Getting Started Early

I'm in Reno with the kiddies visiting with my sister and parents. We got BW-3s for lunch and picked up this crown for Sophie (calm down people, the BW-3s here is a family joint complete with games and kids menus! Have they all converted to this?). She's in love with it and is still wearing it right now. If only she could understand why the place has such sentimental value to me. On the other hand, maybe I don't want her to EVER understand all the nights I have spent at BW-3s enjoying spirits with friends!! I must also mention it was a little weird ordering a Diet Coke there today....I don't think I've ever done that!

Say It Isn't So!

I'm doing my best to not break down, but it's quite possible my DVR is broken. I have many things taped that I have not yet gotten to (including Jo and Slade, Natalie)....send help...QUICK!

The Preferred Method

Noah RARELY falls asleep in the car. Even on the way down to Disney, he slept probably a total of 30 minutes. But when he does....this is how he prefers to do it. Do they make baby sleep masks? Because if they did, I think he would happily wear it!

Get Real....Right Here

I found this on another blog. Of course, I don't know this other person personally. It's a blog I found by lurking....and I'm ok with it. Anyway, it was inspiring. I was brought to tears by all the realness going on. It was a free ticket to be real, sharing the good with the bad, not pretending that life with children is one blissful moment after another....and I'm all for it.....here goes. I just might disable the comment section on this post.....I'm a wimp like that.

1. I have serious sleep issues. I don't do it much. Especially in the summer when I'm not working. I forced myself to go to sleep a few nights ago at 4am because I was afraid Tim would freak out seeing me awake when his alarm went off. Some days it makes me a bad mom when the wake-up call from Sophie and Noah is earlier than I'm ready for. I can function on 4 hours, no joke. But then it catches up to me.

2. I read blogs way too much. I check my friends' blogs way too often. Sometimes several times a day....I'll even go back to check on the comments. I check Jodi's blog every other day now because she has a live traffic feed....I'm afraid she'll judge me and call me a stalker if she knew how much I really frequent everyone's blog.

3. Sophie is challenging me these days. I think we skipped the terrible twos because the threes are kicking my ass. She is so inquisitive (i.e. she asks thousands of questions a day) and I am often struggling to find my patience. I breathe deeply......A LOT.

4. I struggle with the guilt of being a working mom on a daily basis. But then I also feel guilty for loving my career. I LOVE what I do and love that I have a career. It's taken me time to realize that maybe being the SAHM I've prayed to be isn't who I am. It was a tough realization.

5. The family vacation we took to the Sierras earlier this summer was a bit embellished. I think I said, "We really enjoyed ourselves once we figured out the area." Actually, it was my mini confession that prior to "figuring out the area," the trip was pure hell. The kids hated being in the car for too long, whined about everything we did, and our exploration of Calaveras Big Trees was spent forcing our kids to enjoy the fresh air and nature. The pictures I showed were definitely the best moments. They outshine the rest of the trip, but trust me, there were "pulling hair" moments too.

6. I have this love/hate relationship with where we live. Half the time I want to hightail it out of here as fast as possible because the cost of living is astronomical. The other half is in love with this place. I love the diversity, the weather, the culture, the beauty.....but then I whine about the prices and wonder what kind of home I can get in Ohio for 700k. It drives Tim nuts.

7. I am continuously working on how to be happy in the "here and now." This is where I am, accept it, embrace it, be happy. Some days I can't. See #6.

8. I buy a lot of my clothes at Target, yet I insist on designer handbags.

9. Our nanny does our laundry. Now that she's off for the summer I am hating life with piles of laundry staring at me endlessly. I'm more aware of what I wear during the day and am not afraid to recycle for the next day......or the next.

10. Some days I must remind myself that Tim and I are husband and wife, and not just co-parents to the little beings of our house. When days are busy, we often forget this.

I have a thousand more "real" facts about myself, but those can be saved for another day. It was fun writing this....truth be told, I wrote it a while ago but just never posted. I often save this kind of stuff for a few people, but what the heck! We don't judge.......right?

Auntie Jen Visits!!

