Sophie's First Two-Wheeler...

...with training wheels, that is. She was so excited about getting her new bike (an extremely early birthday present because Daddy can't wait that long to give it to her) we had to go straight to the elementary school and try it out. She jumped on without a problem and was practically a pro by the end of the trip.
She looks like a giant on this thing, but I swear she just reached the pedals perfectly. Sierra, as always, is never far behind.
I'm asking her to look up and pose for me in this pic. Sophie knew better and stayed focused on the task at hand.
Noah was pretty content in his stroller and let Sophie do her thing without making a fuss.

Funny How Things Change

I vividly remember when Tim and I used to discuss the dreams and plans we had for our future children. Particularly when Sophie was growing inside of me, we would talk about the things she would like, the places she would enjoy, and the personality she would take on. Little did we know how insignificant this would be after our children were actually born.

Before, we used to joke (in a very serious kind of way) how devastated we would be if our kids decided not to go to Ohio State. We would talk about how it would totally suck if our kids were more into soccer rather than baseball and softball. I'd silently pray my kids didn't inherit my horrible eyesight (maybe I still do that) and I hoped my children wouldn't throw a fit when I insisted they study some form of art. But, once they finally entered our lives our priorities and values shifted. Yes, we still place a very high value in obtaining an education, but we're okay if they choose to obtain it somewhere other than Ohio State. Yeah, it would be fantastic if our kids shared our love for baseball/softball, but if soccer or volleyball is their sport of choice, then we'll still be there to cheer them on. And if they just aren't artistically or musically inclined, that's okay too....maybe they can at least learn to appreciate it.

I think we've learned how important it is to pass on our values and beliefs, but that these values and beliefs can be expressed and lived in so many different ways.

My Little Munchkins

A part of me wants Noah to get bigger so he can run around and play with Sophie and the other part wants him to stay nice and small. Sophie is a great big sister and loves to give Noah tons of kisses and hugs. Sometimes she is a little rough but she's learning to be gentle.
It's beanie day in our house. Sophie typically likes to pair her hat with spring attire....shorts, dresses, skirts, etc.

Tuffi

Tim and his family's chocolate lab, Tuffi, was put to sleep this morning after a brief battle with cancer. She lived a long, luxurious life and will be missed by all of us. She was just a couple years old when I met her way back in 1995. She had so much energy and just loved playing with everyone. She never seemed to tire and always craved attention. Dogs don't seem to care about our flaws, faults, and misgivings. They don't point out our mistakes, criticize the way we look, or judge our every move. All they have room to give is love....and I know that is what Tuffi gave to her family. Rest in peace, Tuffi. We will miss you.

The Goofy Family

I don't know if Noah is aware of what he signed up for. Sometimes I wonder if he's up to the task of dealing with our crazy family...and I mean Tim and Sophie when I say this.
I guess there's the slight possibility this child is mine. Try to overlook my daughter's hair....we're trying to grow out her bangs, okay???

Tim's Favorite Thing to Do

I've given up on asking Tim to not rile up Sophie right before bed. I honestly don't understand how he doesn't get it. It's like clockwork with these two...about ten minutes before her bedtime, Tim decides to tickle, chase her around, roughhouse, whatever it is that causes her to scream, laugh and beg for more. And then of course there's bad cop Mommy who must be the grown up and put a stop to the circus taking place in my living room. I also find it quite baffling that Tim has the instinct to immediately place blame on his two-year-old daughter when I have to actually put a stop to it. His usual and favorite response is, "It's not me, it's Sophie!"

And now it's 9:30 and Sophie is wide awake. At least she's in bed, but I can hear her talking to her baby. And what is Tim doing? Oh yes, the pot stirrer is sound asleep. Seriously???

Jaws...and Other Stuff

Not quite sure how to explain what's on this clip....a little bit of Noah, a little of Sophie, a little more of Noah. Just hanging out one evening and was hoping to get a few laughs and smiles out of Noah. Instead, as usual, Tim and I end up entertaining ourselves!

Cannot believe how quickly this weekend went by. Gosh, this work thing is going to take some getting used to! Now that my days off count and I want to make the most of them, they go by in a flash. Of course, Tim and I tackled a third of what was on our "to-do" list. Actually, Tim seemed to get a lot done. I, on the other hand, was paralyzed by a complete lack of motivation. Like I mentioned before, this work thing is going to take some time!!!

http://www.vimeo.com/clip:175138
password: sono

Where Has the Time Gone?

