yo! momster raps

Old MacDonald?

2011-10-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Lila is quite the singer these days. She even makes up her own words as she goes along :)

Her favorite songs are Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle, The ABC song, and Wheels on the Bus. I'll try and get another rendition next time!

I've Been Vaughan-Deadlied...

2011-09-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

This is straight from the namesake of my son Vaughn, one of my favorite Australians, and he also happens to be in my favorite Australian band (if not one of my all time favorite bands), The Goons of Doom. He has a great blog, Vaughan Deadly, that makes me crack up every time I read it.

Thanks for the flattering likeness Blakey!

Rocket ship Park

2011-08-23T23:18:00.001-07:00

The kid's favorite park is this one Vaughn likes to call rocket ship park in Laguna Beach. I love it too. It's huge, there is something for every age kid, it has bathrooms, AND it's completely fenced in. Not to mention it's beautiful and there are plenty of shady spots to sit and watch the kids play.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'm a Shoe!

2011-08-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

My very talented friend Celine, aka The Shoe Girl, just launched her own shoe line called Cece L'amour, and she named one of the pairs after me! Juli!

I feel incredibly special.

And it's a gorgeous shoe too!

Thanks Celine and congratulations on such a gorgeous line! xoxo

Check out some more on her blog The Shoe Girl, or mylifeinheels.com

MIA

2011-08-16T22:34:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I have been a little depressed lately and haven't felt much like blogging. So here are some instagram photos that I love to fill in the blanks. Hopefully I will be back to normal soon. I'm starting a new medication for anxiety and depression tomorrow and I start school full time on the 29th! So I better get better!

I cheated, this isn't from instagram, but it's an awesome picture from our trip to the Long Beach Aquarium!

(I'm just slightly obsessed with the instagram app after FINALLY getting my first iPhone :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Date Night

2011-07-21T11:02:00.001-07:00

Willie and I went out for the usual sushi dinner and drinks last night, just not at the usual place. We decided to switch it up and went to The Lab in Costa Mesa. We had drinks first at Habana, then sushi at Zipangu. I hadn't been there in years and honestly didn't even know if it was the same owner, but we were both pleasantly surprised. The service was fantastic and the sushi rolls we ordered were really good. I got one called the vampire roll that had crispy garlic bits sprinkled over the top. I was seriously in heaven. After dinner we headed to Buffalo Exchange to just be silly but we both ended up finding some awesome stuff. I left with a cute red t shirt and an amazing Betsy Johnson dress for 25 bucks. Psyched! It was a really nice date night. Something different. Can't wait for next week :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This Book Is Priceless.

2011-07-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hilarious. You have to read this if you have children or you have ever taken care of children. Seriously so funny.

Find it here for cheap!

(or give me your email and I can email you a PDF version :)

I'm an Auntie!

2011-07-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

My sister had her baby on July 13th!

Welcome to the world miss Lily Winter Fox!

She is a quarter Mexican, and Mexican tradition, as well as the Native American she has from both sides of the family, dictates she should have two middle names. So this is where the Winter Fox comes in. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and 19 inches long. A bunch of dark hair too! It's so exciting to be an aunt and so different from being a mom. I love her so much and I can't wait to see what kind of person she will be.

Just Kidding... Kinda.

2011-06-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my indecisiveness. Willie deals with it every day so he has sympathy for you.

So, I made a different decision. Turns out I'm not quite ready to part with the blog yet, so I decided to keep this one for things that are just about myself, and make another private one for things about the kids. So continue to let me know if you will be interested in the one about the kids, and I will add you to the list.

Thanks!

Anyone?

2011-06-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

I will be making this blog private by the end of the week. Anyone who would like to keep reading, however infrequent the posts may be, leave a comment and I'll add you to the list.

Thanks!

Bye Bye Blogger

2011-06-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

This day has almost come a few times before, but it is finally here at last.

I'm over the blog.

I may still do some posts here and there, but for the most part, I have moved on. I don't have time anymore! I started school full time, and with the kids and the husband and the house, free time is just too precious these days!

I will also be making this blog private from now on, so if you are a friend or family member, or friend of my hubby's and would like to keep on keepin' on, email me, Willie, or hit me up on facebook and I will add you to the list.

Thanks everyone- it's been fun!

xoxo

I Wuv You!

2011-06-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Vaughn on Vacation

2011-05-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Vaughn is currently on his first vacation sans parental units!

Uncle Joey and Aunt Mimi took him to Florida to visit Lala and Grandpa, his cousins Luke and Savanah, and Aunt Jessie and Uncle P.L., as well as lots of extended family. He was just there with us early last month, but he had so much fun he couldn't wait to go back. We are really missing him, but also enjoying our one on one time with little miss Lila Dove. We took her camping in our new tent in the backyard last night, and she gets to take Vaughn's place in school all week, so she isn't too sad she had to stay behind. Lala sent me some photos from the last few days, and they are so cute, I had to share.

Vaughn caught his first fish with Uncle Joey! A puffer! (those get thrown back)

showin' off his catch with Grandpa

building sand castles with Mimi

fishing with his cousins Luke and Savanah

this one is getting framed. I love it!

being serenaded by Grandpa in the bath tub

Thanks to the Florida family and Joey & Mimi for taking such great care of our little bubba. Love you guys!

He Said What?

2011-05-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Me: "Let's get some apples. We'll get some of these right here. They are called Pink Lady apples."

Vaughn: "Where are the 'red boy' apples?"

(cue the drums!)

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

Silly Serpents

2011-05-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

Vaughn wanted to hang out with me today instead of going to school, so Lila went to school in his place. We decided to go check out the reptile zoo down the street. He goes with his school a lot and loves it, and I hadn't been in years, so it sounded fun. It is pretty great even if it is a little over priced. (5 bucks per person, 4 bucks for worms to feed the swimming turtles & fish, 3 bucks for veggies to feed the giant tortoises, although I can imagine it's probably pretty expensive upkeep for all of those reptiles). Vaughn chose the worms, and they give you a plastic container filled with meal worms and a big pair of tweezers to pluck them out with. As you can probably imagine, it was really entertaining to watch. There are tons and tons of snakes, lizards, turtles, and frogs from all over the world. There is even a two headed rat snake from Texas named "Thelma & Louise". The giant monitor lizards are pretty cool, and there are some water monitors up at the front that hang out with the swimming turtles. Sometimes they can be found roaming the store. Check out Prehistoric Pets if you are ever in the mood to make your skin crawl or freak out your kids!

Vaughn with "Twinkie," the 350 lb, 20 ft long albino python, proclaimed as the "biggest snake in the world"

this guy was very interested in Vaughn

Backyard Color Splash

2011-05-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hot weather calls for fun outdoor activities. Cue craft paints and ikea easel.

she takes her work seriously

redecorating the slide

glad some actually got on the paper

Osama Rama Ding Dong

2011-05-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

I'm usually not one to quote anything biblical whatsoever, but after all the crazy partying I saw on the news all over America last night, I thought this one was appropriate:

"Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles" Proverbs 24:17

It's like laughing when you see someone you hate trip and fall and then while you're standing there laughing, a bird shits on you or a car drives by and splashes mud on you. What goes around seems to come back around.

I think if more people had some class and a general respect for nature and humanity, the world we live in would be a much better place.

Wedding Photos!

2011-04-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

Finally got my hands on some wedding photos! Not many, but better than nothin'!

the beautiful bride!

My Dad and Bri

Me and my Dad

My Dad cutting in on the bride and groom's dance with Lila

towards the end of the festivities... I did a costume change

The Hubster and me

Annie (honorable bridesmaid) and bridesmaid Cristina

Uncle Paul, my dad and cousin Angela/ring bearer

Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on more soon!

Let Sleeping Children Lie

2011-04-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

I never get tired of snapping photos of my napping kids. They are so cherub-like when they are asleep.

kids that play together, nap together :)

this one reminds me of another photo from when she was a lot smaller...

Not much has changed, other than a lot more hair, and a lot more attitude!

Wedded Bliss

2011-04-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

buttons Willie and I made for the wedding guests

Apologies first and foremost, I have no pictures yet. Our camera still has sand in it from about 6 months ago, and we haven't done anything about it yet. So I used my sister's and my dad's cameras at the wedding and therefore must wait until they get around to downloading the photos.

The wedding was amazing!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, which actually says a lot, seeing as one week ago in Julian there was snow covering the ground. The ceremony was performed by a spiritual shaman kinda guy, and some strange things happened during it, which just furthers my beliefs in the whole spiritual nature sort of thing. Horses down the hill were neighing throughout the vows (but not at all the rest of the two days we were there), a big hawk came in and circled right when he thanked the spirit of the hawk, and it went from completely still and blazing hot, to a nice calm breeze when he called upon the directions of the world. Coincidence? Maybe... but strange all the same!

My sister looked gorgeous, the guests were happy, the food was great, and the day was perfect. Except for the fact that the "ring bear" had a melt down 5 minutes before the ceremony started so we had to find a last minute ring bearer. My cousin Angela got to do it and was so excited to be apart of the wedding party, so it all worked out in the end. Lila also fell asleep about 10 minutes before the ceremony, so she wasn't apart of it either, but we had two flower girls, so we were all set with that one.

