stache is killin' 'em.

2008-11-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

(Take that Sarah Palin).
Hey, hey now. Still on a trip high. Still Skyping with my ladies on the regular (any Skypers out there? IT IS THE BEST THING EVER). Amy Howe is our lovely traveling photographer and all of the pix are edited by her as well. She is fantastic.

But now here are some 'stache pix. They make-a-me smile. Remember the last time I did 'stache pix was with Olivia and Ella. Same idea, different age group. Sometimes it's important to act like a kid and dance and smile and laugh your arse off for four days straight.

Smile

2008-11-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, still comes back to me in lil' pieces here and there. Hear a song, get a giggle, say a phrase, makes me smile. Dang it. Why do the ladies who have gotten to know me so much better than those that I have known for years have to be all over the freaking place?

Songs from the weekend...
Krazy-Pitbull
Single Ladies-Beyonce
Swing-Savage
Kevin Rudolph-Let it Rock
Do You Really Want Me-Robyn

Craziest things said this weekend...
"What to do when Timmy Steals a Tuque"
"She was vibrating like she had epilepsy"
"You got that right"
followed by
"The Cullens don't come here"
followed by
"You'll get it next time"

Places that I visited that will always remind me of my girls about Town
Multnomah Falls
Portland City Grill-Table by a window, please
Fascinations for at least an hour

Saddest part of the weekend
Getting dropped off at the airport. We all agreed that it was like the last episode of Real World where the roomies start leaving one by one. And it gets sadder and sadder and sadder.

So looking forward to next year! Gotta get a job just to support this Portland habit I have!

Portland was awesome

2008-11-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

Loved my girl time. Geez, needed it like crazy. Miss my girls like crazy too!

My brother-in-law

2008-11-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

Deployed for Afghanistan today. He is supposed to be there for the next 9-12 months. He leaves a new-ish wife of 3 years, a 2 year-old son and a 12 year-old daughter in the States. My friends, readers and lurkers, if you are the praying type. Add him to your list. It will be a long road for him and his family who have to keep moving and functioning like he is still here.

I will add a picture of the big guy, who gets on my nerves 60% of the time, later.

Being a lil' domestic

2008-10-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

been cooking three times a week (which includes dessert of some sort), busted out the sewing machine to mend some things. Did a Halloween banner for the front door. Working on a few embroidery projects for Christmas gifts this year. Mapped out my quilt that I am making for the girls.

What's wrong with me?

Two of a kind

2008-10-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

Really. Justin and the girls share the same crazy sense of humor. They are always up tot he same shenanigans. They really make me laugh a lot.

They button!

2008-10-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

The motivation jeans I blogged about last month that were one size smaller...THEY BUTTON. I still gotta work on the muffin top BUT THEY BUTTON! That is all. You can go about your business now.

Whad'ya do when your kid is this cute?

2008-10-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

You put them in modeling of course...

Church Camp

2008-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

No I never went. Not my cup of tea. But last night via Skype chat a group of girls and I got to talking about our toys growing up.

We all had Cabbage Patch Kids, and the gals thought it hilarious that I had to have a white CPK first until they came out with the Black ones.

Then we started talking Barbie and Ken. And how we'd make Barbie and Ken re-enact what we thought in our 8, 9 and 10 year old minds that adults did in bed.

All except, for Katie. Katie shared that her Barbie and Ken doll used to be at Church Camp and then would sneak away to hold hands under the bridge. Until her dirty cousin came over to her house and showed her how to take Ken's clothes off and then a whole new world was opened up to her!

I almost died last night from laughing like a donkey. Katie, you crack me up.

November GET HERE FAST!

2008-10-09T08:18:00.001-07:00

Liv is BIG

2008-10-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, she officially turns five on Tuesday but we celebrated in a small way on Saturday.

Olivia's 5th Birthday!

This is for real

2008-10-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Funny maybe only to me

2008-10-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

So, when we moved to the "Bay Area" Justin likes to bring up things like the fact that E-40 (a rapper) is From Oakland, as well as MC Hammer. Well, it turns out that MC Hammer, real name Stanley Burrell, actually lives in Tracy. What's that you say, Hammer lives in Tracy? Mm hmmm, I know that's right. So armed with this info, Justin has been perusing his blog, googling his name and looking up info on Wikipedia. We are always on a fancy car look out too. When we pass a Hummer, "bet Hammer drives one of those." Or the blinged out Cadillac Escalade, "bet that's Hammer right now."

Hammer went bankrupt in the 90s and has slowly been rebuilding his money and his career. He is a pastor now, hosts Gospel Music Competitions and also is a host of something called Battle Jam. We have looked at the churches in our area too, trying to figure out if he preaches at one. But alas after 3 months nothing.

I have been working out a gym lately (stay with me here). I go because there is an awesome class called Zumba. It is a Latin with hip hop infused cardio class. LOVE IT! One of the women that I see there all the time and I started the friendly gym banter..."Girl, you're gonna make it through" and "keep breathing." You know, encouraging. Tuesday's class left us all in line while they tried to fix a condensation problem in the studio they use. We got to talking. She looks really young so I was surprised when she told me she has 5 kids. Three boys, two girls. She told me her name. All that good stuff. Well I have always liked this women. Like I get a good vibe from her.

After the gym I was led to sit in front of Big Mac and look up Stanley Burrell's info on Wikipedia again...As I looked at the info here it what I found...

He lives in Tracy, California, with his wife Stephanie and five children, three boys and two girls.

What the Sam Hill? Yes, the woman I was talking to was named Stephanie and she did have five kids, three boys and two girls. It's her you all. I work out with MC Hammer's wife at the gym.

I know, who cares? I care. I told Justin that I found MC Hammer and I needed to be given a rest from my wifely and momly duties for the rest of the year. HAHAHA. Sigh. Good times.