Happy Birthday Granny!

Happy Birthday Granny! Sophie and Noah are so lucky to have two great-grandmothers in their lives. Sophie hopes you have a great big piece of cake today! We hope to see you very soon!

2.5 Seconds

I turn my back momentarily as I'm making lunch and my little monkey decides to do a little dance on top of the table.

Is it summer yet?

We had the best weather this weekend. I'm still in denial that I'm not actually on my summer vacation and I have to go to work in the morning....ugghh!! Mama and Papa came out to visit and we had a great time, spending most of it outdoors and playing with the kids.

Here's Noah on his Spideman quad, getting ready to take it for a spin.

Sophie making one of her 200 different faces for the camera.

Noah pressing his face up against the screen door!

My Daughter

I let Sophie have a cookie for an afternoon snack today. She finished it and said, "Mmmmm, scrumptious!" I had to ask her what she had said (because what 3-year-old says that?!) and she repeated it again with great enunciation and enthusiasm.

I don't think I used the word 'scrumptious' until I was, oh, 28. And I'm certain I used it sarcastically. I'm sure Sophie will come out of nowhere tomorrow and tell me to have a 'delightful' day.

Happy Earth Day!! (A day late!)

So I'm a little late on the post, story of my life, what can I say. Nonetheless, I'm proud to say we have made the commitment to be a little greener, even if it's a small step. We have slowly but completely converted to energy efficient light bulbs throughout the entire house. We will never, if we can help it, have to answer the question "Paper or plastic?" since we have our own green reusable grocery bags that we cart along everywhere we go (yes, we are one of them). And of course, we are avid recyclers of just about everything. My next goal is to figure out a way to get rid of the 14 mpg gas guzzler of an SUV I currently have. I'm a little reluctant on this one and find myself saying over and over, "My car does not define me. My car does not define me. My car does not define me." Right? Right??!!? Can you sense my insecurity?

Anyway, I will admit I used to roll my eyes at these types. I'm not moving my family into a grass hut, people, I'm just trying to do my part even if it's just a little!

Our Own Reality Show

Tim and I made the unfortunate mistake of taking the kids to the mall on a Monday night. We thought we would be proactive in anticipation of Administrative Professionals Day. We had a few gifts to get so we thought we could endure a quick trip to the mall. We figured we'd finish off the evening with a seemingly harmless dinner at CPK. Noah was in his usual restless mood and wanted nothing to do with anything we put in front of him, food included.

We begin the event surrounded by no one and within 3 minutes, we were pretty much feeling claustrophobic. Tables are open everywhere, but somehow these families end up sitting on top of us. We were fine until we were subjected to the Lee Jeans-wearing-family and it's mother. Every single whimper that came out of Noah's mouth prompted a stare from this mom. And it wasn't an "oh he's so cute" stare. It was a stare that made us feel like aliens from another planet. She flat out turned her chair and pretty much watched us the entire evening, ignoring her own damn table. She didn't seem mad at us and she didn't even seem annoyed. She seemed almost fascinated, like we were the Jolie-Pitt clan and she wanted an autograph. Tim and I just kept looking at each other, all the while feeling these pair of eyes on us the whole time! Naturally, because Noah is screaming and because we can't stand the paparazzi next to us, we practically inhale our dinner and hightail it out of there. Yet another enjoyable night out for the Youngberg family.

I totally know why famous people wear sunglasses all the time, even indoors. I just wanted to disappear into thin air!!

Best Buds

Tim captured this photo of the kids while they were mesmerized watching Noah's favorite show, Blue's Clues, right before bed. How stinkin' cute is this?

Senior Ball

Tim and I spent Saturday evening chaperoning Senior Ball. I thought it would be nice to dust off one of my old bridesmaids dresses and dance the night away with my students (I'm completely lying). It was nice to chat with friends from work and their spouses. All in all, we had a good time and the kids were all really well behaved. I am always excited to see the dresses and styles, but this year was the first year I have realized I must be getting old. Maybe it's a bad fashion year or maybe I am just not "with it" anymore, but most choices were "interesting," to say the least!! If anything, I hope our students realize how lucky they really have it. To live in this area and be able to rent a beautiful 5-story venue in the heart of San Francisco is hard to top. I've had to chaperone Senior Ball for several years and every time I feel like it's out of the movie, "She's All That."

