joe & jana

right of passage.

2012-02-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

lily wanted her fingers painted today.

pink.

a girl after my own heart.

also,

i can't get enough of her little hands.

the dimples.

ahhhh.

Row Boats - Stow Lake

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Boat House at Stow Lake got a makeover

complete with all new paddle boats and row boats.

We were planning on having a picnic at the lake,

but decided the weather was too perfect to not take one of the row boats out.

Turns out, picnics are even more fun on a boat...

especially when you're not the one rowing.

(For the record - row boats are where it's at.

Not only are they cheaper, but we were cruising past all the paddle boaters on the lake.)

Conservatory of Flowers - Playland

2012-01-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Conservatory of Flowers has a fun exhibit up right now called Playland.

They've built a model replica (out of recycled materials - of course)

of San Francisco's West End in the early 1900's when there used

to be swimming at Sutro Baths, a Fun House, the Big Dipper, a carousel

& other boardwalk type attractions.

The exhibit has fun house mirrors, vintage arcade games,

fortune tellers, a photo booth and even an old bumper car to sit in.

We spent most of our time in the Playland exhibit,

as Lily was less interested in learning about the Carnivorous plants... which were awesome.

Today

2012-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

When I'm pregnant...

I look like this, but usually feel a little more like this.

We've all been a little sick in this house.

Cough. Runny nose. Lots of sneezing.

But the great thing about all being sick is that we can go out and do sick things together

instead of trying to keep one of us from catching what the other has.

Like last night, when we went on a family date to Chipotle

followed by a trip to Target and the Dollar Store

and ending with a stop at Krispy Kreme.

(super bad combo for heartburn, by the way. my pregnant body was mad at me.)

We were all home and asleep by 8:00 - it was glorious.

Until Joe and I were up at midnight. Not tired.

And unable to breathe out of our stuffy noses from laying down.

So what did the two sickies do?

We watched That Thing You Do until two in the morning, of course.

(it's on Netflix Instant - just as good as I remembered.)

Then today, our sick family date consisted of a trip to the Conservatory of Flowers

followed by a picnic on a row boat ride around Stow Lake,

soaking up the incredibly warm January sunshine.

Then we came home and all took a nap, washed the car,

watched Dolphin Tale (cute movie) and had pancakes for dinner.

I've decided next time someone is sick, it's all of us or none.

It's much more fun that way.

no naaaaaapppp

2012-01-26T20:59:00.001-08:00

Naps are hit and miss these days.

Hit for me. Miss for Lily.

For an hour and a half each afternoon Lily is in her bed.

But a few days a week, she never falls asleep.

She talks, sings songs, and talks in her high-pitched imaginary play voice.

Today she sang Happy Birthday to each and every one of her friends during nap time.

And when I finally go get her, she jumps up and down in her bed with a huge smile and says,

"no naaaaaaappppppp, mommy. no nap."

Ironically, as we were playing with her doll house after nap time,

she put each and every one of her dolls down for a nap, blew them a kiss and said sleep tight.

I, on the other hand, manage to fall asleep every day.

Thank you white noise.

nine o'clock thoughts.

2012-01-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I had a bowl of Quaker Oatmeal Squares before bed and I was tempted to not brush my teeth so that I could keep that delicious taste in my mouth just a little longer. But I could just hear Joe's little dentist voice in my head telling me about all the bacteria that would feast on the Quaker Oatmeal Squares while I slept.... so I brushed my teeth.

There are 29 days in February this year. Does that mean I can move my due date up a day? Or am I just supposed to be pregnant for one extra day?

I was reading books with Lily on the couch this afternoon and we started reading the book Llama Llama Home with Mama. It's about a Lllama who stays home from school because he's sick. Half way through the book Lily starts moaning and lays her head on my shoulder. I asked her what was wrong... she said, "I'm sick. I need medicine." Sneaky little child. They make children's medicine much too delicious these days.

Sleeping is getting more and more difficult. I try to sleep on my side like they say, but I always wake up in the middle of the night on my back in the worst pain. I've tried putting a pillow behind my back to keep me from rolling over, but I already sleep with a pillow under my head, one in my arms and one between my knees... that's a lot of pillows. I came across this pillow the other day and I think it will solve all my problems. Joe disagrees as there would be no room on the bed for him. I'm still thinking it looks pretty awesome.

Speaking of sleep... I'm off to take a hot bath and then to bed. I'm soaking up all the early bed time I can get.

Real Men

2012-01-19T09:39:00.000-08:00

...have tea parties.

Valentine's Day Heart Garland

2012-01-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

Pink, hearts & garland. Please. Can it get any cuter?

(inspired by this heart garland tutorial)

I used 7 sheets of felt that I then cut lengthwise into thirds.

I folded the strips of felt in half and went to town cutting hearts down the center.

Once I had my stack of hearts (separated by color)

I fed them through my sewing machine one by one

starting with the rounded side of the heart.

It's a pretty quick process if you can continuously feed the hearts through the sewing machine.

I had Lily hand me the hearts and I had my garland sewn in no time - 5 minutes, tops.

I found these mailboxes in Target's dollar section.

It's my secret plan to get love notes and treats from Joe on a daily basis :)

Par

2012-01-16T21:35:00.000-08:00

Lily doesn't mess around around when it comes to miniature golf.

Lily Pond

2012-01-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

I had been wanting to check out Lily Pond in Golden Gate Park for a while now

and today's beautiful weather was just what we needed to get out the door.

Turns out Lily Pond is more like Lily swamp,

but there were still ducks for Lily to feed and trails for us to explore.

I love that in the middle of the city there are always trees to climb and new trails to discover.

It's what makes San Francisco so awesome.

Also, Lily inherited a few pairs of new shoes from our friends who live downstairs.

She loves her new running shoes and insists that she now runs anywhere she goes.

(The minute she tried them on this morning she said "I'm running to Nana's house!"

and proceeded to run around the house like crazy for a good 5 minutes.)

Running shoes with jeans (especially skinny jeans) goes against everything I believe in.

But she insisted. And they were pretty cute.

Friday Letters

2012-01-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

Dear 70 degree January weather,

Thank you.

I know it's a little selfish that I love you so much,

seeing as I should be a little more concerned about how we need rain and snow...

but I love you nonetheless.

And the endless hours of park time you've given us this week.

Love,

One happy mother.

Dear Girl Scout Thin Mint ice cream,

You're very yummy.

And always hit the spot.

I'd venture to say you're even better than your cookie version.

Thanks for satisfying my evening sweet tooth.

Love,

Me.

Dear 3rd Trimester,

You're quite the sneaky one.

How did you get here so fast?

Be nice to me. Pretty please.

Love,

Me & the baby bump.

Speaking of baby...

Dear baby,

They say you're a little small in there.

Keep growing little man.

Lily gives you kisses daily on my tummy

and is quite excited for you to get here.