I'm really glad it's all over and I can take a breath now. I was really stressing on it all for some reason. I think it was really important for me because she is my little sister and I wanted her day to be perfect. Also I didn't have the traditional wedding, so it was really fun for me to get to be apart of one.

Congratulations to Jesse and Briana! Love you guys!

Goin' to the Chapel...

2011-04-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

My sister is getting married this weekend! So needless to say, I have been extremely busy getting all the last minute projects and things done. I made her a garter out of some antique lace trim I found on Etsy and some blue velvet ribbon. It was my first one and I ended up hand stitching the whole thing so it took me quite awhile, but it turned out really great I think. I also made over a basket for Lila, the little flower girl, and used a lot of the leftover garter stuff. It all worked out perfectly in the end. Now I'm about to start on the wedding gifts... two throw pillows. I'm all about pillows since I started sewing on a machine finally. I've really gotten it down and they have been coming out nicely. If you are a close friend or family member, you have probably gotten a pillow by now from me. After this, I'm going to start something new. I think I'm going to do stuffed animals for awhile.

On to the wedding! It's being held at a really cute and cozy inn up in Julian, California on Saturday. I'm the maid of honor and I'm so excited because it's my first wedding, except for my own of course. Briana picked out this long dress for me to wear but I had to shorten it. Long dresses aren't my thing. So I hemmed it to just above my knees but left the back a little bit longer. It turned out great! The back of the dress is the best part. If only I could erase my very first tattoo then I'd be set. It's a horrible star with a banner around it at the top of my back smack in the middle. It's like a high rise tramp stamp! And of course the straps happen to form a little window right around it. I even thought about going to Sephora and buying some of that Kat Von D tattoo cover up, but it's pretty expensive and I don't care that much.

The kids are also in the wedding. I already mentioned Lila will be the flower girl, along with Bri's new niece, and Vaughn is going to be the ring bear. No, I didn't spell that wrong. We actually got him a little bear suit. It was pretty much the only way we could guarantee he would willingly be in the wedding and walk down the aisle. And even that is going to be a stretch with the bear suit on. I'm thinking it's going to be more like running down the aisle and playing keep away with the rings. Let's hope not!

Lila's flower girl basket

I'll post photos next week after the excitement dies down. I also have a bunch of photos from our trip last week to Florida but I've been busy so I'll try and post those next week as well.

A Little Late...

2011-04-01T04:58:00.000-07:00

But remember that news I was going to share that was a possible life changing experience?

I didn't want to say what it really was and possibly jinx it, but since it's not going to happen, here it is.

We thought we might possibly be making a big move to Australia, but alas, we are set to stay in Costa Mesa after all. We are a little bummed, but we also knew this was a large possibility and didn't allow ourselves to get too excited at the prospect.

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Well it should because this all happened over a year or two ago. Which is why, this time around, we were ready for the bad news.

One of these days we will be changing our surroundings, but this time, like the last, wasn't meant to be.

Feeling Green

2011-03-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

I was really in the mood for some greenery on this blog. Can you tell? Green is my favorite color, next to purple so it was bound to happen sooner or later. I think I'm really excited for the weather to start getting better and for Spring to be here. I can already check off spring cleaning from my list, so next up is planting something. I am loving honeysuckle at the moment. I want to smell it all of the time. I wish it grew better indoors so I could! I bought a little honeysuckle wreath at Trader Joe's for 6 bucks and it's really great. I just need to figure out where to plant it. On the books for this weekend is The Getty on Sunday. I'm going with some classmates to get extra credit for Art History. Should be fun!

The kids have taken to running around and screaming like banshees until 9 o'clock every night and we are now wrestling them to bed. Gone are the good ol' days of crying it out. Sometimes we actually try and watch a movie but we have to pause it so often it just isn't quite the same. We were trying to watch Nowhere Boy earlier which is why I am blogging now. Seems like it will be a great movie once we actually get to see it.

I have my Human Sexuality midterm next week so I might try and get some studying done tonight. Key word there: might. I got an A on my Art History test though last night! Winning! (sorry but Charlie Sheen makes me happier than ice cream sundaes these days)

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

He Said What?

2011-03-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

V-"I wish I had a baby rabbit."

Me- "What would you name it if you had one?"

V- "Baby. Like Lila."

Animal Testing

2011-03-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of an Animal Testing Facility.

The reason they use rabbits for animal testing is because they are the only animal who can not flush chemicals out of their eyes without using aids like water or their paws.

Next time you buy cosmetics or hair spray or anything in the beauty section - choose the brands that are NOT tested on animals.

Here’s a hint: Loreal are the worlds biggest cosmetic animal testers, and Garnier isa sub-company of Loreal.

If you have trouble finding out who tests on animals and who doesn’t, google is at your fingertips.

Reblog to raise awareness.

New Blog

2011-03-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a new blog which may or may not turn out to be total crap. Like I really need a new one, I barely keep up with this one! But the new one would be a lot easier to keep up due to the subject matter. I have gotten to the point where I feel like I need to do new blog posts on here because I'm supposed to, not because I want to. The whole blog thing for me is just another fun way to be creative, vent when I need to, as well as share the family news with friends and family members who I know read this. If the other blog comes through, I don't know if I'll keep this one up or not. I probably will. We'll see. It would help if I had my own computer and didn't have to fight with Willie over computer time. But that's never going to happen. So I'll just keep slacking off on the blog posts until then.

Oh and I haven't forgotten about the life changing news that I should be unveiling soon. We should be hearing this week... stay tuned!

Lala & Grandpa Babysit

2011-03-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

We decided to take advantage of Willie's parents being in town last week so we had a date night last Wednesday. We used some credit card points and booked a room for free at the Westin in Long Beach and met our friends for an amazing sushi dinner. Even hit up the bar afterwards but managed to be back to the hotel by 11:30. We just can't live it up like we used to. It was a really nice night though and we are thankful that Willie's parents didn't mind staying with the kids. They just sent us some photos they took while they were at the park the next day:

Cutie pies. I love them.

Thanks Lala and Grandpa!

Countdown 14 Days...

2011-02-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

...Until we hear the verdict of what could possibly be a completely major and life changing experience.

Don't you just love a good cliff hanger?

Until then, enjoy a drunk baby trashing a bar.

OMG Brain Overload

2011-02-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

SOOO much stuff has been going on in the last few weeks that I feel like I need to crawl into a cave and hibernate for awhile. There has been a never ending cold/flu going around that I just can't seem to shake, relatives in town, school stuff, and helping my sister plan her wedding! Yay! Her boyfriend asker her to marry him two days before Valentine's Day and since she is already 5 months pregnant, we have had to put the wedding plans into high gear so she won't be humongous on her wedding day. We went dress shopping and she has already found her dress, as well as booked an amazing place in Julian, California for the ceremony and reception. It has been so much fun helping her plan everything, but very hard for me to not stress out over. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not the one getting married and it's not the end of the world if things aren't done the way I would like them to be. I'm such a planner though, it's impossible for me to not get frazzled.

Bri trying on a wedding dress. Not the one she went with though.

Horse that pulls the carriage in Julian flashing me his pearly whites

Today also marks day two of Lila going to school with Vaughn. This isn't going to be a regular thing, but another little girl was gone all week so Lila was able to take her place. She has been great and I have been loving the break since I have had so much to do all week. She brought home her first few art projects as well as a face and clothes full of pink paint. She is 18 months on the dot today. Growing up so fast! Vaughn was pretty jealous of the attention she was getting and acted out all day, but his teacher said that is completely normal and he will grow out of it. Let's hope so!

Fooling around at the doctor's office

Having fun at Kmart

Addicted to Goldfish

Asleep in the bag

Yesterday I got to go sit in on my friend's Art class at Wilson High School in Long Beach. She is student teaching there for the rest of the semester and it was really fun and enlightening to be able to see someone I have known for so long in the role of a high school teacher. I think it is really something I would like to do one day. Needless to say, I'm leaning a lot more towards Art History than Nursing right now. It's not the most practical thing to do, but then again, I can't always be practical. I ultimately need to do what makes me happy. I believe that will lead me to the most success in life.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend and relaxing at home with my family. Hope you all have a nice relaxing weekend as well.

Art Nurse?

2011-02-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

So I started school again last week and I am loving it! It's so awesome to be taking classes ~~that aren't math~~ that are actually interesting to you! I even have one class that I have to actually go to school for (versus the online thing I have been doing) and it is amazing. It's Art History 101 from the Proto Renaissance to the 19th Century. My teacher was born and raised in Athens and went to school for 7 years in Florence, Italy for art history and architecture. Needless to say she is very cultured and knows what she is talking about and makes every moment of the class extremely interesting. The only bad part about it is it has really began to cloud my future plans. Art has always been my passion. But I have a family now and realistically, we would be much better off with two means of income instead of one. Which is why I am going back to school, and one of the main reasons I chose nursing. It's a sure thing. It's also important to me to have a career that I could take anywhere in the world. Lots of people have said I can just be a nurse and have art as a hobby. I just don't know if that would be enough. I feel like I would have regrets later in life.