Of course, the highlight of the evening was driving up to our house and noticing Sophie's light is on in her room. Mind you, it's midnight when we get home. After Tim and I took bets on what was going down inside, we finally headed in to witness the damage. Unfortunately, she woke up screaming for us and our babysitter tried to calm her down. Sophie got herself so worked up crying, she did her usual 'vomit on the comforter.' Our poor babysitter had to clean it all up and Sophie was sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for us while Marisol was cleaning up. Thankfully, she went back to bed after a quick story with Mommy! Of course, Sophie and Noah were bright-eyed and bushy tailed first thing in the morning so we couldn't indulge in sleeping in at all (or probably ever again in our entire lives). I've decided what parents really need is a babysitter to wake up with the kids in the morning after a long night out!

More Outside Fun

A couple of more pictures from outside yesterday. As I am writing this, the fog is slowly rolling in and it is getting colder by the second. Apparently, nobody got my memo that summer is supposed to be here now!!

Need a Hand?

Noah is very anxious to grow up and be a big boy so he can help his Daddy around the yard! Don't worry, I was there two seconds later to get him down!!

Fight Cystic Fibrosis!!

Sophie has been preparing for her very first charity walk and today she was able to finally participate in a march against Cystic Fibrosis. During the past couple of weeks, she has collected almost $200 in small donations to fight for her cause. She was extremely proud of her accomplishment, as she should be and I can't help but be so proud of my little girl as well. She's young so she doesn't understand all of it, but she has definitely learned she can help others and have fun at the same time!! Sophie thanks everyone for all of their generous donations! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!!

Just Us Girls

Sophie has just loves it when she and I get to hang out alone. Even if it's a short trip to Starbucks, she beams with excitement and loves our "girl" time. I can only imagine how much fun it's going to be as she grows! This past weekend, we decided to sneak out and catch a movie (Horton Hears a Who) while Noah was napping so Daddy could watch the Masters in peace. She's quite the moviegoer, even though it was only her second movie. We had a blast and look forward to our next movie together!!

Here she is (totally unrelated picture, I know) showing off her hat she got when the fire department came by her school the other day. She loved meeting real firemen and getting to see the inside of a firetruck!

Heatwave!!!

The temperature has reached above 80 the past couple of days. We have been outside nonstop, enjoying the beautiful sun and weather. Windows are open, the kids are sweaty with red cheeks, sandals are on, we grilled out....we're ready for summer!!!

Visit with Lucas

Sophie and I went to visit a friend of mine and her new bundle of joy, Lucas. He is absolutely adorable and Sophie had such a fun time singing him songs. The other day she asked me to go back to the hospital and bring back another baby to play with. I know...I literally almost fell out of my seat when she said this. Once I gathered my composure, I suggested we visit Lucas instead. I think I've averted her recent request, at least for now!!

And This Kid.....

"Yeah, I'm about to climb on the table. What are you going to do about it?"

And then there's my other little "angel," who is like a walking tornado through our house. He experiences such joy in making a complete mess out of anything and everything! And then he will make it all better by saying a simple, "Uh oh!" This picture reminds me so much of Tim....it kinda frightens me!!

What Happened to My Angel?

Oh, this picture is so appropriate. I really thought I was past certain stages with Sophie. Once she turned 3, I high-fived myself thinking I sneaked by without having to deal with major tantrums, meltdowns, and downright defiance. Well, I have come to discover the world of defiance in the means of two very simple phrases: "NO" and "I DON'T WANT TO."

Honestly, my household within one weekend has become a zero-tolerance environment. I am not about to be creative with my parenting when my daughter simply answers everything, regardless of tone, with a defiant "NO." I know I'm a counselor, but she has pretty much thrown every one of my counseling strategies and skills out the window. My patience is nearly invisible these days and my negotiation and bartering skills simply make me look like a fool. So, this week is officially deemed hard ball. Tim and I will be strong. She will not get the best of us. We will not back down. We are a united front and will quickly shift from authoritative to authoritarian within seconds. As you can tell, I'm writing all of this down so I have something to refer to when I experience a moment of weakness. I have a feeling she will be doing a lot of "thinking" this week in time-out. Go team.

Happy Birthday Great Grandma!!!

We wish we could be with you in Ohio to help celebrate your birthday! Hope it is lots of fun! We love you! She calls her Great Grandma "Ice Cream Grandma" because she vividly remembers eating unlimited ice cream at her apartment when we went to visit!! Some names just stick!