So excited, in fact, that every orange, piece of playdough, football, etc. has become a baby.

We love you. lots and lots.

Reason #1,398,277

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

...why dads are awesome.

Joe loves to leave little surprises for Lily (and me!) when we wake up.

This was his latest surprise. Love.

Lily named all the clementines and proceeded to play with them all morning.

I love which one she chose to be me...really, Lily?

football baby

2012-01-09T14:43:00.001-08:00

lily:

mommy, i got the football!

look! i got the football!

ahhhhhh. it's a baby.

he likes me!

Why my weekend rocked...

2012-01-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

70 degrees and sunny all weekend? Yes please.

Let me tell you, it was fabulous.

Almost as fabulous as Lily girl who broke out her shades just for the occasion.

While laying in bed on Saturday morning

I mentioned that I wanted to dust the baseboards.

Pretty sure I haven't cleaned them once since we've lived in this apartment.

Guess who cleaned all the baseboards? Without more than a mention in bed that morning...

Joe, that's who. I love that man.

A morning of running errands.

By. Myself.

Enough said.

A date with Joe.

We walked to a cute little Indian restaurant not too far from our house,

had a delicious 3-course meal, full of lots of new things I'd never tried.

I sopped up every little bit of Tikka Masala with my naan bread and I loved it.

We walked home in aforementioned incredible weather

and BONUS, no heartburn afterwards.

Thank you, baby.

Lily ruined the awesome weekend streak by gashing open her lip at church today.

I want to take a poll to see how many kids have gotten hurt on the

wooden hymnal holders in the chapel. I'm betting it's a lot.

No stitches. Just lots of blood and a very fat lip.

Nothing that a popsicle, movie and snuggles with dad couldn't fix though.

In fact, just tonight she was telling me about how she got hurt when she fell down at church.

I asked her where owie was and she said, "My tummy."

Sooooo.... I think it's safe to say she's much better.

Here's to warm weekends, delicious food, no heartburn

and popsicles that make everything better.

Indian Princess

2012-01-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

One of Joe's friends from dental school recently made a trip to India

and came back with this little treasure for Lily.

She was pretty excited to put it on the minute she woke up this morning...

hence the bed head, puffy face and yawning.

Cutest little Indian princess I've ever seen.

Plus, it gave her a chance to perfect her modeling poses.

Thank you, Malay!

brink family

2012-01-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

It's sad to think that it might be another year or more before we're all together again.

The not-so-joys of growing up, I suppose.

Next time we're all together there will be two new babies thrown in the mix :)

Erin & Chance are expecting a cute little Hendricks baby at the end of June.

We're so so so excited for them!

I absolutely love our growing family.

Also, I wish you could see every other outtake of this picture...

Lily's finger is up her nose. in. every. picture.

twenty-seven

2012-01-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

I have approximately 2 pictures of myself when I was pregnant with Lily.

I was always so bummed that I never took the time to take more...
Turns out I didn't take any pictures because maternity pictures are super awkward to take.
Or maybe I'm just awkward.
And instead of looking pregnant,
I just look like I ate a really good meal.

Oh well. Here's to 27 weeks.
3 months to go.
Let the countdown begin.

front yards & driveways.

2011-12-31T19:29:00.000-08:00

I can't wait for the day when we have a yard.
And a driveway. That doesn't dump out onto a busy street.
Someday. Someday. Someday.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T15:36:00.000-08:00

We're back from a glorious 3 week vacation

and it feels good to get back into the swing of real life again.

For 3 weeks my phone hardly rang because I was with all of the people I love,
I left my laptop at home - no email or blogs,
and had the treat of eating mom's delicious meals, rather than cooking them.
It felt so good. I tell you.

But we're back.
And it's time to play a little catch up.
Unfortunately I rarely reached for my camera,
so pictures are sparse...
but the memories were fabulous.

Christmas Eve was spent with Joe's mom and siblings.
The holidays wouldn't be complete without a trip to the movies -
We saw Mission Impossible 3 and I spent the rest of the afternoon singing the theme song and stealthily turning corners with my imaginary gun. I kid.
We had a delicious dinner, watched Dora's Christmas with Lily,
and opened presents. Lots of them.
We're having to get really creative with Lily's room to handle all her new loot.
And I got a Kindle Fire :)
It's fun. Really fun. I secretly love new toys.
and my husband.

Christmas morning was wonderful, as always.
Lily, who is usually the present queen, wasn't on her game.
The girl was experiencing over-stimulation to the max
and preferred to sit quietly on the stairs and watch the action.
She got new pjs, slippers, a darling little rocking chair,
and a wooden parking garage for her cars. The girl loves her cars.

After a fun morning, we headed off to church.
I vote that every Christmas land on a Sunday.
It was such a wonderful reminder of the real reason for this special holiday,
to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Everything is a little more fun...

2011-12-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

...under the Christmas tree.

I'm excited for Christmas.
I'm excited that Lily is excited for Christmas.
I'm excited to be going home in a few days.
I'm excited to catch up on missed time away from my family.
I'm excited to watch Lily open her presents on Christmas morning.
I'm excited for delicious holiday meals.
And holiday treats.
And more holiday treats.
...this baby likes him some sweets.

Funny story.
Yesterday we were driving in the car
and Lily kept saying "mommy help me. mommy help me."
I turned around and she had something on her fingers.
I asked her what it was and she said "help me. spiders."
I took whatever was in her hand and looked closer.
I asked her where it came from.
she said "my nose."
black fuzz. mixed with boogers.
To her credit, it did look like a spider. kind of.
I told her it was boogers.
"spider boogers," she said.

missmiss lights

2011-12-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

On our way home from returning a Redbox movie the other night

we decided to drive through a nearby neighborhood to see Christmas lights.
Super disappointing.
Only a few houses had lights up and even then it was a pretty pathetic display.
But Lily loved it.
She gave energetic oooohhhhhs and ahhhhhs at every. single. house.

So yesterday we took her downtown to see real Christmas lights...
the giant Christmas tree in Union Square.
Oh boy. She was in heaven.
Watching her reaction was absolutely magical.
Add in the kittens and puppies in Macy's windows...
She could have stayed there all night.

We won the best parent award last night.
Now if only we could somehow remind her of that in 15 years...

First Snow. Sort of.

2011-12-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

The Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park has "snow" around the holidays.

Lily loved it. Until she realized it was getting on everything... hair, shoes, chairs, tables.
After it stopped "snowing" she insisted on wiping down the tables and chairs
with a wipe before we left.

Love this girl :)

Not this year...

2011-12-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure which year will be the year Lily likes sitting on Santa's lap.
But this year was not that year.

Like my dad said when I told him Lily didn't like sitting on Santa's lap,
"What, she didn't want to be held by some big fat stranger
in a goofy red suit with a fake white beard??"

