Happy Halloween!!!

Sophie went as Snow White this Halloween! She has been waking up the past several mornings asking me if it's Halloween. Finally, I could actually tell her yes this morning!! She did a great job trick-or-treating and she was completely tired out by the end of it. Well, that and she was scared out of her mind because we were ambushed by five raccoons!! To top it off, they were each the size of Sierra...they were so huge! Not fun...needless to say, I carried her the rest of the way home!

Noah received the cutest pumpkin outfit from Grammy a little over a month ago; unfortunately, the little stinker grows like a weed he could no longer fit in it! So, the backup costume was being an OSU football player!
This is about the 27th shot....Noah was screaming his head off with the helmet on and Sophie was grabbing his facemask trying to force it on him. Finally, after making Daddy practically do a circus act behind me, I was able to get one decent shot!

Duck and Cover!!!....or Just Sit There

We just experienced a 5.6 magnitude earthquake. To put things in perspective, the 1989 quake registered at a 6.9. So, it was a pretty good shaker, but no damages around us or in the surrounding area. The house shook like crazy and it was the longest 20 seconds ever, but Noah and Sophie didn't even wake up and I realized everything I learned to do in an earthquake totally went out the door when it actually happened. Duck and cover didn't even cross my mind. Grabbing Noah and Sophie and running like hell (where? I don't know) was more like my frame of mind at the moment. So, back to making sure all the emergency supplies are in place and reviewing the "plan" is back on the agenda. Between the earthquake and my potentially lost blog....I'm wiped out!

NOOOOO!!!

Every once in a while, I get a little too confident and think I am pretty savvy with the computer. I start accepting changes, freely pressing the "OK" button, clicking and dragging all over the place. I think I know what I'm doing and fear nothing since the computer has yet to explode on me. Well, I don't know why it is necessary to adequately put me in my place all the time, but yet again, I have scared the crap out of myself by thinking I lost my entire blog.

Yup....here I go trying to act like I know what HTML, XML, and other stupid JAVA programming yada yada stuff is and the next thing I know I click on my blog bookmark and a BLANK page comes up. Totally blank, with only the autumn leaves background I was hoping to install, left to entertain me. I freak out....wake up Tim from a deep sleep (who, by the way, was so disoriented he thought we had another earthquake.....I'll talk about this later). He scolds me for thinking, once again, I could actually outsmart a computer into thinking I truly knew what I was doing. Nope.....so here I am, ever so grateful my blog is still in existence, and no longer willing to "fool" around with blog designs.

Who needs this kind of stress? I could hear my heartbeat in my head, I was so panicked!

Auntie Michelle Visits!

This past weekend, Auntie Michelle came to visit and spoiled Sophie and Noah, as usual! We had a lot of fun shopping and hanging out.....well, actually, Michelle did all the shopping and we happily tagged along! Anyway, here are a few pics from the weekend.

This seems to be Noah's favorite face these days! Here he is with his Auntie Michelle. He loves to crinkle his nose and make this silly face. Unsurprisingly, his daddy taught him this face!

Here's Sophie digging her way out of her tent!

This smile is more like it!

Random Thoughts

I figure it's been a while since I've complained about being tired, so I thought I'd bring it up yet again, in case anyone feels the need to sympathize (I welcome sympathy, empathy, and compassion with open arms). I could come up with several explanations as to why I'm tired, but why explain, chances are it'll just make me tired.....

Anyway, my mother-in-law sensed it right away when I sent two thank-you notes for the same birthday present. I suppose that's better than never sending one at all? It's truly unfortunate when other people have living proof of my absentmindedness, but at least their family. I can only imagine the other things I've done in the past several weeks!

I've compiled a list of random thoughts that went through my mind in the last week, most of which expressed my exhaustion and erratic thoughts/behavior when I'm tired!!!

1) What if I just parked my car under that shady tree over there and shut my eyes for, say, 15 minutes......or 3 hours?

2) In my next life, I hope I come back a dog. All Sierra does is sleep most of the day....that bitch!

3) I'm 30. Why the hell do I have acne?

4) Will I ever be able to use the bathroom with the door shut....ever....again?

5) It's 6am, Sophie has sharing day today and she has to bring in something that starts with the letter "F". Hmmm....what can she bring? Why is there only one word coming to mind? And how awful am I that it's the only thing I can think of? F*&%!!!

6) Did I just miss Dancing with the Stars tonight? (See above expletive)

7) Did my DVR not tape The Hills? Oh no, no, no! Oh wait, there it is. Thank God!

8) Did I really just get suckered into hosting a district-wide Financial Aid Night for parents? How did I get nominated for this? What do you mean I volunteered?!

9) I slept 7 hours last night....I feel like a million bucks!! (Walk out door to get in my car)......Where's my cell phone? Where's my keys? (Spend next 10 minutes looking for each)

No doubt, I could go on and on. Needless to say, I'm hoping for some improvement in the coming weeks! But, then again, after reading all of this over, it really is pretty typical!

Ready...1....2....3!