Has anyone ever heard of a double major: Nursing & Art History? Ha. I wish! I think I'm just scared to start something that I might not finish. I wouldn't want to waist time and money on nursing school only to figure out later that it's really not for me. I guess I'll just have to take that chance. Maybe I could do nursing first and then take a class at a time and work on my B.A. in art history?

That sounds like crazy talk!

What to do, what to do. I guess I don't need to figure it all out now. But I'm one of those people who likes to put my ducks in a row and keep on checking them to make sure they are still in line. (i.e. crazy).

Want It Wednesday

2011-02-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

I've really been craving dresses lately. I wish I could wear one every day but that just isn't practical for me. I still wouldn't mind owning a few of these little numbers though.

Mod Over Matter dress from Modcloth

Ipso Facto dress from Modcloth

Noon Train to Cairo Dress from Modcloth

Cooperative Printed Bow Tie-back Dress from Urban Outfitters

and

Cooperative Linen Day Dress from Urban Outfitters

Now to go find some cute shoes to go with them!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2011-02-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

I've always had a thing for foxes so this video is right up my alley.

Love it.

Want It Wednesday

2011-02-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I kill myself looking at Modcloth all the time but I can't help it. I've been obsessed with two tops there that I'm convinced I need in my closet. So I stop by to visit them every day and see how they are fairing without me.

Top #1

Up in the Heirloom top by BB Dakota- which concerns me a little because their stuff always seems to have a weird fit.

Top #2

Pure Refreshment Top by Moon Collection. I love the color and the Peter Pan collar. So cute.

Friday Favorite

2011-01-28T14:46:00.000-08:00

Just saw this on A Beautiful Mess...

Love it! I love the red, but I would probably get it in black. I like my accessories to blend in. Such a cute little etsy shop. She also sells really nice felt for the serious crafters out there. I'm glad I found her!

Check out the Giant Dwarf shop here.

Bibbity Bobbity Boo

2011-01-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

This morning Vaughn asked if we could watch a movie about scary dragons and princesses and kings that fight the dragons. So I put on Sleeping Beauty and he's hooked. So awesome.

I love that my kids love Disney as much as I do. It was a big part of my growing up years because my mom worked at Walt Disney Travel and used to take us to Disneyland every weekend for free. We would pack lunches and eat them on Tom Sawyer's Island and have an amazing time. Once she took us to see a screening of The Fox and the Hound at a theater on Main Street USA (they used to give showings of movies for employees and their families there for free) and when we walked out they were doing a run through of the Electrical Parade. We stopped and watched and the guy riding the giant dragon stopped and waved to us. We felt so special.

Saturday my mom took me and the kids to Disneyland for her birthday, but it felt like it was all of our birthdays that day! We ate a bunch of junk, got to buy little fun presents and stayed the entire day, about 12 and a half hours! The kids were incredibly well behaved and had an amazing time. Vaughn loved all of the rides too. We went on Pirates twice, Autopia twice, the submarines, the rockets, Casey Jr.'s Train, the Buzz Lightyear blaster ride, Snow White, Tea Cups (Vaughn didn't like that one), and against my better judgement, took them on my old stomping grounds, the Haunted Mansion, and they were actually fine and quite liked it. At the end of the day however, we were on the bus ride back to the parking lot and my mom asked Vaughn what his favorite ride was. He replied, "this one!" Meaning the bus. Great. Next time the kids ask if they can go to Disneyland, I'm making a bee-line for the closest bus stop!

Sugar highs are a must at Disneyland!

Vaughn about to blow up Toon Town

Jail Time

Nice break on the train ride

Yes, I wore the ridiculous Minnie ears all day long. That's part of the fun though when you have kids, being silly!

so bummed that It's A Small World was closed!!! Kids would've loved it

No Mom, ducks don't eat cotton candy!

Lila made out like a bandit, two dolls and an R2D2 light up spinner thingy

Casey Jr.'s Train

Vaughn and Lila have never seen Pinocchio so they were pretty confused as to who this guy was.

There is a great photo of us at the end of the day with Mickey and Minnie but it's on a different camera. I'll upload it when I can.

Have a great week!

LA Outing With the Kids

2011-01-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what got into us, but Saturday morning Willie and I both woke up and felt like taking the kids up to LA for the day. I had really been wanting to take Vaughn to the Natural History Museum so he could see the dinosaur skeletons and all the animals and I figured it would be a perfect place to let the kids run around and be themselves. It was actually a toss up between that and the Griffith Park Observatory but we decided to save that for another day.

Vaughn loved the triceratops skeleton and the T Rex behind it.

After the museum we headed to our friend Ali's for a snack/beer break and then it was off to the most family friendly restaurant we were willing to go to.

Shakey's!

It wasn't too bad, except it was Saturday night, so it was pretty crowded. But the kids love "playing" the games, and getting tickets and prizes and it's worth it to not deal with them crying and whining.

yay tickets! So let's see... 10 bucks gets you a bouncy ball, a princess crown, some army men and a styrofoam airplane. Not bad!

Yeah, our kid like his sippy cup in a beer koozie. Go figure.

The kids playing on Ali's kitty lounger

After Shakey's we figured the night was still young (it was around 7pm) so we made one final stop at a party at the Volcom Store on La Brea so Willie could say hi and show his face at a work function. He doesn't make it to too many "parties" anymore now that he's a family man so people were glad to see him out and about. Luckily for us, there was a big tub of chocolate chip cookies next to the bigger tub of Pabst so we were all happy for the time being. Some guy was playing acoustic guitar and singing so Vaughn was super stoked on seeing him as his new wish is to be a rock star and play guitar like Heavy Metal Mater. So we stayed for about an hour until the kids got bored and decided to start heading home.

All in all, it was an awesome day, the kids were totally great and we all got to do a little something to make each of us happy.

Vaughn staking out his bum hole on La Brea

Nap Time

2011-01-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

She loves her animals!

Screwdriver In The Ear

2011-01-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

What do you do when your previously perfect sleeper turns into a 4am screamer? Every night this past week Lila has woken up around 4am and started screaming "Mama" in her nastiest screaming voice. I went in there the first time thinking she had a nightmare or something and she doesn't just go back to sleep. She proceeds to roll around on my head, try and put her hands in my mouth or my nose or my eyes, sit on my head and bounce, and pretty much every other thing a baby pro wrestler would do. Not pleasant. Definitely not making me want to go in there again the next night.

Last night I tried to have a game plan which consisted of just ignoring it. But it lasted a good 30 to 40 minutes before Willie couldn't stand it and went in to comfort Babyzilla. He's leaving for two weeks next Friday and I'm really dreading having to deal with this one on my own. I hope she just gets over it. Maybe it's because she has a stuffy nose? All I know is this had better be a stage or we are going to have a major problem.

UPDATE: Took her to the doctor today and Lila has an ear infection. Duh. Seriously, every time she starts waking up in the middle of the night, it's because she has an ear infection. Poor little thing. Hope it clears up soon so we can all get some sleep!

New Vocabulary

2011-01-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

Palinschmerz.

I am not, nor will I ever be as eloquent with my thoughts as the wonderful Sister Wolf, so I'll let her do the talking.

Check it out here.

E I E I O

2011-01-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

We went to visit Centennial Farm today after we heard some news that around 24 baby animals had been born in the last two days. Vaughn's loves little pink pigs so he couldn't wait to see them. I love that there is something that is so much fun for the kids and is close to the house and it's all free to boot.

There ended up being two new baby goats (whose mother isn't producing enough milk for them so they are going to have to separate them and bottle feed them), two baby cows (my favorite), 17 baby pigs (5 of which came from another pig that died in childbirth because she was unable to deliver most of her babies because they were too big. So sad!!!), a baby lamb and lots of baby chicks (too many to count).

There are lots of other animals there and a giant garden with every fruit and vegetable you could imagine. It's such a nice and refreshing place to visit.

We also went to the new Great Park in Irvine last weekend to check it out. We had been hearing bits and pieces from friends about how cool it is, and that it's all free so we went to see what it's all about. The only part that is open is Preview Park but it's still definitely worth checking out. They have a visitor center where you can see all of the plans for the future Great Park, as well as check out all sorts of different balls (basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, etc.), vending machines, and the sign up to go on the balloon ride and carousel.

We went on the balloon ride which was super cool. It takes you 400 feet up in the air and you can see everything. The kids loved it. I'm a tiny bit afraid of heights and it wasn't that bad. I felt really safe.

Other than that, kids are good, potty training with Vaughn is going awesomely, and it's almost Friday so I'm happy. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

A Little Worried...

2011-01-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

(update at bottom)

Warning: the following may contain some female information that may or may not be TMI.