I don't blame you, Lily.
Not. one. bit.

and for the record...joe is coming to the rescue in this picture. not torturing her :)

christmasing

2011-12-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

lily is obsessed with wearing her santa hat.
& decorating the christmas tree.
with the two ornaments that are unbreakable
and thus are the only two ornaments on the tree.
& ripping our stockings down from the mantle
and wearing them around the house.
on her feet. like socks.

i'm so glad it's finally december.
it might be my very favorite month.

a good morning monday.

2011-11-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

joe took a 40 minute shower this morning.
complete with a bowl of cereal.
i stayed in bed enjoying the heavy covers in a cold house.
lily slept in until eight.
lily and i danced to justin bieber's christmas album
while i took down thanksgiving and put up christmas decorations.
we stayed in our pajamas until 11.
went for a walk all bundled up.
and now we're back in our pajamas.
lily is down for a nap
and i'm sipping a mug of peppermint hot chocolate.
it's just one of those mondays.
and it feels oh so good.

we had the best thanksgiving weekend.
thanksgiving morning started out with the 5k turkey run.
burning calories is always a good thing,
especially when you plan to consume two thanksgiving meals.
back to back.

then thanksgiving #1 with joe's family at the country club
followed by thanksgiving #2 at my parents' house.
it was the perfect day.
we really have the best families.

also...
thanks to a weekend of delicious food,
i am now officially sporting a baby bump.
or permanent food bump.
not totally sure yet.

hope your thanksgiving was just as wonderful
and that you're as excited as i am about a month filled with everything christmas :)

happy monday!!

happy thanksgiving

2011-11-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

We're trying to avoid the crazy traffic getting out of the city tonight by leaving late.

so to pass the time...

we're dancing to christmas music
building forts
wearing our christmas pjs
and picking our noses... of course.

Happy Thanksgiving!
...and the start of our Christmas countdown :)

grateful.

2011-11-22T20:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am grateful for...

a sleeping toddler.
a kicking baby.
a husband who will be home soon.
a basket full of christmas books from the library.
a quiet night reading said basket full of christmas books to lily.
a clean kitchen.
mint m&ms.
clean laundry. folded & put away.
long baths that leave toddler hands wrinkled like raisins.
sugar cookie dough chilling in the fridge.
michael buble's chirstmas pandora station.
the warmth of the heater blowing at my feet.
and a long thanksgiving weekend with my family.

Why dads are the best... reason #2037981

2011-11-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

After dinner, Joe usually does bath time.
It's not that I particularly love doing dishes...
but sometimes after a long day of just me and Lily,
dishes sound really fun.

Plus, apparently Joe makes bath time really fun.

I asked him what the heck he was doing in the bath with his scrubs on and he said,
"She wanted me to come in."

And that, my friends, is why dads are the best.

Queen Lily

2011-11-16T08:24:00.001-08:00

Joe met us at the park yesterday on his lunch break.
As we were making a "pizza" in the sand with Lily,
a 5-year-old little boy came over and started talking to us.
He thought we should make a castle instead.

He then pronounced himself King Asher and told Lily she was his Queen.
And do you know what Joe and I were?
Joe was the King's assistant.
and I was the Queen's assistant.

Joe then attempted to clarify...
"so am I the assistant king or assistant to the king?" (thank you Dwight...)
King Asher said, "Assistant King. I mean assistant to the King. I mean, you're the King's assistant
and I sit here and make sure that you're doing exactly what I want you to do."
In this case it was building a road around his castle.

He then said, "The King doesn't think the King's assistant is doing a very good job."
Then the king asked me why I wasn't helping...
I told him my arms didn't work.

Lily quickly got bored of being Queen and decided to explore her playground kingdom instead.
Nap time was quickly approaching, so we packed up and headed back to the car.
As were were leaving the little boy called out, "Bye Queen Lily!"

all weekends should be 3-day weekends

2011-11-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

someday i want every weekend to be a 3-day weekend.
there is something about having that extra day that leaves me feeling absolutely wonderful.

we had the best weekend.

lots of walks.
forts made out of umbrellas.
lots of football watching on the couch.
christmas music.
in-n-out burger.
followed by krispy kreme.*
long naps on a sunny couch.
movie watching.
primary program at church.**
breakfast for dinner.
long skype sessions with the fam.

...3-day weekends make mondays even harder to bear.

*the in-n-out burger/krispy kreme combo is supposedly called the "double dragon" -
joe is still telling me how proud he is of me for completing such a feat -
not sure it's something to be proud of, although i blame my bottomless pregnancy stomach...

**lily cried during the entire nursery musical number of I am a child of God.
She wanted to be up there so badly, but each time she'd regain her confidence,
she'd break down and lose it two seconds later. maybe next year.

It's a....

2011-11-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

boy :)

i'm excited!
joe is really excited!
& lily cried when i went to pick her up after the ultra sound because she didn't want to go home.

all the crazy kicking inside of me since week 14 - i should have known it was a boy.

joe actually gave an "ahhhh" (as in ahhh how cute)
when the ultra sound tech showed us a close up of the goods.
needless to say, he's excited about having a little joe around the house.

we're going to need to fill our house with a little more blue in the next few months.
also... any boy names you want to send our way would be much appreciated :)
thankyouverymuch.

yay for boys!!!

Felt Christmas Tree

2011-11-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

I originally saw this idea on Pinterest and knew I had to make it.
Super easy. No sewing. And only took me yesterday's nap time to complete.
I have plans to add some embellishments to the ornaments.
...maybe today's nap time. Unless a nap for me wins instead :)

I wish I could say Lily loves to decorate the tree.
With encouragement she'll put the star up and a few ornaments.
Usually all the reds together. Oranges together. Purples. Etc.
And then she'll take them all down. And line them up on the ground.
By color. Not my intention. But I suppose it's teaching her something, right?
And then I usually go in after she's done and put all the ornaments up.
Colors and type of ornament equally spaced out.
I can't help it...

City Hall Wedding

2011-11-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

On Friday I had the chance to photograph the wedding of Emerson & Sean Levy.
It was just the three of us at City Hall - intimate and absolutely beautiful.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day, Em & Sean.
The happiest part of your life is just beginning!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:37:00.001-07:00

Lily carries her "munkins" all around the house.
Lines them up on the window sill.
And even cuddles with them.
She's a funny one, that Lily.

Saturday night we carved pumpkins.
Lily wasn't interested. Not one bit.
But...once they were carved and lit on the front porch,
she laid her little body down on the cement in front of the pumpkins
and just stared at the them.
For a long time.

We're going Trick-or-Treating tonight with some friends.
I'm pretty excited for Lily's loot.
Not going to lie.
I have a major sweet tooth these days.

Also, I painstakingly separated and cleaned all our pumpkin seeds after carving
and used this recipe* to roast them.
They smelled heavenly and tasted delicious.
Especially straight from the oven!