Noah just recently turned 3 months old. I am in absolute shock at how quickly the time has flown by. This experience with my second child is certainly a bit different than the first. I don't know if it's because we probably won't have more children, but instead of anticipating milestones and celebrating them, I'm finding myself feeling a bit sad because it means my little baby boy is growing up and it may be our last time experiencing these amazing milestones. Noah can now roll over and hold his head up. He's already doing the Superman pose while he's on his tummy and he laughs like crazy all the time (except when the camera is on, that is). He has learned to love his bathtime and sleeps like a champ (I'm knocking on wood). He's outgrown his 3-6 month clothes and is already wearing his 6-9 month outfits. I was practically in tears when I packed away his newborn clothes!!!

I know it's not possible, but time seemed to go by much slower with Sophie....probably different now because our household is chaotic all the time and we also have a 2 1/2 year old on our hands. At the same time, I so look forward to taking the kids to Disneyland for the first time. I look forward to watching them play together and make new friends. I look forward to all the little things I found so memorable when I was a child. So sentimental!!!

As Noah experiences the many milestones ahead of him, I hope I can enjoy each process in the moment. And if things get to be too emotional for me, maybe Tim and I will have another one! Or maybe not....

Daddy the Disciplinarian

For those of you who know Tim really well, you would understand why it can be difficult to take him seriously sometimes. I definitely know when he's serious and when he's joking, but Sophie is still trying to figure it out. So, we're in the car and Tim and I are desperately trying to have an adult conversation and Sophie feels the need to always interrupt, grab our attention, yell our names over and over until we respond. When we're quiet, she'll be quiet and happily look out the window. It's like the second we start conversing, she has to throw in her two cents. Anyway, after doing our very best to ignore, Tim finally turns around and tells Sophie to please be quiet because he is talking to Mommy. Sophie, as usual, finds this option to be unacceptable and continues to yell and scream for our attention. Tim turns around several more times to tell her to be quiet or she will serve a time-out when we get home. He might as well have been singing his ABC's the way she was listening to us. For the last time, Tim turns around and says very sternly but not yelling, "YOU NEED TO BE QUIET." To which Sophie replies just as seriously, "I'll NEVER be quiet, Daddy."

Meanwhile, I am sitting up front and refuse to turn around because I'm laughing so hard. I'm trying my best to be supportive of Daddy's role and be as serious as possible and the best way I could do this was to just face forward and keep my shoulders from shaking because I can't stop laughing. Of course, Sophie figures it out because I'm out of control at this point and she says, "What's so funny?" And of course, she starts laughing. I guess there are some drawbacks to being Mr. Funny all the time!!! I forgave myself (quite easily) after this incident for not presenting a unified front since Sophie usually believes Daddy can do no wrong!

Sophie's Favorite Spot

Sophie and Sierra are inseparable these days. Especially since Sophie feels it is her duty to make sure Sierra is well fed. Before you know it, Sierra will be carrying Sophie AND Noah on her back!

I Might Survive

Well, I made it through two full days of work. I'm not sure how, as it all seems like a big blur, but I did it! It's weird now because I actually give a damn about what day of the week it is. There were times during my time off (which wasn't really time off....being a SAHM is the hardest job in the world!) I had to press info on the T.V. to find out what day it was. Looking at a calendar was all too confusing and absolutely no help at all....Anyway, what I do know is tomorrow is Wednesday, which means I am getting closer to Friday!

People at work have been wonderful. There's a part of me that feels like I've been gone forever and the other part feels like I never left. Funny how quickly you pick things up again. It has definitely been nice to have some adult conversation with my colleagues and see my students. My students always make me laugh and remind me why I enjoy working with this age group. And then there are my seniors who all seem to be suffering from senioritis. I think half of them came to see me to "explain" why they are failing Ceramics or why they're taking Econ for the second time. Gotta love it.

The best part of my day is coming home and seeing my babies (including Tim!). You learn to cherish their smiles, laughs, and even their tantrums (Can you imagine Tim and his tantrums? Not a pretty sight!!). They've been handling this adjustment well so far...hopefully, they'll do great and we'll all make it to summer break!!! Only 8 more weeks left....I have the best job in the world!!!

Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful comments, e-mails, and phone calls. Every single one of them helped and gave me more confidence!!!

The Dreaded Day

I am in such denial about having to return to work tomorrow, it's like I'm having an out-of-body experience. I cannot even begin to express my dread for this day. It's worse than when I was a kid and didn't want my summer vacation to end. I haven't had a conversation with Sophie about this so I'm sure she'll be blindsided in the morning when Mommy gets up and puts on work clothes instead of my usual yoga pants and t-shirt. I just didn't have the courage to do it because I've been blubbering at every moment this weekend (i.e. our breakfast power struggles, chasing her around the house because she's half-naked and doesn't want to put clothes on, attempting to put them down for naps). Well, maybe I am ready to go back to work! No, just kidding. I've had this conversation with many people and I just don't know if I'm cut out for this full-time work thing. I think part-time is more my style, if not no-time! I'm sure I'll be okay and happy to be back at work once I get in the groove of things, but right now I feel like I've forgotten how to ride a bike and the Tour de France awaits me tomorrow. Wish me luck!!!

Mommy's Babies

Managed to take this picture while they were both sitting on my lap. Sometimes I feel like they're permanent fixtures on me, but I love cuddling with them!! I know this stage doesn't last too long!

Why Is It?

I don't quite understand why this always happens, but it truly never fails. Anytime Tim and I are exhausted the next day and even remotely mention the anticipation of taking a nap while the kids nap, the kids end up not napping. Well, in this particular case, it was Sophie. It was about the time I had just settled into the couch and am watching Divine Design on HGTV. About 2 seconds after the reveal of the new room, I slowly drift off into dreamland. I can almost feel the tension in my body release from head to toe. No more than 10 minutes later, Sophie starts screaming in her room. I go in there and tell her very sternly that she NEEDS to go back to sleep (or Mommy might lose her mind! I left this part out, but gosh I was thinking it). She refuses and I tell her to at least be quiet and I shut the door. Just as I settle back into the couch, she screams again. This time Tim goes in and "attempts" to bring her in our bedroom to lay down with him.

Of course, she refuses to sleep and continues to bother Tim trying her best to engage him in conversation. I quietly listen in on their conversation and am laughing hysterically because of Tim's answers. Sophie tells her Daddy she wants to watch T.V. Tim tells her, "No, Sophie, you need to be watching the backs of your eyelids. It's a brand new show; I hear it's really good." And Sophie tells her Daddy no. A little later in the conversation, Tim tells her, "Sophie, you need to take a nap so we can go to church later. They won't let us in the church if they see you are too tired. You have to nap first so they will let us in the doors. Right now, you look really tired and they won't let us in if you look that way." Sophie ponders for a minute and lays her head down on the pillow. Of course, she doesn't fall asleep but I am laughing my ass off so hard I can't contain myself. So, Tim and I went napless today and we're considering alternative methods of getting Sophie to sleep tonight (i.e. drugs).

She's Ready for a Big Kid's Bike!

I shot a few candids of Sophie riding her little trike. You can always be sure her buddy, Sierra, is never too far behind.
Making a turn with great concentration!
She's actually riding by the sliding glass window and can't help but check herself out. I can't, for the life of me, figure out where she gets this from!

One of Those Days

I woke up this morning feeling like I was hit by a bus. Not sure what is going on, but my entire body is sore and I'm just not feeling well. I'm hoping it's not a precursor to some sort of spring cold. Maybe it's because my body knows I have to return to work on Monday and it's going into shut-down mode. If that is the case, I may have to tell Tim returning to work is probably not such a good idea!!!

Of course, when I'm not feeling well, Sophie and Noah sense this immediately and feel the need to make my job as a Mommy extra tough today! Noah decided to skip his morning nap today and Sophie decided to get up an hour earlier than usual. Fantastic....Sophie is also going through this phase where she changes her mind a thousand times and goes back and forth deciding what she wants. Just what I need, another indecisive member of this household. We always have this in-depth conversation in the morning about what she will eat for breakfast. "Cereal, no I want oatmeal. No, I want cereal. No, I want toast, I want toast! No, I want a muffin. Yes, I want a muffin." I proceed to ask her if she is sure she wants a muffin and she states, "Yes! No! I want cereal. Cereal! Cereal!" You get the picture. So finally, she decides on oatmeal (or so I think). I make her a bowl of oatmeal, with much love, and place it in front of her after taking 5 good minutes to cool it down to the oh-so-perfect temperature. She pushes the bowl away and says, "I don't want oatmeal."