So I have had my IUD in for about a year now (I'm using Mirena) and as of around 8 months ago I began having regular periods. They start right at the end of every month like clockwork. Except for this last month. It is now January 10th and there is no period. I am a freak so I went and bought a pregnancy test on Saturday night so I could hopefully gain some peace of mind. Not so. It came up negative... which just lead me to wonder what the hell is going on. It's probably nothing, just the stupid Mirena being weird and screwing things up. But I'm still a little worried. Kids are amazing and great and all, but 3!?! I don't think I'm ready for three kids. Just to be safe, I'm calling the doctor. Keep your fingers crossed.

In other news, Vaughn FINALLY decided he was ready for potty training. Man is he stubborn. We decided to do the night time training at a later date because it's just too much. Peeing his pants during the day is one thing, but peeing the bed in the middle of the night when he shares a room with Lila or if he is sleeping in our bed?? No way. Not right now anyway. Too bad Lila isn't talking more, or she'd be potty training right along with Vaughn. She's almost ready for it. Anything Vaughn does, she wants to do. She has used the potty a few times but hasn't quite gotten down letting us know when she has to go.

School starts on the 31st so I'll be back to my mega busy self. Until then, maybe I can manage to get some projects done and actually take some pictures!

UPDATE: My doctor called this morning and told me to take a pregnancy test just to be sure (done) but not to worry because it is apparently common for women to stop getting their periods at some point while on Mirena. Yippee for me!

Too Late For Resolutions?

2011-01-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

I didn't really get into the swing of New Year's with the whole resolution thing, but I have some time now to think about it. I think my number one resolution is going to be to balance my school work and family life a little better. When I started out last semester, I was pretty much doing all my school work after the kids went to bed, or during their nap times. Then I started to get lazy and began doing a lot of my school work during the day while the kids watched cartoons and played. I don't want that to happen as much this time around. I need to get more regimented with my days so I don't get lazy again. I'm such a procrastinator it's horrible.

My other resolution is to find ways to give Willie and myself more time to do the things we both enjoy doing on our own. Willie hasn't really gotten to ride his motorcycle at all in the last few months, although he has been surfing a lot more. I FINALLY figured out my new sewing machine, and I LOVE it. I can't believe how easy it is! It looks so much scarier and complicated than it really is. So I definitely want to be able to have time for little projects here and there, as well as painting when I can.

Of course, more exercise and eating better are always on the list. As well as writing more blog entries!

I hope everyone has a great 2011!

Oh, and as far as the world ending on December 21st, 2012, this about sums up what I think of that:

Party Cake 2011

2010-12-31T20:11:00.000-08:00

Happy almost New Year!

We are staying in tonight to celebrate low key with the kids. So I thought I'd make a cake. We have been trying the gluten free route lately and luckily for me, there is gluten free boxed cake mix that tastes amazing. I think it's actually better than regular boxed cake mix. Since it's New Year's Eve, I thought I'd mix it up and do a crazy party cake. So one layer is yellow cake, one layer is devil's food (for Vaughn) and it has strawberry "mist" frosting in the center and rainbow chip frosting on the outside. Yum! So along with some sparkling cider, champagne cocktails for me, and board games we will have a great evening.

Hope everyone stays safe tonight and I will see you all next year!

Home In Time For Christmas

2010-12-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

My Grandmother passed away Thursday, December 16th around 8:30 am. My mom called me crying and told me to hurry down there because my grandma was struggling to breath. The hospice nurse was there making her as comfortable as possible. We all knew this was coming, but it feels so completely different than I anticipated it to feel. I think it feels so much more final because I saw her body before the cremation people came to take her away. I never got to see my Grandpa before he passed away so I feel like he's just on a long trip and I'll see him again someday.

The service is Thursday and there is so much to do. Picture/memory boards, writing a eulogy, baking cookies, phone calls. My head is swirling. And all right before Christmas. My Grandma really wanted to be with my Grandpa for Christmas this year I guess! I'm glad she is. It makes me feel good to know they are together. We will all be thinking of them both throughout the holidays and we'll have a good time celebrating their lives.

Lilasaurus

2010-12-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

This girl can do a mean T Rex impression!

Ooh La La

2010-12-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why, but I've been thinking of the past a lot lately. Little things will remind me of people I used to know and I will start thinking about them and the events surrounding them. For instance, a few days ago I drove by my old community college and it reminded me of my first real boyfriend who used to meet me there for lunch. We met when I was still 17, right before my 18th birthday. I broke up with him after he took me to see that Robin Williams movie, What Dreams May Come, because I saw what I thought was a glimpse of "real love" in the movie and knew for a fact I would never have that with Matt. So I figured I shouldn't waste anymore of his time. I still feel bad about that. Oh well.

It's funny to look back at your life and realize how little you knew about the world. I thought I knew everything then but I had scratched the surface of things. After having two children, I started to feel like I maybe don't know everything about everything, but I know everything that matters. Having a child, and then a second child gives you real world knowledge that can't be learned in a book. It's only been this past week while I have been watching death creep up to my Grandmother that I feel like I don't know anything anymore. Seeing a loved one whither away right before your eyes is harder than I ever imagined. I just don't understand why things like this always seem to be drawn out for so long or why people try to extend the inevitable. When my time comes, I hope I can have the power to say my goodbyes and press the "END" button.

Perks of Being Tiny

2010-12-02T07:33:00.000-08:00

You can fit on the bookshelf!

Lila is always into everything at my Grandma's house

Slacker

2010-12-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

Man I've been neglecting this blog like crazy! I am just so busy with life that this is literally the LAST thing on my list. My math class is taking up every second of my spare time but thankfully it will all be over on December 17th. I registered for next semester yesterday and got both classes that I wanted. College Algebra (so bummed on another math class but it's thankfully the last one I will ever have to take!) and Human Sexuality. I have to take the HS class because I took it years ago and never went to class and therefore have an F. So I need to retake it so I can replace the F with something better. So this next semester is going to be a bummer of sorts, but I will be glad when it's done! I also joined a book club and we have already finished our first book -Love is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield. I didn't like it at all, but I am glad I read it because it helped to broaden my perspective on things. I got to pick the next one (see below) so hopefully it's a good one.

In other news, my Grandma has been very sick for quite some time now. She battled breast cancer only about 6 months ago and came out of it completely better. But back in October she was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery due to a perforated ulcer and almost died. Since then she has gone dramatically down hill and the doctors told us about two weeks ago that she won't be recovering from this. It's only a matter of time. They said anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks or less depending on the circumstances. So needless to say, I've had a lot on my mind. We changed our Thanksgiving plans so we could spend the holiday at my Grandma's house. My mom is taking care of her there which is amazing because my Grandma really wants to be at home. I think if I had a choice, I would want to die at home in my own bed as well. The worst part of all of this though is that my Grandma doesn't know that she is dying. So she'll say things like, "I can't wait to get out of this bed and take the dog for a walk!" It's really hard to hear. But it's nice that she still has her same spunky spirit right up 'til the end.

My Grandma, Shirley Dene

I painted this for my Grandma so she would have something nice and warming to look at from her bed. I copied it from a couple of posters I found online and made it into my own version.

So forgive me for the neglect. I will try and post more when I can find the time. Hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far.

Belated Birthday Photos

2010-11-19T15:03:00.000-08:00

ponytail not a bowl cut

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with me!

Summer & Ron, Celia & Dustin, Wade & Maggie, Pete & Lauren, John & Kara, and especially the best hubby in the whole world. Love you!

Dia De Los Muertos

2010-11-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

Just a couple photos from Halloween weekend in Mexico:

Face paint practice for Halloween. Vaughn insisted on a blue face with a big red fish. Go figure.

love it when they act like they like each other!

I brought a pumpkin to Mexico to carve just in case we didn't get a chance to do it when we got home. Looks better there anyway!

Halloween

2010-11-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Mexico for Halloween weekend so it kind of threw us off a bit. We got home around 2pm on Sunday so we were pretty rushed to get costumes on and carve pumpkins (I only got to carve one) and we totally forgot to take pictures (other than three crappy camera phone ones). I was feeling a little spirited that evening so I decided to dress up a little and paint my face as well as Vaughn's. We had practiced with the face paint in Mexico so it went on pretty quickly. It was a great night in our neighborhood all in all. We just walked down one side of our street to the end and back again and that was plenty for all of us. Vaughn absolutely loved every second of it and Lila even walked up to a few doors, got some candy, and put it in her bag. Holidays are so much better when you have kids. They bring the magic back. Can't wait for next year!

You can't really see her wings but Lila was dressed as a lady bug and Vaughn wore glow-in-the-dark skeleton pajamas

happy halloween!

Haunted House

2010-10-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

If you have kids, or you just appreciate good detail and have a love of all things Halloween, you have to check out this book. It was brought to my attention by The Hipster Mom, and I immediately hopped over to Amazon and bought it. It is so awesome. We got it in the mail today and Vaughn was enthralled to say the least. Great read for Halloween-time, or any other time you feel like getting spooky.

This Is What Happens...

2010-10-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

When you wake up at 5am every morning!

It's killin' me.