Happy Halloween!!!
What are your plans??

*I doubled the recipe because we had a lot of seeds. Also, I did 1 1/2 TEASPOONS of Worcestershire sauce and 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS of butter)

Friday Letters

2011-10-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Old Man at the Park,
I hope I'm still shuffling around the park when I'm your age.
I'm glad you were able to get a little snooze on the bench we shared in the sun.
Also, sorry Lily kept staring at you asking if you were taking a nap.

Dear Sweet Baby of Mine,
I love feeling your little kicks and turns.
Your big sister doesn't leave me much time to remember you're in there.
But your little kicks are always a fun reminder.

Dear October,
You've been beautiful.
And sunshiney.
And warm.
Thank you. So so much.

Dear New Batch of Fish,
Third time is a charm right?
Lily is so glad to have her "ishies" again.
Every time we leave the house she says, "ishies, have a good day!"
Please don't die. Until Thanksgiving. And then you might. Because we'll be gone for a few days.

The butterfly fairy

2011-10-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

Lily's costume tag says she is a pixie fairy.
Lily insists she's a butterfly.
...although she absolutely refuses to wear the wings.
Whatever she is, she's pretty cute.
No wings, chunky thighs and all.

We had a fun Halloween playgroup this afternoon
complete with Halloween treats, games and a costume parade.
(...more like a stampede of little kids running back and forth!)
All of the kids looked absolutely darling in their costumes.
There is something about toddlers running around dressed up
that makes them a bazillion times cuter.

multitasking

2011-10-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

She's a mom-in-training, I tell ya...
somehow managing to do everything, always with a baby on her hip.

This particular baby cries when dropped or put face down.
Lily usually likes to rock the baby until it stops crying.
Although sometimes she tells the baby to shhhh
and then flips the baby over and switches it to "off".

I'm hoping she doesn't expect her new baby brother or sister to have the same feature...

Officially Autumn

2011-10-17T20:01:00.001-07:00

We had tomato pumpkin soup for dinner

and visited our first (surely not the last!) pumpkin patch of the season.
It's officially autumn!

Lily insisted on hugging all of the scarecrows.

they had a cute little petting zoo with goats and chickens
and.... baby bunnies! soooo tiny!

warm nights & bonfires

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

We've had a few gorgeous warm nights and decided to have little
(not so little with the help of lighter fluid...)
bonfire down at the beach with some of our friends.
Warm nights on the beach are unlike anything else.
Throw in a bonfire, hotdogs, s'mores, friends and sunset pictures...
I think you could say we had ourselves a perfect night.

Also, I decided I need to teach Joe how to use my our camera so there's proof of my existence.

Buttons

2011-10-11T09:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was another rainy rainy day.
As I was cleaning out a few of our closets
(because you know me and my productive rainy days...)
I came across a container of random colorful buttons
I had picked up from JoAnn Fabrics for a couple dollars last year.
Lily wanted to play with the buttons,
so instead of letting her lose to create yet another out of control mess...
I got down some of her colorful bowls and had her sort the buttons by color.

She loved it.

While she was digging through the buttons
picking out the blues and the pinks and the yellows
and carefully placing them into the right bowl...
I had one of those mom moments where I felt like
I was doing a really good job teaching my toddler.
Because sometimes that's an overwhelming thought, you know?

That I am responsible for teaching her everything she needs to know.
I think I need more of those reassuring moments.

baby dolls

2011-10-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I wish I could adequately describe just how much Lily loves her baby doll.
They're together almost all day, everyday.
Always accompanied by the baby's blanket and pretend bottle of milk
and never wearing any clothes.

She eats at the table with us.
Reads books with us.
Goes on walks with us.
Gets her diaper changed - remember stinky baby?
And sleeps with Lily.
Usually tucked under her arm, or laying on her chest.

One afternoon I found Lily sitting in the hallway with her baby doll wrapped in a blanket.
She was swaying back and forth saying shhhh. shhhh. shhhh.
A part of me wanted to get the camera out to catch that sweet moment,
but instead I decided to stay still and soak it in.

This doll is very loved.

And dirty.

No matter how hard I try, I cannot get her face or body looking like new.
I've tried everything...
Soap and water, vinegar and water, baking soda and water, even bleach.
Lucky for us, this doll is $10 at Target.
If she gets too gross,
maybe Lily won't know the difference if I switch her grimy doll with a new one...

Sand Castles

2011-10-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

After watching the Blue Angels,
we managed to make it to the tail end of the sand castle competition at Ocean Beach.

We made it just in time because as soon as 4:00 came around,
the sand castles were crushed to pieces by lots of crazyyyyy kids.
And Joe.

Blue Angels

2011-10-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Blue Angels are back

and the last few days I feel like they they've been flying right over our house.
We've been able to see them in the distance out our windows,
but decided to get a closer look this afternoon after nap time (for all of us!).

We didn't quite make it down to Crissy Field where we watched them last year because of traffic,
but we stopped at Baker Beach and were still able to get quite the show from the beach.

Speaking of quite the show...
there was a little too much flesh color coming from the far end of the beach.
Luckily none of the nakeds decided to come any closer.
Did you know it's totally legal to walk around naked in SF?
But be sure to "put a towel or other material down before sitting
bare-bottomed on benches or other public seats."
It's the law...

Ishie Cake

2011-10-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

I've decided I'm quite fond of cake decorating.

Nothing fancy. Just fun.
Remember Lily's birthday cake last year?
This year I decided to run with her obsession for "ishies"
and make her a Rainbow Fish cake - it's one of Lily's very favorite books.

I made two yellow 8" round cakes -
I used one for the body and then cut up the other one for the tail and fins.
It was super easy to make and once frosted and decorated with tropical skittles, looked darling.
This is where I should have taken a picture. Freshly made. Good lighting. Yeah....

I wanted the cake to be a surprise, so I hid it in the freezer.
Big mistake.
Once I took it out, the skittles started to warm up and the colors began to run.
Rainbow Fish looked like he was bleeding from the mouth...
But Lily didn't know the difference and it tasted delicious, just the same.

Almost a Rainy Day

2011-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today was supposed to rain. a lot.
In anticipation of the rain, Joe took the car this morning.
In anticipation of the rain, Lily and I ventured out first thing in the morning while it was still dry for milk and popcorn kernels
(because no rainy day is complete without popcorn).
In anticipation of the rain, we stayed in our pajamas all day.
In anticipation of the rain, I decided to clean my whole house. Top to bottom.
In anticipation of the rain, we read lots of books. Played lots of games. And watched a movie.
In anticipation of the rain, I made 2 loaves of artisan bread to eat with dinner.

But guess what?
It hardly rained. And the sun came out. a lot.

But.
The popcorn was delicious.
Pajamas always feel good.
My house is clean clean clean.
I can read all of our library books with my eyes closed.
Lily is a master at Guess Who, Memory, Trouble and Connect 4 (her rules, of course).
Watching a movie in the middle of the day is necessary, every once in a while.
And my artisan bread was insanely delicious.