There are about 98 pictures on my camera, 97 of these shots by me. Of course, I do pretty much everything I can to get Sophie and Noah to pose for the camera besides wrestling them to the ground (and believe me, the thought crossed my mind more than once). Sometimes I'm not even looking for a pose; a nice action shot would satisfy me. Tim takes one shot and he gets the picture above....my two angelic babies. I'm thinking about signing up for a photography class....signing Tim up, that is. Tim does this all the time to me; he doesn't even try to take good pictures and they always turn out perfect! I figure we should work on his talent with the camera and I'll stick to writing!

Feed Me Woman!

Here's Noah trying to figure out if he can get one last drop of milk since Mommy obviously doesn't feed him enough. The kid is now into everything and his inquisitive mind is keeping me on my toes! I was preoccupied collecting trash and getting the recyclables ready for trash day tomorrow and I didn't even care to stop him from going through the plastics. At this point, if it's harmless and he's sitting still for two minutes, I'm totally okay with it!

My Overdue To Do List

The past few nights we've been glued to the news regarding the fires in southern California. We have many friends in the area and it seems each of them have been affected somehow by the devastation. Living in Reno most of my life, we never really made it through a summer without some sort of threatening and devastating fire, a few coming very close to our home. Seeing the hundreds of thousands of people displaced is both sad and frightening, causing me to look at my own family's emergency plan.

One may consider my concern with our emergency plan more of an obsession, but having two young children, I'm totally at peace with being labeled obsessed!! My friend recommended a great website, www.72hours.org, and I started the process of packing away essential items, making lists of important numbers, creating a "Go Bag," and going over information about what to do if we experience an earthquake. I thought Tim would make fun of me that I'm doing all of this, but he was very supportive and helpful in the process.

Experiences like this certainly provide a lot of perspective. We continue to pray for those displaced and the courageous firefighters battling the blazes down south.

Rub A Dub Dub

What am I going to do with all this time I save in the evenings now? Noah and Sophie can now (for the most part) bathe together. I cannot even begin to tell you how much easier it is now that I can get them both done in one shot! They have a blast in the tub and Noah is getting closer to getting rid of his blue tub. Once he can do this, it will be even better! See how the little things can mean so much?

Noah's 9 Month Checkup

Noah went to the doctor on Thursday for his 9 month checkup. We are very lucky that Noah is a healthy boy! His stats:

Height: 30 in. 95%
Weight: 21.07 70%

He's doing wonderful. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take him to the doctor this time, but Daddy did a good job and asked all the right questions! Noah's no longer just babbling; there are some distinct ma-mas and da-das in his vocabulary! I think he'll be walking very soon too; he's using a lot of furniture to get by on his feet for now, but occasionally he'll get really gutsy and let go for a few seconds! He finally has a toother and another one is very close. I can't believe his next checkup will be for his first birthday...time is going by so fast!

My sincerest apologies...

...to my mom and dad. My parents often remind me how difficult I was to raise, particularly between the ages of, oh, 2 - 18. Now that they have had a chance to watch me in action with Sophie, all they can do is laugh. Karma is a b*&^%, if you know what I mean. They are really relishing in watching me plead with Sophie because she refuses to eat anything for breakfast. They share glances and often shake their heads in awe when they are blessed enough to witness Grumpy Sophie, moments before a tantrum strikes. And they find every opportunity to remind me that when Sophie is misbehaving or being...dare I say it, overdramatic, they express to me how much she reminds them of how I was as a little girl. I think my dad has even mistakenly called Sophie by my name because the similarities are so striking. Thanks Mom and Dad....and while I'm at it....I'm sorry!

I'm doing my best to remain hopeful at this point. She's a feisty one, but she's also a bright, caring, and expressive little girl. Never did I think a 3-year-old would cause me to have to think so critically all the time, but it's okay. She challenges me everyday with her creativity, inquisitiveness, and intelligence. I can only hope I can keep up with her for the next several years!

Am I Sick or Not?

Tim and I have been battling this half cold, half allergy, half something. We can't quite figure it out, but it feels like we're constantly coming down with a cold, yet we never contract the actual cold. So, for weeks now it's been scratchy throats, sniffles, occasional headaches and stiff muscles. Noah and Sophie were lucky enough to catch this cold and now Tim and I are just sitting around waiting for it to hit us! Hopefully it never will, but I'm just hoping whatever the heck this is actually identifies itself soon.

Goppie Visits!!!

We were very excited to have Goppie come visit us for a few days! I can't believe how fast it went by! It was one of those things where you feel like you have all the time in the world to take pictures and then the last day is here and you're frantically grabbing the camera to capture last moments. But, in this case, the frantic part didn't happen. I thought about waking Sophie and Noah up tomorrow morning before Goppie leaves, but that would mean they'd be up to take pictures at 5am. Hmmmm, not such a good idea! I think between all the events, the brief yet nasty cold Sophie and Noah caught, and the short time period, I managed to take pictures all but once. Anyway, Sophie and Noah had a fantastic time with their Goppie. We went to a football game, spent the day in Half Moon Bay for the Pumpkin Festival, watched some baseball, and went to the park! All in all, it was a great time!

One of many big pumpkins in Half Moon Bay.