You may have noticed a lack of pictures lately. Our camera has been broken for awhile now and I keep forgetting to look for the old one. Maybe I will do that today. This picture was taken on my crappy phone camera. My Grandma has also been very sick and in and out of the hospital so I have been a little wrapped up in that, as well as family being in town, my math class getting more intense, and the kids being their great and "spirited" selves.

So prayers for Gigi, we hope she gets better soon. Her 83rd birthday is Saturday! And I will try to get things back to normal around here. Have a great and spooky weekend!

I Hate Candy Corn

2010-10-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

But I LOVE Halloween!

I finally finished painting my little skull & crossbones sign that I got at Michael's for a buck. Not too shabby I think. I put some other sort of crappy decorations up too. I absolutely hate putting the spider webs up, but I made myself do it. I can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch with the kids and carve pumpkins next weekend! We also have our costumes pretty much in order, except for Willie, who either won't dress up or will wait to the absolute last minute. Vaughn refuses to be anything other than himself, so I just went to Old Navy and got some glow in the dark skeleton pajamas so he can look sort of dressed up. I might even be able to talk him into painting his face. Lila is going to be a lady bug and I'm going to be some sort of bunny princess. Fun stuff!

The New Family Obsession

2010-10-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Ancestry.com.
My Uncle Mark started it back in June I believe and has managed to trace our ancestors back as far as 1365, Wales. We also have a bunch of ancestors from The Netherlands, Ireland, England, and Scotland. Most, however, were born and raised in the good ol' USA, including one genuine Native American, Charlotte Dove. She was Cherokee/Choctaw and was my Great Grandfather's Grandmother. That's where I got Lila's middle name Dove. Keepin' it in the family!

I love finding out about our family history. It's so interesting to see how big the families were, where they lived and died, and some of the crazy names they would give their kids. (Dorcas!?! No thanks you!) It's also nice to have some history in writing to pass down to the kids.

Any how, Uncle Mark also got Willie's dad hooked and he was able to trace Willie's ancestors all the way back to the 1300's. So incredible! One of the most interesting family members we found ourselves related to was Sir Henry Morgan (famous Welsh pirate and namesake of Captain Morgan's Rum). It's not a direct line because he didn't ever have children, but we are related to his uncle, Sir Edward Morgan, who was also a famous buccaneer in his day. Fun stuff. You never know what's hiding in your family tree!

My grandfather Calvin as a baby, with his father, Dr. Reed. He was 64 years old when my Grandpa was born. Needless to say, it was a surprise. Thank god for it, otherwise I wouldn't be here!

Thomas Black Reed, my Grandpa's Grandfather

Charlotte Dove (not the most attractive squaw eh?)

haha. I had to throw this one in

Woo Hoo!

2010-10-16T20:16:00.001-07:00

94.7% on my first math test! Awesome!!!!

Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

2010-10-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

My first math test is tonight. I'm so freaked out I can't wait until it's over. We are allowed to have one note page (only written on one side of an 8.5x11 piece of paper) of notes for the test. Formulas and definitions only. I have been working on mine all day. I didn't know I could write so small. Wish me luck!

Happy Bday to Me

2010-10-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

I only have a few pictures from my birthday that Willie took of me so I will post more when I get them. Our camera is broken right now. It (somehow) got sand in it. So we are currently relying on Willie's iphone and our friend's cameras. Here's just one from the very end of the night. I was completely drunk but (amazingly) not sloppy. I had Willie take my picture next to Mary Pickford's star because one time in San Francisco, a homeless man told me I looked just like her. Quite the complement even though I really don't agree. Any how, it was such an amazing night. Dinner was great, food was incredible, and my friends all came out and showed me the best time ever. A perfect way to mark my 30th. Love you guys!

Dirty 30

2010-10-03T20:50:00.001-07:00

I'm turning 30 tomorrow. Yay.

I did get to have this nice tres leches cake though today.

Tomorrow night my hubster is taking me to Hollywood for a nice dinner with 15 of my good friends at a ridiculously over priced sushi joint. That will be followed by some drunken debauchery and skipping up and down Hollywood Blvd. to as many bars as we can stumble to. The best part is, we don't have to come home afterwards! We got a room at The W Hotel and Willie's mom is watching the kids until Tuesday afternoon. Pretty sweet deal. I'm excited! Not a bad way to start off 30. My family and friends are awesome and I'm a lucky lady. I asked Willie if it ever seems real that you are actually 30. He said:

"No, age is just a number. You are only as old as you feel."

I agree. I still don't feel a day over 25.

Must Read

2010-09-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

I just finished the most amazing book. It's called The Help and it's by Kathryn Stockett. It was sent to me by Willie's mom last week and I haven't been able to put it down. Last night I decided to just stay up late and finish it so I can start doing my homework again. My first math test is next week and I am SOOO not ready. So any way, you have to read this book. It's written in the perspective of African American maids in the South during the 1960's. The characters in the book are so wonderful, and the way Mrs. Stockett writes, just draws you in and makes you never want to stop reading. Thanks so much to Becky/Lala for sending this book my way!

Want It Wednesday

2010-09-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my amazing hubs, there isn't much I'm wanting right now. He took me out shopping at Fashion Island the other night and got me a few pre-birthday presents. I have been looking for something cute to wear on my big night out, (October 4th, I'm turning 30!) and now I have a few different options. Thanks babe!

Other than that, the only thing I'm wanting right now is a pair of black boots. They are so incredibly elusive. I have only seen a few pairs that I would absolutely die to wear. Most of the cute boots I see are always brown. I have a pair of brown boots already so no need for another any time soon. Money doesn't grow on trees right? :)

So I have been on the lookout for black boots for awhile, in hopes I will find the right pair right around xmas time. I know exactly what I want but every time I think I find it, there is something extra that doesn't fit for me, or they cost $500 bucks. Being a stay at home mother of two, I am not in the position to be spending $500 dollars on anything, let alone a pair of boots.

So any how, here are a few pairs I have come across that have caught my eye:

These Farrier Boots from Anthropologie. They of course cost $538 so needless to say, they are WAY out of my price range. They are perfect though.

These Candy Counter Boots, also from Anthropologie, and at $398, also out of my price range. They are very unique though, and have the little touch of brown to make them that much more versatile.

and

These Keller Riding Boots by Miz Mooz for $185, which is a tad more in my price range, but still a lot of money for me.

*while I was looking for boots, I came across this cool calendar:

Isn't it awesome? How fun to have little animal calendars walking around your desk. Cute idea. $32.99 at Modcloth.

School is Frying My Brain

2010-09-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA. I started school last month and it's so incredibly time consuming. And I'm only taking one class! It is a math class though, but still. It takes me FOREVER to finish my homework every week. It's starting to stress me out. Hopefully this will be my last math class. I am, however, very happy to be back in school. So it all balances out. Vaughn is also in school twice a week now, so that gives me a little extra time to get things done. Anyhow, just wanted to give a brief update. I'll be back with a real post and maybe some photos soon!

Want It Wednesday

2010-09-15T15:50:00.001-07:00

It's that time again. Let's see what I've been coveting this week.

Vintage fox salt & pepper shakers. I've always had a thing for foxes. From Modcloth of course.

Vintage hair comb from SusannahsCombs.com. She has an amazing collection of antique hair combs from all over. I started wearing my hair up recently and have started thinking about hair combs and why you don't see much of them anymore. I'm not much in the way of accessorizing, but this seems like an easy way to put a touch of style into your day.

And last but not least, these Oxford shoes by Deena & Ozzy at Urban Outfitters. I'm definitely not one to jump on the latest shoe trend bandwagon, but I really am liking the whole Oxford thing. These look comfy and light weight and aren't too pricey. I think the black/white would be a good choice because it goes with more, but I kinda like the flowery ones too.

And that's it for this week.

It's Willie's birthday on Sunday and we are going to DisneyLand! Woohoo! Lila's first time, and Vaughn's second time, but the first time he will actually know what's going on. We know it's going to be insanely crowded but Willie gets in free because it's his birthday, and the kids are free so we thought it would be fun. We really just can't wait to see the look on Vaughn's face when he sees all the awesome stuff there.

Random Phone Photos

2010-09-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Always have to capture the hand holding moments.

Fortunately for me, most days when Lila is super tired, she will just lie down on the floor and fall asleep.

Boxes make the best toys. Crawling in a giant moving box with Aunt Mimi.

Counting down the hours 'til Willie gets home. I'm bored and SOOOO sick of Nick Jr.

When the Cat's Away...

2010-09-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

The mice go CRAZY!!!

Willie is in Florida for a trade show until Sunday night. He left yesterday morning. So it hasn't even been two days by myself with the kids and I have a splitting headache that hasn't stopped since yesterday afternoon. I need some extra strength execedrin and a mute button for the non stop whining. And maybe a cocktail.

Want It Wednesday

2010-09-08T09:30:00.001-07:00

I pretty much stopped all the "daily" blog posts. I just got annoyed with it all. I like to blog when I feel like it. Not because it's "Take a Picture Tuesday" or "Foodie Friday," or whatever crap people are coming up with. Until I saw the "Want it Wednesday" on someone else's blog last week that is. Now this is one I can do. There is always something I want. And when I say want, it is 99.9% of the time not something I need. But with the whole W.I.W. deal, I can post the things I am coveting and get it out of my system. A little.