I've decided that my house would be cleaner and my dinners a little more delicious
if it rained (or almost rained) a little more often!

honey

2011-10-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

As Joe was walking out the door this morning,
Lily calls out behind him...
"Bye, hon!"

On your birthday.

2011-09-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Lily,
Happy 2nd birthday baby girl. We walked into your room this morning singing happy birthday. Your hair was a crazy mess and you had your baby doll cuddled in your lap with her blanket and pretend bottle. After we were done singing, you said it was your baby's birthday too.

I woke up at about 6:40 this morning and lay in bed thinking about that very moment two years ago. You were born at 6:59am, so at 6:40am 2 years ago we were just minutes away from meeting you. We were so excited.

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that you have only been on this earth for 2 years. Your sweet toddler wisdom and your incredible ability to love are far beyond your 2 years of life. You teach me something new every single day. You teach me to be strong. To forgive quickly. To love everyone. To give more hugs and more kisses. To get excited about the little things. To run more. To say thank you often. To dance, just because. To sing more. To laugh easily. And to say I love you more throughout the day. How did you learn all of those things? I'd like to think it was your dad and me... but I know that you were sent to us, with a special spirit and with the important purpose of teaching us.

I've loved every stage of your life, but I think 2-year-old Lily is my favorite so far. You understand everything, you talk non-stop and you are so much fun to do things with. (Not to mention the fact that you feed yourself, sleep through the night, walk up and down stairs... all things that when you were a newborn seemed so far off.) Having another newborn around the house is going to be a new challenge, but I am so excited for you to be a big sister. You are a baby lover, that is for sure! And if you treat new little brother or sister like you do your baby dolls, he or she will be the most loved baby in all the world.

So, today we celebrate. We'll do anything you want. Because it's your birthday. And because I love you more than you could ever imagine. I really do, Lily girl. My heart feels like it's going to explode and my eyes brim with tears as I think about what an incredible, incredible little girl you are. I love that I get to be your mom. Forever.

I love you, Lily.

Love,
Your Mom.

ah, thanks

2011-09-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

thank you for all of the congratulations!
now that people know, i can finally stop holding my stomach in.
funny how your body doesn't waste anytime growing the 2nd time around...

because a few of you asked...
i'm 13 weeks (and a few days) along and feeling great.
i had about 3 days of not feeling great and laying on the couch around 7 weeks, but that's it.
it was that way with lily too.
although with lily, food never really sounded good, so i didn't gain much weight.
this time around i'm hungry. all. the. time.
but mostly for bagels and cream cheese. pasta. bread. and more bread.
bring on the pounds, baby!

baby is due april 4th,
although at each appointment they've said i'm measuring about a week farther along than i am.
here's hoping this baby comes a few weeks early like lily did!

two.

2011-09-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Baby #2 is due to arrive April 4, 2012
We are so excited!
Lily, especially.
A real, live baby doll for her to play with.
It doesn't get better than that :)

So if you come over to our house
and Lily insists you have a baby in your tummy...
don't be offended.
We all have one in our tummies these days.
Even Joe.

tgif

2011-09-23T14:13:00.001-07:00

if there's one thing lily got from her dad,
it's her ability to perfectly time blinks to the exact moment i snap a picture.
but i'm pretty sure joe has never looked this cute in a picture with his eyes closed.
sorry, honey :)

we've got a fun weekend planned.
watching the byu game tonight with friends.
mani/pedi with one of my girlfriends tomorrow morning.
ward bbq tomorrow afternoon.

(which lily and i did all the shopping for this morning at costco. call me crazy.
costco is crazy enough alone on a friday afternoon,
let alone pushing an overtired baby in a cart full of hamburgers and hotdogs for 100 people.
i'm super woman.
joe, you owe me a nice long back rub.)

and my parents coming to visit for the weekend to celebrate lily's birthday.
holy cow, she turns TWO next thursday.
PLUS the sun is out.
yep. it's going to be a great weekend.

happy friday!

Now That's What I'm Talking About!

2011-09-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

We've had our first few days of the much awaited "Indian Summer"

and I can't tell you how much my body has been aching for this weather.
San Francisco is a gorgeous city, but I tell you... it's a million times more wonderful when it's warm.

Tuesday morning we went for a run along Crissy Field
to the Palace of Fine Arts and fed the swans.

Then we picnicked on the grass by the beach.

And enjoyed the afternoon sunshine.

I love her little bun (and buns!)

Water Park

2011-09-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

Someday I want to live in a place that is warm enough to have a water park.

Big Basin Camping

2011-09-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Joe has been on vacation for the last week,
so we decided to take advantage of a week full of no plans and go camping.
It was our first time going with Lily and we had such a great time.
Our tent was big enough for an air mattress and a pack and play,
so falling asleep was a piece of cake.
However...if you had visited our tent from 2am until 5am,
you would have found us all WIDE awake.
The little stinker.

All in all, it was a fun couple of days and we'll definitely do it again!

Note to self... campsite 51 is where it's at.

Lily had a blast - being outside all day and night, a 2-year-old's dream come true.

Her hands looked like this 100% of the trip.
Sometimes she licked her fingers, thinking the dirt was food.
On the way home she started licking her big toe.
Don't judge her, maybe the dirt tasted good?

and her bum always looked like this :)

She carried these 2 sticks around with her wherever she went. So cute.

Joe mastered the fire.

We had bbq hotdogs for dinner - hotdogs have never tasted so good
and of course our fair share of s'mores for dessert.

We froze a half gallon of milk before we left that had thawed perfectly
for hot chocolate and cereal the next morning.

Joe did fun boy things.
Like climbing trees.
And smashing acorns with a wooden "bat"...

...and swinging on the rope swing in our campsite.
This sequence of pictures fails to document what happened a fraction of a second after the last picture where Joe smashes into the tree behind him and lays on the ground, not moving, for far too long. It was scary. He's not allowed to scare me like that again.

Luckily, Lily was able to show him the proper way to rope swing.
Next time, Joe. Next time.

Windy??

2011-09-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

stinky

2011-09-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

During sacrament meeting on sunday, lily was sitting on the ground with her baby doll
and very loudly kept saying "stinky baby. stinky baby. stinky baby."
while lifting her baby's bum as if she were changing her diaper.
This went on for a good 2 minutes while Joe and I were trying not to roll on the floor in laughter.

Last night as we were driving home from a fun-filled day with friends, Lily started to doze off. With eyes closed she kept saying,
"mommy. daddy. mommy. daddy. mommy. daddy. mommy. daddy."
It was the cutest. thing. ever.