Yet another big pumpkin!

Goppie and Noah enjoying the day at the Pumpkin Festival! Poor Noah was too small to go on any rides....maybe next year!

Daddy and Sophie before getting on one of many dizzy rides!

Sophie having some fun in the big bounce house!

Go Tribe!

I'm a bit ashamed to admit there was a very small (microscopic, if you will) part of me wishing the Indians didn't make it this far. I know....I'm horrible. But with college football, pro football, and now baseball, I am fighting a losing battle. And all of you know how I feel about Fantasy Football! Anyway, I have found a way to get over myself and root for the Indians, not so much for me, but for Tim and his unconditional love for this team. And how can you not root for Grady and Hafner, and my favorite...Kenny Lofton?

So, I'm officially "in it to win it." Isn't my enthusiasm contagious? GO TRIBE!!!

Dragging

Noah was up last night from 11pm - 2am crying inconsolably. I have no idea what was wrong, but I tried to cover everything with a dose of Tylenol, a few gas drops, and a diaper change. When none of these options seemed to work, I figured he must be teething (my fall back answer), and finally gave in and fed him "just a tad" to calm him down. I was very excited to find out that did not work in the least bit. Finally around 1:20am, Tim found ME crying right along with Noah because I was so tired, so he took over and rocked him to sleep. Thank you Daddy!

This morning he woke up at 6:15am all bright and bubbly and I barely have the energy to make it to the bathroom. What is wrong with this picture? I am hitting Starbucks before work and have no qualms about doing what is necessary to get through the day. Red Bull? Rock Star?

Fleet Week and Italian Heritage Festival

This weekend there were several events going on in the city so we decided to make the most of it and see everything possible. In order to see all the ships for Fleet Week, we had to go through Pier 39, a place we typically avoid at all costs because it's always jam packed and full of tourists. On a day like today, it seemed ten times worse, which equated to my attitude being ten times worse. However, once I took several deep breaths and counted to ten and told myself this isn't about me it's about the kids, I was able to maneuver my way through the sea of people with my double stroller and a smile on my face to go with it. Afterwards, we checked out the Italian Heritage Festival and then topped off the afternoon by watching the air show! Check out the pics!

Here is Sophie checking out the sea lions. Always a must-see if you want to get the most out of your Pier 39 experience. After checking out Pier 39, we realized there are not many naval ships this year for Fleet Week, so we decided to head up to the Italian Heritage Festival and connect with our Giangicomo side.

They closed down pretty much all the streets in the Little Italy part of SF. Everyone was out and celebrating, with tables and chairs all throughout the streets and nobody was without a glass of wine in their hand. Unfortunately, with two kids in tow, it makes it a tad difficult to just chill out and drink!

Here's Sophie holding the Italian flag with pride! Noah was ready to conk out, but he was having a great time too!

Here's a faint picture of the Blue Angels. You can see part of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The bay was full of sailboats and such a perfect day for it.

A little out of order, but here we are at the Italian Heritage parade. Noah loved looking at all the floats, horses, bands, and getting a lot of attention! Sophie was really lucky and had personal contact with Mayor Gavin Newsom, and the honorary Grand Marshall was Frankie Valli and Sophie even caught his eye! All in all, it was a fabulous day!

Gotcha!!

I turned my head for two seconds while I was in the kitchen packing a bag and I noticed something wasn't quite right when I didn't really hear Noah playing. I have learned to become very suspicious if my house is quiet enough to hear myself think. My senses were right and I've realized I am way overdue in childproofing! Just when you figure you can keep one child out of things, another one is there to pick up the slack!

Little Boys

I got a very distinct sneak peek into what it will be like to raise a little boy. Don't get me wrong, I totally know little girls are capable of this type of destructive behavior, but Sophie never ripped a door off like this! Tim was watching Noah while I took Sophie for her doctor's visit and one minute he's messing with the door and the very next minute he's sitting down holding the door up trying to eat it like a sandwich. I know little boys can get into everything, but somebody failed to inform me I'm raising the Incredible Hulk. And it's not like this is some cheap piece of furniture from IKEA (no insults intended); it's actually one of the few decent pieces of furniture Tim and I own!!

Pumpkin Patch Cont.

Pumpkin Patch Trip

Today, we went to the Pumpkin Patch for the 3rd straight year. It is definitely the best way to kick off autumn and this year was special because we went with several of Sophie's classmates. Sophie had a lot of fun feeding the animals (which I stayed clear from so I wouldn't scare the children, or animals for that matter). We picked out a few pumpkins, played with her friends and Noah enjoyed all of it on his very first trip! All in all, it was a great day. They're both so tired, they conked out when we returned home!

Lil' Buckeye

Goppie bought Sophie a Buckeye necklace while he was down in Columbus watching the football game. Aunt Ellie bought Noah this cute little hat! I was so busy getting Noah to pose that I was practically yelling at Sophie to get out of the way. Little does she know she didn't make it into any of the pictures even though she was posing for all of them! I figure she gets plenty of camera time and it was time to get a recent pic of Noah on the blog. Thanks for all the great OSU stuff Goppie and Aunt Ellie!!!