Some days I give in because I just want her to eat (she's not the best eater in the world and I always fear she's malnourished) and other days I stand strong and say that is her only choice for breakfast. Needless to say, inconsistency isn't the answer when it comes to parenting. Long story short, I ate the oatmeal and she had a muffin. I can't wait to see what my loving children have in store for me when naptime comes!!!

He's a Rolling Fool!!!

So, just like Sophie, I have missed yet another milestone. Noah, for the very first time ever, rolled over today! He is only 12 weeks and I can't recall when Sophie rolled over, but I guarantee it wasn't this early. Anyway, I get this phone call from Tim just as I left to pick up Sophie from pre-school and he broke the good news to me. Great....good thing I practically wear a camera around my neck all day to make sure I don't miss anything. I leave for 10 minutes and this happens!

Don't Look Too Long, It's Gross

As you can see in the beautiful picture, Tim sprained his ankle pretty severely during a slow-pitch softball game last week. It's still really swollen, as you can see, but it's finally starting to bruise on the bottom. The doctor thought it was broken, but thankfully, it is not. Forget Tim, I'm not sure how I would cope if he ended up on crutches for 6 weeks! It's hard enough being the "go fetch" girl for Noah and Sophie, I can't deal if Tim is added to the mix!

Anyway, since Tim is injured, I have had the pleasure of taking care of some outdoor tasks, including mowing the lawn. I understand our yard isn't that large (however, by California standards it's huge!) and I don't have any hills to contend with, but it was definitely an experience. It took me three times as long to mow the lawn because I refused to attempt any speed higher than 1; I was very much content with a nice slow pace. I've realized I could never ever work for Tim because banana lines probably wouldn't go over well on a golf course. Tim didn't seem to care and was just happy I was okay with actually tackling this chore.

Tim and I learned two things when we moved to California. 1) Nobody out here mows their own lawn and 2) Nobody out here washes their own car. I know I'm making a huge generalization about an entire state, but I'm not kidding when I say I can probably count on one hand the number of people that actually do these tasks on their own. And these "people" I'm talking about usually are not from here originally....they've either just moved or are transplants and refuse to give in. I am really not judging either party and understand the convenience of having someone else help with these tasks. And maybe, just maybe, I've given in to #2. I don't think Tim will ever let anyone else take care of his lawn, so I think we're safe in this department. Besides, nobody else could do a better job! Anyway, I did it and I wouldn't mind doing it again...there, I said it. Actually, taking care of the outside seems kind of fun compared to laundry, cooking, vacuuming, dusting, bathroom cleaning, etc. But, I think Tim is too smart and would never trade!

My Little Prop

O-H-I-O
This is what Tim would like to refer to as Noah's linebacker pose.

Thanks for Riding the Sierra Express

Sophie loves to ride Sierra like a horse and like the good mom that I am, I captured her getting thrown off Sierra with my video camera. You will hear me roar with laughter at the end, but I did check to make sure she was all right after I shut off the camera....don't worry, she was, and she had a good laugh about it as well!

http://www.vimeo.com/clip:166943
password: sono

Easter Egg Drive-Thru

We are spending Easter in Reno with my family, so I made sure to ask my sister to look for places Sophie can go to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt. Easy enough, we get a long list of options. Most of the good ones are on actual Easter Sunday, but we wanted to find one for today because we'll be traveling home tomorrow afternoon. We decide, quite confidently, in going to the event held by one of the libraries in town. No, they weren't hiding the eggs IN the actual library, they did hide them outside. So, we go to this Easter Egg Spectacular and expect it to be pretty decent. There seems to be a good turnout and Sophie is super excited.