We went to Costco today and as soon as we walked in a delicious whiff of something filled the air.
Lily immediately said, "pizza. pizza. pizza. yummmmm pizza."
a girl after my own heart. and her dad's.
it was too early to justify pizza,
but we settled for a berry smoothie in the car before driving home.

Happy Friday.

2011-09-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

3-day weekend (with sunshine in the forecast), I'm so glad you're here.

oh hello, sunshine.

2011-09-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

we've sure missed you the past couple of months.

thanks for coming out and letting us go to the "beat".
lily has been begging for weeks.
love, us.

p.s. please say you're here to stay?

Skip to my lou

2011-08-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Lily likes to "skip".
Her version of skipping is basically running, while lifting one leg higher every so often.
We think it's pretty cute :)

Lisa's Shower

2011-08-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

My friend Kristine & I were able to throw a baby shower for our good friend Lisa this weekend.
This will be Mark and Lisa's second
(their first, Lucy is a couple months older than Lily and they are the cutest of friends)
so we're excited to see what a baby boy Bellisario will be like!

We went with a "mini" theme
and had everything from mini quiches and donuts to mini pancakes, muffins and parfaits.
It turned out darling and was fun to plan.

Congratulations, Lisa! We're so excited for you guys :)

We attempted this paint chip mobile idea.
It was a simple project (I glued instead of sewed - a cleaner look)
and I think it turned out perfect.
Now my mind is turning with all of the color possibilities!!

I was pretty lousy at taking pictures and this is the only picture I got of Lisa. (Sorry, Lisa!)

Alexis and Brionne

Amber & Abby

Baby Alan

Melissa & Baby Alan, Kathryn & Nicole

Polin & Ashley

Kristine & Baby Ella, Rischel and Kristy

Taisja and Baby Elise - who belongs to Rischel :)

church shoes.

2011-08-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Lily wore her new "trch toooss" to church today.
She loved the noise they made as she ran up and down the hall.
Click clack click clack click clack - like big girl shoes.
BIG girl shoes.

Not sure if it was the fact that we got home late last night
and this morning I was still very tired
or just me being sentimental...
but this morning Lily's shoes made me cry.

he touched the butt

2011-08-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening we had a picnic dinner on my aunt & uncle's "butt" (as lily & nemo call it).

Delicious food, sun on my skin, wind in my hair... life doesn't get any better, I tell ya.

lily's stamp of approval

2011-08-22T19:38:00.001-07:00

There's nothing better than an afternoon snack of chocolate pudding
followed by an impromptu highchair painting session
where Lily drew lots and lots of "butterflies".

Remember this? She still does it.
After all, painting with pudding does require intense concentration.

a few things...

2011-08-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

I went and saw The Help last night with a few friends.
The book was amazing and the movie was just as wonderful.
Seriously, I loved it. A lot.
Also, I didn't get to bed until midnight.
(How did I used to do that on a nightly basis?!?!)
And guess who slept in until 9:00 this morning?
Bless you, Lily. It was a Wednesday miracle.

Lily woke up with her hair completely crusted with boogs, stuck to her face.
What the heck? I thought she just got over her cold last week...
The never ending cycle of kids and germs, I tell ya.

I made the BEST pasta sauce on Monday night.
It was amazing. Like I could have eaten it with a spoon sans pasta, amazing.
I'll take a picture next time. Which will be soon. It was heavenly.

We've made it three weeks without a pacifier.
I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but I'm super proud of myself.
Lily hasn't seemed to miss it.
Naps are a little more difficult, but bearable.
And if anything she's been less whiny in the evenings.
But I miss it.
I miss how when she had it, she was still my baby.
She'd be so relaxed that she'd lay on my chest and just cuddle.
And now she's not my baby.....
And that's why I've almost caved. But just almost.

today

2011-08-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

7:30 all three of us woke up, quickly got dressed & ate cinnamon toast crunch
8:10 out the door to corte madera's rei sale
8:45 - 9:50 lily & joe played at the park while i waited in line for rei to open
(basking in warm sunshine... that's what happens when you drive 20 minutes north of sf)
10:00 lily & joe joined me and we scored a few great items at the sale
(want to go camping soon, anyone?)
11:30 grabbed some sandwiches and headed to the beach for a picnic
12:00 - 1:30 ate breakfast at a very foggy muir beach & played in the sand.
(mostly joe played - i relaxed in our new chairs. thank you rei)
1:30 must. find. sunshine.
1:45 - 3:30 play at a delightful little park. all by ourselves. lily made joe a five course meal.
(sticks - string cheese, rocks - apples, and sand - num num num)
and i dozed off on a slide, soaking up the sunshine.

6:00 lily went to bed.

best. day. ever.

sidekick.

2011-08-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

i love this girl. everyday i love her.
but yesterday i loved her a lot.
running errands, no less.

we wandered the isles of safeway discussing what we should make for dinner.

we bought too many boxes of crayons and markers at walgreens
and talked about drawing pictures for all of her friends and each member of our family.

we looked at all the stickers and dollar bins at michaels.

and i took my sweet time in target while lily buckled and unbuckled the seat belt
and laid down in the seat pretending to go "night night".

we sang twinkle twinkle little star and once there was a snowman
a million times on the way home
and made sure to point out all the buses, trucks and bikes that we passed.

pretty sure my errands wouldn't have been quite as entertaining without this girl by my side.

i love this mini sidekick of mine.

oh hey.

2011-08-08T09:55:00.001-07:00

last night Joe said to me,

"hey, remember how we have a blog?"

which was really just a nice way of saying...
blog already, woman.

i wish i could say we've been doing super fun things.
but alas, it's foggy and wet most days.
lily and joe are finally over their nasty colds, which i magically managed to avoid.
thankyouverymuch.
soooo... we've been having a lot of fun inside.

...playing on our new couch

...practicing our sad faces because it's cold outside

...reading books. lots and lots and loots of books.

...and "swimming" in the bathtub.
Because that's what you do when it's cold outside and you don't have a pool.

you're welcome, joe :)

and i thought this day would never come...

2011-08-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

we've had 5 days of no pacifier.
so far, so good.
cross your fingers that i can stick to my guns.

Stars - they're just like US!

2011-08-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

they use port-a-potties in a pinch too!

As I was unloading the camera from our weekend in Cambria, I found this picture that Joe
snapped as I was coming out of the port-a-potty a couple minutes from the house we stayed in.

Yes, a couple minutes. Don't ask.

When you have to go, you have to go. Just saying.

Weekend Getaway

2011-08-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

We got back late last night from a whirlwind weekend getaway to Cambria with Joe's family.
I always love spending time with family, but this time was especially great because
we hadn't seen his grandma & grandpa Eliason or Mark & Lizzie (our niece and nephew)
since we lived in Utah! Too long, if you ask me!

Beach. Family. Delicious Food. It doesn't get better than that.
We only wish we could have stayed longer!

Thanks Mike & Mindy for such a wonderful weekend! We miss you all already!