Auntie Jen came out to visit a couple of weekends ago (I know, I'm late on posting) and we had a great time with her! The kids immediately attached to her and loved playing with her. We are so glad she took a position out west (Sacramento area) and is now closer to us! Now, we'll be able to get together a lot!!

Little Miss Bossy

Did you know there's a right way and a wrong way to sing "Wheels on the Bus?" Well, according to Sophie, I do a pretty poor job at singing most pre-school songs. It is hard to keep these two entertained without feeling tempted to just turn on the T.V. and pop in a DVD. And trust me, I've had those days....

Today, for instance, we are busy singing songs, playing Simon Says (which Sophie bosses me around with as well saying things like, "Mommy, say Simon Says 'dance like a ballerina.' To which, of course, I comply.), playing blocks, dancing, etc. As we are attempting to teach Noah songs, Sophie keeps interrupting me....

"No Mommy, Mrs. Tetzloff (her teacher) does the wipers on the windows like this (she shows the slightest variation from the way I do it)." Oh, okay. And then I go on and she says, "Mommy, why does the driver on the bus say 'move on back?'" I answer her correctly and she says, "That's right Mommy! That's exactly right!" Thanks Sophie, I needed the positive reinforcement, now can we just sing the song??! And on and on and on goes our morning. According to Sophie, my 'Wheels on the Bus' song could use some improvement, I don't know how to properly bonk my head when a monkey falls off of the bed.....let's see, what else did she criticize.....oh yeah, my rendition of Twinkle Twinkle could be a little more animated.

She has also started bossing people around with her hands on her hips. Just minutes ago she gave me a very mean and snobby reaction (hands on hips with a smirk) when I told her she couldn't have any M&Ms. So, she has been sent to her room so Mommy can take a breather.....and blog about it. I also just popped some M&Ms in my mouth....I can be very passive aggressive.

18 Months Old!!!

My sweet little Noah is 18 months old. It is so hard to believe! There's a part of me that feels this need to baby him since he is most likely going to be the baby of our family. But, I'm also excited for all the wonderful experiences awaiting us. Noah has become quite the handful these days. He is extremely active, continuing to climb on everything possible and get his hands into anything he sees, especially if it involves water. He is the best sleeper ever (I'm knocking on wood as I write this) and he loves to cuddle just like his Daddy did when he was a baby. His vocabulary is starting to come along as he is learning new animal sounds and words each day. His favorite seems to be "uh-oh" when he purposely drops something or knows he's done something wrong. He's really beginning to enjoy our reading time and loves to point out his favorite animals in books and make "choo choo" sounds when he sees anything that resembles a train. Before, he used to squirm and want to control reading time by demanding he hold the book and turning the pages before I had a chance to read them. Now, he enjoys looking at all of the pictures and hearing the story.

He does have his moments when he gets upset, usually out of frustration of being told "no" or because I took something away from him he shouldn't be playing with (i.e. Daddy's toothbrush, Mommy's glasses, any and all phones/cell phones). He has apparently inherited his father's method of operation by throwing himself to the ground numerous times. I have yet, thank goodness, to really experience this in public. However, I know the time will come soon....I can feel it.

I can't wait to experience many more adventures with him as he explores the world around him. I know Sophie is excited to play with him more and more!

Bodega Bay Getaway

Tim and I escaped for a night to Bodega Bay. We had a great time laughing and enjoying some quiet time to ourselves. Our Disneyland trip was so fun-filled, but we needed a moment to relax and wind down on our own. Tim timed this consulting trip perfectly and I was so glad he brought me along! We enjoyed massages, a great seafood dinner, and came back to a log fire while we listened to the waves. Aaahhhh, now if I can just get this type of treatment once a month....I'll be good to go!We drove along the coast and watched the sunset. I know...sounds totally cheesy, but having children has helped us enjoy these moments when we can!!

Here's Tim contemplating the meaning of life. Totally kidding....I told him to pose like this and he was able to do it for a split second before we both started cracking up.

More Disney pictures!

Sophie and Papa

Sophie and Mama

Here's Sophie on Daddy's shoulders while they are watching the parade.

Noah having his first Mickey Mouse sucker while waiting for Fantasmic to start!