So anyhow, here it is:

(I have recently become aware of my obsession with bows. I never noticed it before, but going through my closet and my jewelry box, it is definitely apparent)

Want #1- vintage metal headband from Etsy

It's a little pricey for a headband at $45 bucks, but it is pretty amazing.

Want #2- This silver and black brooch from

GreatVintageJewelry.com

Want #3 Red Dress from Modcloth.com-

My favorite place to browse/daydream.

Want #4- Super cute Birdcage Dress from Modcloth again.

Want #5- Cute nautical top from -you guessed it- Modcloth.

It seems like I'm always in need of cute tops. And even though it is bow-free, I still love it.

and last, but not least,

Want #6- To stay in bed all day and watch Pay-per-view movies. Although this should probably move to Want #1.

A girl can dream, can't she?

Green Thumb

2010-09-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about summer, but I really start to get the urge to grow things. I wish this would happen in the spring when you are supposed to start planting things. But I never really do things the way you're supposed to anyway. Here's my new little garden corner:

The three pepper plants are the survivors from last summer. The middle one in the green pot isn't looking too good, but it's put out more peppers than I ever thought it would so I wouldn't be too bummed if it died. I also snuck in a little basil plant on the side of one of the flower boxes. (bottom shelf) I hate buying fresh basil because I never use it all and end up throwing most of it away so hopefully this plant will grow well with the flowers.

Apologies for the bad picture- but these are my little wild flower seedlings. I like the idea that each one is going to be a surprise. I have no idea what will sprout. I threw the seed pouch away after I planted them. The little guys are growing well though!

And last but not least, this is a replanted plumeria from my friend's backyard. He gave it to me so I would give it some TLC. Apparently he was using its pot as an ashtray. Poor little plumey. I put some beach rocks in its pot to keep it company. I'm going to have Vaughn paint them this weekend. Painted rocks make great garden decorations.

If all goes well, I want to plant some green squash somewhere in the yard. I just need to put up one of those little in-ground barriers to keep the weeds out. Our yard is running rampant with crab grass and prickly weeds. I put socks on the kids when they run through the sprinklers so they don't hurt their feet. It's pretty funny.

Lila's Party

2010-08-29T21:53:00.001-07:00

So we finally had a birthday party for one of our kids, and man, what a day. I'm exhausted. You wouldn't think that a one year old's birthday party would take much thought or planning, but when you have 30+ people and their kids coming, there was more to do than I ever imagined. I made two boxes of cupcakes and a baked macaroni and cheese casserole, Willie made some pulled pork in the crockpot and a nice 7 layer bean dip and my friend Leah made some amazing cookies that looked like pink cupcakes. It ruled. Perfect amount of food, combined with hot dogs and chips and dip. I hate party leftovers. I had a ton of little crafts for the kids to get messy with and lots of balls and baby doll carriages and things to climb on in the backyard. Any how, enough chat, I will let some photos do the rest of the talking.

the little birthday girl

birthday kiss from Jack

John is great with kids

the LA crew came all the way to hang out even though they were super hungover

(thanks guys!)

and lastly, the cupcake thief of the century.

Thanks to everyone for coming and celebrating with us. It was an awesome day!

1st Birthday Girl

2010-08-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my little Lila Dove. You bring me more happiness each day than I ever could have dreamed of. Your constant smiles make me melt and I hope you will always let me give you hugs and kisses and be my little girl. I love you always and forever.

Lila & her birthday dolly

Not quite sure about that questionably pink frosting

But, as always, all smiles in the end.

Nerd Alert

2010-08-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

Kurtis is one of my closest friends from high school, and my date for my senior prom. He has always been the friend I could nerd out with the most. Last year he took me to Star Wars in Concert for my birthday. It was a Star Wars nerd's dream. This year we are both turning 30, so for his 30th, he decided to have a Star Wars birthday party. Costumes mandatory. I instantly knew what I wanted to do for a costume so I got started on it right away. I knew it would take me a while to finish, because any time the kids see me doing something other than playing with them, they have to be right there to see what is getting my attention. So about two weeks, some fake hair and 6 tubes of fabric paint later, I finally finished my costume. Willie's was a lot easier, so it only took some borrowing of clothes and some red duct tape. Introducing Han Solo and what I like to call Princess Leia in the gold bikini after two kids and a boob job:

Birthday boy Kurtis/Luke Skywalker with his gf Thi/Princess Leia

The homemade Death Star pinata

Change is Good...

2010-08-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Most of the time. Today we are giving our home a little cleanse. Moving furniture around, getting rid of a ton of crap we don't use, and furniture we do not need. It feels great and we haven't even started yet. Willie was telling me yesterday how awesome it would be to wake up and find that everything you owned was gone. Burnt up or stolen or whatever, but gone. I think that would be nice as well. Have a clean slate. I wonder though, would I begin to accumulate a ton of crap again until it was built up to what it once was or worse? Or would I be able to fight it and live a serene and minimalist life? It would be ideal to live that way, but I think deep down, I am just another hoarder on a smaller scale.

Analyze This

2010-08-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

I write like

J. D. Salinger

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I "analyzed" my writing three times before I got a badge that I liked. I know it's cheating but who cares. It's total bullshit though because each time I analyzed something, I got a different author, and the second badge I got was J.K. Rowling and the sentence I had analyzed had the word "elf" in it. (Not to mention it would take more than a blog post or a sentence to analyze one's writing).

Thank you to Lullabies To Terrorize for the little bit of entertainment today :)

Australia Meets the Jersey Shore

2010-08-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Our friends got married last weekend out in Pala, California, at an awesome place called The Condor's Nest Ranch. The bride is an Australian native and her whole family and lots of friends flew out for the festivities. The groom is a Jersey boy so his whole family came out from the East Coast. It was a very interesting lot, but SO much fun. Both families were so amazingly warm and friendly and hilarious to say the least. There were even a couple celebrities there aka the super cute Take Home Chef dude Curtis Stone and his gf the super beautiful Lindsay Price. The ceremony was really lovely and very spiritual in the non religious sense. A female shaman performed it and had little Indian maracas that she shook in every direction while she thanked the native gods and all of their many forms. The groom came out with a top hat and tails and the bride walked down the aisle to some Aussie didgeridoo music. It was a truly unique and an absolutely beautiful wedding. One that I will never forget. Congrats to Mikey and Lena, and especially to their new little one on the way!

The beautiful bride Lena and her parents

the handsome groom Mikey and his parents

this was for Vaughn- he loves fire trucks as does every other 2 year old boy

Casey and Bonnie and me

Willie was a bit boozy at this point.

Gerber Baby?

2010-08-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

So I entered Lila in this Gerber baby contest because I had the best picture of her and it fit in the little Gerber bubble so well, and she is the cutest kid (besides Vaughn) in the entire world! I know that every parent thinks their kid is the cutest kid, so needless to say there are almost 100,000 entries so this is one hell of a long shot. She is number 61,999. Haha. So ridiculous. But hey, it's 25,000 in scholarship money and I don't know about you, but we could definitely use that. So anyway, you can go to the Gerber website and vote for which photos you like best, and you can vote one time every day. Lila has 19 votes which is good compared to most of the kids. But some of the kids have like 77 votes and 110 votes and even 168 votes, and these kids are FUGLY. (not all of them, but a lot of them) So come on now, show my Lila Dove some love and VOTE!

Parkin' It

2010-08-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

I took Vaughn and Lila to the park today and lo and behold, we walk up to see a bunch of construction going on right on the other side of the fence. Vaughn was instantly in heaven. He did a little dance and ran over to stare at the big noisy machines. It was pretty entertaining actually. All the other kids there seemed mesmerized too. Good thing the construction is going on until the 13th. We will definitely be going back.

Day at the Beach

2010-08-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

We took the kids down to San Onofre a few weekends ago so we could start using our new state parks pass. (If you don't have a pass, it's $15 bucks to park at a state beach). San O is nice because you can park right on the beach so if you have a truck or a camper, you can load up everything you could possibly need and camp for the whole day. There are showers and bathrooms there so that's an added bonus if you aren't wearing a diaper or you are staying out of the ocean like I normally do. The water is usually a little too chilly for me. So the kids made themselves right at home, and even hijacked a couple beach chairs from the people who were set up next to us. It was a really nice day all in all, except for having to figure out how to get Lila's bottle hot because our piece of crap car charged bottle warmer never works. Thankfully she's almost a year old so we can stop all of this bottle nonsense soon!

Slore of the Month

2010-08-03T10:15:00.001-07:00

(I know, my photoshop skills are atrocious)

And for those of you who aren't familiar with the term "slore," it's a combination of the two lovely words "slut" and "whore." And that's pretty much how I feel about this "model" citizen. The outright champion of breast feeding, Gisele Bundchen, decided that she thinks it should be "a worldwide law" that it's illegal to feed your baby formula before it is 6 months old, even though she apparently only breast fed for three weeks. She also states that "her labor was entirely painless and her son was potty trained at six months." Well isn't she just the best thing to motherhood since pull ups training pants. I would love to give her a solid kick in the teeth. What a judgmental bitch.