The grandkids - Lily, Lizzie & Mark - in Grandpa's truck

Roasting marshmallows for s'mores in the backyard

Lizzie & grandpa

3 generations of Eliason men (notice Joe's shirt... haha)

Mark hanging with Charlie, the dog.

Lily eating her first marshmallow

Joe taught them how to fence. with marshmallow sticks. great.

Cousins - Lily & Lizzie

A weekend of firsts - Lily's first juice box. Monumental, I know.

Lizzie

grandma & mark

matching swimsuits
Lily wanted to follow Lizzie around all day, but Lizzie is a clean beach goer and Lily is... not.
At one point Lily came up to Lizzie to play and Lizzie said, "uh uh. you're a mess."
and took her bucket somewhere else to play. hahaha.

they had quite the beach setup. also, this is the only picture of me all weekend. awesome.
me, mindy, lily, mike, grandma & grandpa eliason, lizzie

Monkey Child

2011-07-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Lily is a master at animal sounds.
But this one might just be my favorite.

you know you're a mom when...

2011-07-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

you go in to check your daughter's diaper after she's asleep because she didn't poo today.
(and bad things happen when a middle of the night poo sits on a baby bum. trust me. i know.)
you carefully navigate your hand to her diaper in the dark, trying not to wake her up.
you stick your finger down the back of the diaper and make a cautious swipe.
you walk out into the hall to inspect the damage.
it's clean.
phew.

close one.

*we were so lucky to squeeze in a shoot with stacy before she and her husband moved to LA.
she just posted some of her favorites from the shoot and i am so excited to see the rest!
thank you stacy. you rock.

My weekend

2011-07-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

A few of my weekend plans...

Just started reading this. I love a good new book. I'll let you know how it is.

Learning how to do this. I'm slowly but surely getting the hang of it. I'll make you a washcloth.

On my fifth successful batch of this. I'm a pro. And I'm in love. Best. Ever.

Need to go for a run. So I can do this. And not turn into a blob.

Need a trip to Costco to try this. And perhaps to pick up an incredibly soft body pillow I saw the last time I was there and haven't been able to stop thinking about since.

Going here next weekend with Joe's family. Excited for a quick little weekend getaway.

I mostly loved waking up this morning with Joe still in bed. Aren't weekends great?
Happy Saturday. Hope you have a wonderful weekend :)

spot the difference

2011-07-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

The first picture is from June 2009. A few months before Lily was born.
The second picture is from June 2011. A few months before Lily turns 2.

I'd like to think that while my body may be a little less firm, my eyes a little more tired
and my hair a little less blonde...
we're a little wiser, a little more patient, a little more grateful in the second.
Something that only having a two-year-old can give you.

And maybe, just maybe, I need a new swimsuit. Just saying.

potties, pee & tears.

2011-07-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

Lily loves her potty.
She mostly likes to lug it around to use as a step stool or chair wherever she goes
or sit on it - fully clothed - as I use the bathroom

Side note: she also loves to flush the toilet while we're in there.
sometimes while i'm still on it. but that's another blog post.

This afternoon she was using it as a chair to read books,
so I stripped her down and let her sit on it.
and what do you know? She peed!

Oh happy day!

I was so excited I gave her a big hug and showed her what she did.

And guess what?

She took one look at the pee and she cried.
Like big, huge, alligator tears crying.
It was all I could do to keep myself from laughing.

It only lasted a few seconds though because as soon as she realized that peeing in the potty
meant you got a piece of candy from the candy jar, she was all about it.

Here's to potty training.
And crying over a successful pee.

I'll love you forever.

2011-07-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

I cherish the time while Lily naps.
It's a couple hours everyday where I can count on getting things done.
But some days I miss holding my sleeping baby like when she was younger.
While we were at the beach house last month, Lily fell asleep in my arms after an
exhausting day of playing in the sand and running from the waves.
She slept for a whole hour in my arms.
It was a dream. Really.
There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby.
Even a sleeping (almost) 2-year-old.

It reminded me of one of my favorite bedtime stories...

The baby grew. She grew and she grew and she grew. She grew until she was two years old, and she ran all around the house. She pulled all the books off the shelves. She pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and she took her mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes her mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to her room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of her bed; and if she was really asleep she picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked her she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

I Love...

2011-07-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

I think it's safe to say that Lily isn't lacking self confidence.

*Please ignore the obnoxious mom/video camera voice

Little Miss Ella

2011-07-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

One of my very best friends just had a little girl
& I got to take a few (hundred) pictures of her this week.
I loved every minute of it.

...makes me want to have another one just so I can take pictures
of a still baby instead of one that insists on running around.

A few of my favs...

Thanks Kristine and Jason for letting me take pictures of your beautiful little girl.
She's absolutely perfect :)

Friday Letters

2011-07-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

dear fire engine,
i wonder how many kids you woke up this morning?
i heard you in the distance and crossed my fingers you weren't coming my direction.
as soon as you passed I bit my lip. just waiting....
right on cue I hear Lily groggily say, "beep beep".
i hope you were going somewhere very important.
love,
the mom who dislikes living on a busy street.

dear rain, fog & 50 degree weather,
it's summer. did you hear?
go away.
that's all.
love,
the girl who thinks using her heater in july is wrong.

dear city of san francisco,
remember how we just found out about a street cleaning ticket you gave us in january?
no ticket on our car. no notice in the mail.
and now you're making us pay a hefty late fee.
about a ticket you never told us about.
i dislike you.
and your customer service representatives.
~~love,~~
angry resident.

dear weekend,
i'm so glad you're here.
can we do something fun?
maybe find some sunshine somewhere?
relax?
eat frozen yogurt?
love,
me.

on freezing time

2011-07-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

i'm not sure when this little baby of mine decided that she could just up and get older on me,

but she did...

and she is...

and i wish i could just freeze time.

i look at this picture and get glimpses of the grown up girl she is going to become.
the whispy hair.
the pony tail.
those lips.
those lips will kiss boys. ahhhhh. i won't allow it!

grown up lily probably won't hold my face and give me kisses
or run down the hall and jump into my arms
or come up behind me and nuzzle her face between my knees as i'm making dinner
or insist that i snuggle in bed with her after waking up from a nap.

yes. i must find a way to freeze time.

There's no wrong way to eat...

2011-07-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

a watermelon.

Take 2,367...

2011-07-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon we took advantage of everyone being together and attempted a family picture.

Lily is becoming quite the difficult little model when it comes to taking pictures.

Gone are the days where she loved to cheese it up for the camera... sigh.
What you don't see in this picture are the two little neighbor girls running in circles making
crazy noises trying to get Lily to keep from wiggling out of my arms and crack a smile.
The minute I set her down and the camera was put away she was all smiles.
The little stinker.

It only took about a million tries...
but pouting and arms crossed aside, I love this picture of my family :)

The Big 5-0.