I walk in the check-in room and read on the board, "2 Egg maximum." WHAT??? I bought a big freaking basket so my daughter can pick up 2 eggs??? Okay, for Sophie, I maintain my positive attitude and ask my sister and Tim if I read the board correctly. Oh yes, I certainly did. So, finally it's time for us to line up and go outside. I kid you not, my blinks in the late afternoon last longer than this egg hunt did. My sister was supposed to take pics but it happened so quick she couldn't even get the phrase "say cheese" out. We walked outside, picked up two eggs, and proceeded right out to our car. How do you explain to a little girl that, although you see a thousand eggs in front of you, you can technically only pick up two of them. You don't, so you let her pick up five eggs, scoop her up, and jet to the car. So, we waited longer for the egg hunt to begin than we did actually participating in the egg hunt. Thanks for playing.......

The best one seems to be up at Squaw Valley tomorrow, they are promising 5000 eggs to be hidden all around the village. Snow, Easter eggs, crisp mountain air, beautiful scenery.....sounds great, but we sadly have to pass on this extravaganza because Mommy has decided to create her own Easter egg hunt for little Sophie. This way, Sophie gets all the eggs, Mommy doesn't have to kick any little kids in the shin for getting in my baby's way, and I'm not required to drive an hour to enjoy the event!! Win, win, win.....Happy Easter.

Noah the Giant

Here's Noah sleeping in his crib. Doesn't he look like a giant? He looks like he's at least 29-years-old!!! Who needs to go out and have a social life when Tim and I can amuse each other by doing things like this??? Seriously, send help quick......

Sophie the Giant

Doesn't she look like a giant in this picture? She looks like she's at least five years old!!! This is the outfit she wore to Noah's baptism. She absolutely loved it and walked in front of the mirror at least 20 times checking herself out.

My Little Diva Child

I am slowly beginning to realize the monster I have on my hands. She is incredibly smart, but at the same time, she is acting way too old for her own age. Lately, when she isn't listening very well, I repeat myself by saying something like, "Sophie, I said no. The answer is no." And she, of course, is not happy with this answer 99% of the time. Well, she has taken it upon herself to quote me on pretty much everything I say. Tonight, we were running an errand together and she asked to have her window rolled down. I said it was a little cold outside and I wasn't going to roll down the window. To which she replied, "Mommy, I SAID please." Oh really Little Miss Thang??? Apparently, she thinks this is the magical phrase used to get what you want. "Mommy, I said NO.....Mommy, I said NOW!"

On top of everything else, she is going through an annoying routine before bedtime. It is necessary to ask me where EVERYONE on the planet lives.....It usually goes something like this, "Mommy, where does Santa live? Mommy, where does the Easter Bunny live? Mommy, where does Sophie live? Mommy, where does Daddy live?" And this cycle is repeated at least five times. Sometimes, I'll try and shut the door after the first cycle and walk away. But then, she will scream at the top of her lungs, "MOMMY, WHERE DOES SANTA LIVE???!!!" This is repeated over and over until I open the door and go through the cycle again.

Normally, I wouldn't succumb to this behavior and would be able to ignore her or even threaten that I'll take something away if she isn't quiet ("threaten" is easily interchanged with the term "teach"....it's all the same in Mommy's world). But when you just put down an 11-week old baby and he is finally sound asleep right next door, you give in to these ridiculous games to keep the the child quiet. So, I patiently answer her questions night after night, over and over again. I was so flustered with some answers, I accidentally told her the Easter Bunny lives in a basket. So now she believes the Easter Bunny, indeed, lives in a basket.

The other night, Tim jumped in on one of the cycles and told her the Easter Bunny lives in the ground (???) and this just threw Sophie for a loop. She had to correct her daddy and said, "NO!!! The Easter Bunny lives in a basket!" Tim came in and proceeded to question the Easter Bunny's habitat and then asked that I write down the appropriate answers to all her questions so he doesn't feel like an ass next time he tries to help. The excitement in our lives overwhelms me sometimes.

Noah's Baptism

Today was Noah's baptism and he did wonderfully. He didn't make a peep during the whole ceremony, but he did make a poop right before the ceremony! I was so paranoid everyone in the church was able to smell it, but we made it out of there okay and he didn't squirm one bit!
The whole family together....Sierra, unfortunately, was unable to join us but she was patiently waiting at home for our arrival.
Here's some family members who attended the actual baptism ceremony, including Brandon, who is serving as one of Noah's godparents. Jen, my best friend, is Noah's other godparent, but she was unable to attend. We had a party at our house right after and had about 20 members of our family come over and celebrate.