Peaches?

2010-08-03T10:09:00.001-07:00

Not so much.

Wedding Dress Redo

2010-08-02T21:45:00.001-07:00

Willie and I went to our friend Heather's wedding on Saturday and wasn't the only one who got to wear something special that day. I got to wear my wedding dress. I haven't been able to fit in it since April 2007, which was a month after I got pregnant with Vaughn. I specifically wanted a party type dress so I would be able to wear it again, so I was lucky enough to get to go to my favorite store, Betsey Johnson, and pick one out. Needless to say, I have been hoping for the longest time that I would one day be able to wear it again. And that day has finally come. The last five pounds I lost I owe to the stomach flu, so that one really isn't fair. But I'm not complaining. Let's just hope that now I can keep it off! That's the really hard part.

Willie and me with the beautiful bride Heather

Sitting on top of the shuttle bus. Did I mention it was a double decker? So much fun.

I Love Mad Men

2010-08-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

So obsessed. I'm also completely enamored with Christina Hendricks. She is GORGEOUS in this show. I love her clothing and her personality and her wit. I wish she was in every scene. Watch this now if you haven't become hooked already!

Getting Big!

2010-08-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Look at these two little monkeys. I love them so much.

Our Oregonian Holiday

2010-07-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went up to Philomath, Oregon to spend some quality family time with my Aunt and Uncle. My mom also drove up with my Grandma who hates to fly, so it was double the fun, and double the family. It is becoming a summer ritual now, this being the third summer in a row. The kids loved it, even being without TV for 10 whole days. I was using it as a little tester for myself as well, to see if I missed the TV at all, and thankfully I didn't. So about two days before coming home, I called Willie and had him cancel the cable in the living room so I couldn't change my mind once we were home. It's been over a week without the cable now, and life is much better. We still have netflix so we aren't entirely void of mindless entertainment. And the cable is still on in our room so Vaughn can watch cartoons here and there, and Willie and I can watch Mad Men on Sundays. That was one thing I wasn't willing to give up! If you haven't seen that show, you have to watch it. It is amazing television. Anyway, here are some photos:

love the bare bums

Checking out the vehicles at Da Vinci Days in Corvallis

the mud bog

Lila loved the live Bluegrass band

Lila dancing with my mom

my Grandma holding some crazy giant bug from Indonesia

Uncle Mark being a great sport acting out "I'm a Little Teapot"

the swing at the neighbor's house

Aunt Vicki & Uncle Mark

This gigantic tree at this amazing park with a train for kids to climb on

We were sad to leave, but we know there is always next summer!

Fireworks!

2010-07-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July was dedicated to Vaughn this year. I really wanted to make sure he had a good time and saw lots of fireworks. We spent the daytime in Santa Ana with friends and Vaughn was jumping out of his pants when it came time for the 4th of July parade led by two big FIRE ENGINES! Holy crap you would have thought Thomas the Tank Engine just came to say hello or something. He was so happy. We had to wait until 9pm for the big guns though, so we came home, ate some dinner, and headed over to the bluff down the street that overlooks Newport Beach. They do a crazy fireworks show every year. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of families were there so Vaughn and Lila were occupied with watching the other kids wreak havoc. Vaughn and Lila both watched the entire fireworks show, then we headed home to do some late night fountains and sparklers in the backyard. It was a great day.

Philly or Bust! Part Three- Tourists

2010-07-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

The rest of our trip went very well, except for the extreme heat. I can honestly say I have no desire whatsoever to visit the East Coast in the summer time ever again. It is just way too hot and humid. I also think that most of the fun of visiting big cities like NY and Philly is being able to walk around everywhere. And in the heat we were experiencing, that really wasn't possible. We did manage to get a few things in though, but not everything I would have liked.

Standing in front of Independence Hall

We asked a policeman what the sign meant- "Hats trimmed free of charge," and he told us he had never noticed it before. Crazy.

A cool clock that still works

Standing in front of where the Senate had their meetings

sitting in the same place where the House of Representatives sat

The Senate meeting room

The Senate's original desks and chairs

And that's about it. We had obviously had enough of buses at this point, so we opted to take a nice, peaceful train ride back to NY. It was cool to see the train station in Philly and NY and all around, a much nicer way to travel. We spent the last day in NY walking around and shopping for souvenirs to bring home. We barely managed to catch our connecting flight from Chicago to Orange County, but the stars were aligned in our favor, for once. A nice trip, but next time we go on vacation, I want to go somewhere calm and serene with nothing to do but sit and sip cocktails.

Philly or Bust! Part Two- The Wedding

2010-07-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

It was great to finally be in our destination and not have to worry about traveling again for a few days. Or so we thought. (Cue in the wedding shuttle bus). After a brief exploration of the "gayborhood" (our hotel was right in the middle of a prominently gay neighborhood and party district) and some lunch, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding festivities. Our friend Jake was stuck in horrible traffic so he wasn't able to get Willie his suit in time which meant he had to do a quick change at the venue. We boarded the shuttle bus and we were told it was about an hour long ride to Glenmoor, PA. Luckily the scenery was beautiful, but soon trouble started. First, the air conditioning started to go. Then we arrive to the turnoff for the house and the road is closed due to downed power lines. Apparently a horrible storm had hit two days prior and knocked down tons of trees and power lines and they were just getting around to fixing them. By this time, it's about 5pm. The wedding was scheduled to start at 5 pm. Everyone started to worry. Were we going to have to walk in our heels? Jesus. I was starting to think we were bad luck. Thankfully there happened to be several ways to get to the house and after trying all of them, the last one paid off. We finally arrived at around 6pm, and after lots of water and some bathroom breaks, and a quick change in the driveway behind a car by Willie, everyone sat down and the wedding began. It was a beautiful, awesome, amazing, and hilarious time and worth every moment of hell we went through to get there.

the happy couple. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis

groomsman Mike and bridesmaid Ali

Tarek & Ali, another happy couple

Dave- just happy

(I had heels on, but they kept sticking into the grass)

Mike making the most hilarious speech I had ever heard

Another happy couple, Darsi & Jake (best suit maker in town) and Mike aka Rufio aka Tops just Tops

me and my bff

another happy couple- Brit & Jasper (engaged and set to be married next year)

and yet, another happy couple- John & Kara

Amy and Sharon (under the lamp shade)

Tops getting into party mode

Philly or Bust! Part One

2010-07-01T19:21:00.001-07:00

Our trip began last Thursday at 11 am when we were dropped off at the airport in Orange County. We were scheduled to fly into Dallas for a short layover before continuing on to La Guardia in NY. So as our first flight was coming to an end, we heard an announcement over the speaker telling us what gates to go to for connecting flights. We took notice that for La Guardia, we were to go to K16. No problem! That just happened to be right next to the gate we were exiting. So we went to wait out our layover at the Chili's right in front of our next flight's gate so we would be sure not to miss anything. While we were waiting, it started to rain really hard. Then there was thunder and lightening. And then our flight was delayed due to weather. All flights were grounded until the storm passed. It did eventually so we were finally ready to board, and as I handed over my ticket, I heard the words that no one wants to hear. "You are not on this flight." Oh god. What were they talking about??!! I am too on this flight!! But we were not. We were on the OTHER flight to La Guardia that was 4 gates down. That had JUST LEFT. And it just so happened that all the seats on the flight we were waiting for were given away while we were waiting to board. What to do, what to do. Well I started crying, which is pretty much par for the course, and Willie went to talk to the gate agent. There were no other flights. Anywhere. We were going to have to stay in Dallas. Then at the last second, she gets a phone call and tells us to start running and follow her. She literally swiped her security card and told us to run down to board a plane to Newark, NJ. We were so rushed she didn't even print us new boarding passes. We didn't care, as long as we weren't stuck in Texas. So 4 hours later, we land in Newark and realize our conundrum. We are in New Jersey, our bags are in New York, as is our hotel room. So we decided to take a cab to La Guardia and bite the bullet.

$120 dollars and an hour and twenty minutes later, we arrived at our hotel, at 2am, which happened to be too late to pick up our bags from the airport. After about 4 hours of sleep, we took a shuttle to the airport, picked up our bags and boarded a bus to Penn Station in Manhattan. We then took the subway to Union Square, had a nice breakfast and headed over to our friend's shop so he could do some last minute alterations to the suit he was making for Willie. Then we dragged our bags and our butts to Chinatown to board the cheap Chinatown bus to Philadelphia.