The whole clan with Mickey!

We have to sincerely thank my parents for treating us on this amazingly special trip. We are so glad to share this experience with you and will remember this first time with Sophie and Noah forever. Sophie is still floating from all of it! Thanks so much Mama and Papa for taking us!!

Disneyland!!!

We returned from Disneyland safe and sound! It was as magical as we hoped it would be and such a memorable experience for Sophie and Noah. We pretty much were there nonstop since we arrived, trying our best to see everything we could possibly see. Sophie was most enthralled with all of the princesses and had her own little princess makeover. Noah was a trooper and was still able to catch a nap back at the hotel and join us afterward for all the evening events. When the kids weren't at the park, we were swimming in the pool at the hotel.....needless to say, Mommy and Daddy need a vacation from our vacation, which we will have tomorrow when we sneak away to Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa for a little rest and relaxation. Well, maybe I'm the only one that will be doing the resting and relaxing as Tim has to be there to do some consulting work!! I pretty much invited myself! Here's some of the pics from our spectacular trip.Sophie and Daddy waiting in line for one of the rides. You can see the castle behind Sophie!

Mommy and Noah on the caterpillar ride!

Auntie Michelle and Sophie with Mickey Mouse!

Sophie getting her hair done for her princess makeover.

Here she is, absolutely mesmerized by the princess show.

Everyone just calm down!

It has been a little stressful the past couple of days. Of course, it's my fault for thinking these few days would be restful, low key, and lazy. It has pretty much been everything but. It doesn't really help that Sophie has no idea that we are going down to Disneyland. We have kept this a little secret from her and don't plan on telling her until the morning we actually go. So, it has prompted a thousand questions from Sophie as I am preparing things for the week. "What are you doing, Mommy? Are you packing? Where are we going? What is that bag for? Why are you packing my Barbie toothbrush?" Since I have no answers, I pretty much ignored her.

Monday night, we thought it would be nice to play at the park during Tim's softball game. It was over 100 degrees that day and the water fountain play area was still running in the evening. Sophie and Noah were playing and Sophie ended up slipping on the pavement and hitting the back of her head on the ground really hard. It took forever to calm her down and a huge goose egg appeared instantly. Of course, I panicked and was feeling the need to rush her to the hospital. I ended up calling Auntie Jen, who was so nice to go over things with me to make sure she was okay. I monitored her closely for the next 24 hours, iced her little noggin, and she bounced back just fine. Whew!!! Thanks, Auntie Jen!!!

And then tonight, Noah has been teething (why else would he be so cranky?) and pretty much following Tim and me everywhere. Well, he was right behind Tim in the bathroom and Tim stepped back and ended up stepping on Noah's leg. Tim freaked out, thought he heard a snap and Noah was crying uncontrollably. Again, we can't even catch our breath we are so terrified and Noah wouldn't let us touch his leg. Finally, he calmed down and we noticed he had a little bump on his shin. Still not knowing if he was okay, we tried to console him and ice the area. Of course, he wanted nothing to do with it and after about 5 minutes was up and running around with Sophie. Whew!!!

Needless to say, I am still packing because for some reason I feel the need to pack the whole house (do they have grocery stores in L.A. because I'm packing as if they don't). Anyway, if you see us at Disneyland, we'll be the family in the big plastic bubble.

4th of July Festivities

After a long weekend (I know it's not exactly over yet) of parades, fireworks, golfing (my outlook on my game is slowly improving...I just might keep score next time), and shopping, I am ready to pass out for the next two days! I'm hoping to get myself organized before we head to Disneyland on Thursday morning....this summer is flying by way too fast for me! Hopefully, after our Disneyland trip we'll have an opportunity to have a few lazy summer days.This is Noah escaping from our parade seats for the tenth time. He was desperate to be part of the parade.....just look at his face....so mischievous!

Auntie Michelle with the kiddies!

The real reason to celebrate the wonderful weekend....This is the Blue Star Moms float, handcrafted by Tim's buddies. Every time a float of veterans or returning soldiers came by, it brought tears to my eyes. And then the way people cheered for them and waved our flags....it was nice to be part of.