We should have known something was up when the man asked if we were OK with traveling on the small bus. We didn't care at that point. After all, we only paid $6 for the both of us, as opposed to the $90 dollars it would have cost to take the train, or the $60 it would have cost to take the Grey Hound Bus. Wrong choice. First off, it was about 110 degrees inside the bus, with no air conditioning and no windows that opened. We were on the bus about 2 hours (which should have been sufficient time to get us to Philly) when the driver mysteriously exits the turnpike. He starts driving down the local highway when the bus starts to sputter. He then proceeds to stop in the middle of the highway causing cars traveling at full speed behind us to slam on the brakes and swerve out of the way to avoid hitting us. WTF. I am scared shitless now. What is going on. The driver of course won't tell us anything because we aren't Chinese and apart of their secret Chinese club. All the other Chinese people on the bus knew exactly what was happening and also kept their mouths shut. I had had enough at this point and tried to get off the bus but then he started it again and began driving at about 20 mph. He did this for about 10 more minutes when it died again. This time he managed to drive it over to the side of the road so we could all get off. Luckily for us, we noticed a pizza parlor right down the street to we dragged our bags over and wished everyone else good luck. No way in hell was I getting back on that bus.

Two slices, two beers and an hour later, we were in a cushy air conditioned town car on our way to Philly. It only cost us 130 bucks and our sanity. And that's about enough for tonight. I will continue with part two tomorrow and leave you with a crazy article about Chinatown Buses.

The Happiness Project- week 17

2010-07-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

So I haven't really been keeping up with The Happiness Project from Leigh's blog, but I felt inspired today to share a photo I took from our little vacay. SO here it is. It makes me happy.

It was the view from the front steps of Le Meridien, the hotel we stayed at in Philadelphia. It was probably one of the coolest buildings I have ever seen. Willie said if I liked that building, then we really need to go to France because those kind of buildings are everywhere. No problem! Let's go!

And we're back!

2010-06-30T20:36:00.001-07:00

Man, that went by quick. We sure did a lot in five days though. And had probably some of the worst traveling luck ever. But I'm not going to get into that right now. I'm way too tired. I will leave you with this however. In five days, we have come home to a daughter that waves hello and bye-bye, says "Dada," and walks! She waited until just after we left, and she started walking. What a brat! She's still a bit wobbly but she can definitely take 10 steps or more without falling on her bum. It's very cute. So she walked a month sooner than Vaughn did, but she does have a big brother to learn from, whereas Vaughn only had Jonesy the dog. Anyhow, I promise I will try and get to writing all about our trip tomorrow or the next day. Goodnight!

And countdown: One Week!

2010-06-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

It's only one more week until Willie and I are off on our first holiday sans children. Our friends Pete & Lauren are getting married just outside Philadelphia so we are going to be headed out that way next Thursday. I can't wait! We are flying in and out of New York, just to make things interesting, so we will get to spend a little time there as well. I've never been to Philly before, so I can't wait to start exploring. I'll also be seeing a lot of close friends that I haven't seen since my wedding in 2007. It doesn't quite seem real right now, and probably won't until we get back. I'm nervous about leaving the kids for so long. I've never been away from Lila for more than a few hours. Guess I have to cut the cord some time. I'm gonna miss them! But Willie and I really need this. Just a little reminder of the way we once were.

Giddyup

2010-06-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

My friend Courtney and I took the kids on the carousel today at South Coast Plaza. It was Lila's first time. She totally loved it. She made this funny sound throughout the entire ride and I totally thought she was going to start crying but she was just super stoked on the whole thing. Thanks Auntie Courtney!

In other news, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit 5 miles SE of Ocotillo, CA tonight. It just so happened that I was on the phone with my Mom at the time it hit her house in Escondido. About 10 seconds later I felt it here in Costa Mesa. It was very strange and so very scary. I hate earthquakes now that I have kids. They didn't use to bother me but now the thought of a big one hitting here and having to get the kids somewhere safe in a matter of seconds is terrifying to me.

Kiddie Barbecue Extravaganza

2010-06-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Our friends that have the most awesome house down in Oceanside had us over for a barbecue over Memorial Day weekend. It was a total kiddiefest. It's funny how the party crowd has changed over the last couple years. Everyone is showing up with babies and diaper bags in addition to the 6 packs of beer.

Here's Vaughn being the total ladies man making his pop proud.

Ryan- he's great with kids in a totally non-creepy way (and he's single for all you ladies out there)

action shot (Vaughn looks very graceful)

And a random cute one of Vaughn and his milk-buddy Ace who's visiting from Australia with his awesome parents who we love. Hi Tab! (and Brooke too)

Vaughn's first day of school

2010-06-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

So Vaughn went off for his first day of school today. He started off very excited and reminded us repeatedly to not forget his backpack or his lunch. He enthusiastically got dressed and even ate breakfast which is a struggle on any other day, and was in a great mood until "duh duh duh" we arrived at the EVIL PRESCHOOL!!! He warily walked in but wouldn't look the teacher in the eye, and stuck very close to Lila and me. We hung out for a bit and greeted the other preschoolers and their parents until I felt it was time to get going. That's when Vaughn lost it. He started crying and screaming "me go home too!" It was so sad. I felt like I was abandoning him. The other parents just smiled at me, glad it wasn't their own kid that day. (I was told this is pretty common behavior). So with an OK from the teacher to leave, I scooped up Lila and hurried out as fast as I could. Guilt set in immediately so I promptly went to Target to get him a "feel better" present for when I pick him up later. This is going to be a regular thing from now on, so next week we are going to see how Daddy fares when dropping Vaughn off. I have a sneaking suspicion things might be worse when I drop him off because I'm such a softy. We shall see. For now, Vaughn has a nice toy motorcycle to take his mind off the horrors of earlier in the day, and a back-up toy plane for next week.

Lila Catch Up

2010-05-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

Lila is 9 months today! We took her to the doctor for her 9 month check up and discovered she has an ear infection. Bummer dude. So she's going to be on antibiotics for a bit until it's all better. She is 26 inches long and weighs 17 lbs 5 oz. She's growing like a weed! Or a pretty little flower actually. Much better than a weed. She's sleeping horribly though. Still waking up for a night time bottle around midnight, and then won't go back to sleep in her crib, so she's been sleeping with us. Just when I thought I would have my bed back. Oh well. Someday!

She LOVES playing outside with the hose and gettin' grubby

Hosing off the little munchkin

Backyardigans

2010-05-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Anamique and I did a little backyard photo shoot last week so I could print out a few nice pictures of the kids to frame for Mother's Day. She was the most excellent photographer and I did the styling. I knew the key to a successful photo shoot was Vaughn being happy and willing, and he just happened to be both of those at the time. SO needless to say, it turned out great. Thanks to Mimi (that's what Vaughn calls Anamique) for helping me out!

(so funny- I forgot to take out the rolls of toilet paper from the bench)

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day wouldn't be complete without Vaughn screaming in my face to wake me up. I did get to sleep in though. After that, I was served an excellent breakfast with two fresh flower bouquets in front of me complete with fresh fruit, a hot croissant, a mushroom & cheese omelette, applewood smoked bacon, coffee and a giant blood orange mimosa! I have the best husband and kids in the whole world. I love you babe! Now it's off to my sister's house for a barbecue and more mimosas. Hope everyone has a great Mother's Day!

Snow Day in May

2010-05-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

We went to Big Bear over the weekend with our friends and their kids and stayed in an awesome house right on Bear Mountain. It was Lila and Vaughn's first time in snow. Lila was fine with it, although her snow suit didn't really allow for much exploring. Vaughn on the other hand was not having it at all. We manage to get him in the sled for a quick ride but he didn't really enjoy that either. Oh well. Maybe next year he'll change his tune.

Over it

2010-04-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I have been lacking in the blogging department recently. I've been telling myself that I just don't have time. Which I kind of don't. But I used to make time for it. Truth is, I am kind of over it for the time being. A little of it probably has to do with the postpartum depression that has finally caught up with me. I've been putting it off for a few months now, (I mean I had my baby 8 months ago) because I thought it might go away. But it hasn't, so I finally went to the doctor and took care of it. Hopefully. I've been on and off of the happy drugs for the last few years, mostly due to high anxiety, but when I started having children, the depression set in as well. I would definitely prefer not to be on any more medication, but I can't seem to get out of this hole. My doctor is awesome though and she said to give it about 6 months and I should be able to taper off of it. I just need to do what is best for the kids and Willie right now. And a mopey, angry mom/wife isn't any fun. I may have been able to get over it if it was just me. But that's not the case. So hang in there, and hopefully I will be back to my blogging self really soon.

Venting and anniversaries

2010-04-14T21:39:00.001-07:00

There are some days when all I want to do is stick my finger in a light socket so I won't be able to hear any more whining. Well today was one of those days. The only thing that kept me going was knowing I would get to watch America's Next Top Model at 8pm. I know, it's horrible. But I really have a thing for crappy reality tv shows. They make me feel better about myself. Anyway, today marks the three year anniversary of our wedding day in Mexico. Our official anniversary date is December 8th, when we got married at the court house, and it'll be 4 years this December. But we also have a mini celebration for our wedding date. Why not? Any excuse to celebrate something is fine by me. So happy wedding day anniversary babe! Love you! And here's to hoping tomorrow will be a better day than today was.

My kids rule

2010-04-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

Vaughn pointing to his brain with both fingers!

He's really into pairs right now.

Lila actually fell asleep in the high chair while I was feeding her. Vaughn was amazed.

I love my kids!