2011-07-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my entire family got together

and we celebrated both my mom and dad's 50th birthdays.
It was so much fun to have all of my sisters together for the weekend
and to get to spend a wonderful evening with some of my parents' great friends.

This was the only picture I got of my parents together all evening. Ooops!

We had a BBQ dinner catered by Kinders and everything was absolutely delicious!
Ribs, Chicken, bbq beans & Kinders special sauce, served with fresh bread, a green salad &
our favorite Mango Quinoa Salad.
Joe said they were the best ribs he's ever had... and that's saying a lot :)

For dessert we had the Velvet Creamery (a local restaurant) make some of my parents' favorite
ice cream flavors served with homemade cookies and brownies.
Oatmeal Cookie Dough, Mint Chip, Rocky Road & Fresh Strawberry.
Yummm!

To make up for my lame attempt at a picture of the two of them together during the party,
we took some cute shots of them together the next afternoon.

Happy Birthday Mom & Dad.
50 has never looked so good :)

Just Keep Swimming

2011-07-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

Just keep swimming.
Just keep swimming swimming swimming
What do we dooooooo?
We swim, swim, swim.
I looovvveee to swim.
-Dory, Finding Nemo

This girl is a fish, let me tell you.
Lily loves to swim more than any other (almost) 2-year-old I've ever known.
She loves to blow bubbles, float on her back, jump off the diving board into dad's arms,
pick up rings off of the steps, put her face under the waterfall... you name it, she'll do it.
I predict next year she'll be doing laps :)

Baby Cracks

2011-07-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Butt cracks aren't cute.

Unless it's a baby crack...
In which case it is so cute it deserves a picture.

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-04T10:14:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July!
I hope your day is full of fireworks, barbeques, sunshine and watermelon.
How truly grateful I am to live in this incredible country.
God bless America.

Bigger Pictures

2011-06-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've had quite a few people ask how I post big pictures on my blog

and rather than do my own tutorial, I came across this one that shows you perfectly.
(as you're looking at her explanation, she doesn't mention that you have to
increase each of the numbers proportionally. I double all of the numbers.
...it will make more sense after you read her tutorial.)
So, there you go. Big pictures. It's easy. Really.

And speaking of pictures...
Happy late birthday present to me...my new LENS came today!!
I wish it wasn't pouring down rain or I'd take Lily to the park for a photo shoot.
Instead, we're still both in our pjs and I've resorted to photographing fruit.

Beach Bum

2011-06-23T21:58:00.001-07:00

Every summer since I can remember
my family has spent a week at the beach house.
We stay in the house that my mom's dad grew up in,
just a few minute's walk from the beach.
It's the perfect week. Every year.
But this week was especially perfect.

I love that I get to continue this special tradition with my own little family.
Here's to many more years spent at the beach house!

Beach House

2011-06-22T10:23:00.001-07:00

We're spending the most beautiful week in Aptos at the "each ouse" as Lily calls it.

The weather is perfect, the sand is HOT, and the water feels like a cool slice of heaven.

Can we stay here forever?

Yesterday Joe made a slide for Lily out of a skim board and two boogie boards.

He's a pretty awesome dad. Just saying.

More pictures of our amazing week to come :)

Muir Woods

2011-06-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

Muir Woods was on our list of places to explore near the city,
so we packed a picnic dinner and headed across the Golden Gate Bridge.

It's incredible where 25 minutes of driving will take you -
we were transported into the most beautiful forest of giant redwoods
and it was at least 10 degrees warmer than the city.

We then stopped at Muir Beach to soak up the sunshine and eat dinner.
The warm sunshine felt so good on my skin and
Lily had a blast building sand castles and playing in the water.
The cold water doesn't even phase her, she could have played in the waves all afternoon.

It was the perfect afternoon. Heavenly, even.
We'll definitely be going back!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

To three of the very best dads I know.

To this dad.
For being so loving and so kind and so hard working
and an incredible husband.

To my own amazing dad.
For always being there when we needed him, for being such a great example,
and for raising four pretty awesome girls, if I do say so myself.

And to this dad, for raising incredible kids.
Mostly your son. Who I love. a lot.

Happy Father's Day!
I love you all!

Friday Letters

2011-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

dear joe,
remember how you got your board score back this week?
and how we jumped up and down in the living room?
and how i cried?
i'm incredibly proud of you.
and happy. so happy.
love,
your wife.

dear lily,
remember how we tried to take family pictures this week?
and how you were a stinker the whole time?
and how we finally found you a lady bug to play with so you would stop
playing the limp noodle game and then you almost ate the lady bug?
remember that?
i still love you. fiestiness and all.
love,
your mom.

dear cupcakes,
why are you so delicious?
and how do i justify eating you as a breakfast dessert, lunch dessert & dinner dessert?
it's the cuteness. yes, i blame my obsession on your small size.
but an over consumption of you during my birthday week is completely acceptable.
encouraged even.
love,
chocolate cupcake lover.

dear amazon,
i love you. lots.
and your free 2-day shipping.
and the fact that you'll be sending me a fridge lock without me having to go anywhere!
because let's be honest,
lily can only take so many bites of a stick of butter before it gets a little gross.
love,
me.

dear lady at the park,
remember how we've never met?
and how you put your little girl next to mine at the park and then took a picture?
that's kind of a funny (and by funny i mean strange) thing to do.
just thought you should know.
love,
a mom who likes to take pictures, but not of your child.

Flag Day & Cupcakes

2011-06-15T12:30:00.001-07:00

i love sharing my birthday with flag day.
it's always on the calendar, so you can't possibly forget :)

i had the most wonderful birthday yesterday
french toast for breakfast
family pictures on the beach
quesadillas with mango salsa for lunch
a nap
calls and visits from family & friends
a walk to the park
dinner with my amazing friend Nina
cupcakes. cupcakes and more cupcakes
a movie on the couch with Joe
& to top the perfect day off...
a back rub as I fell asleep.

seriously. the day couldn't have been any more perfect. really.
there is something about birthdays as i've gotten older that i just love.
i feel like i've got a permanent smile on my face all day just thinking about how awesome life is.
how incredible my family is. how lucky i am to know the people that i do.
how blessed i am. how happy i am. how loved i am. how excited i am for the next year.

birthdays are wonderful. they really are.
happy birthday to me. and happy flag day. because flag day is important too.

lately. as of late. it's late.

2011-06-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

We're getting our family pictures taken this week. I won the session, actually.
Remember the last time I won something? I'm on a roll!
Stacy is amazing. I couldn't be more excited!

Lily had a "code brown" in the tub a couple days ago.
But no fear... Joe was there! He caught it in a bowl. And I took picture.
I'll spare you. You're welcome.

I made Lily a set of mini scrubs to match Joe's.
She wore them to Joe's end of the year party at school.
With Crocs. Of course.
She looked adorable. Pictures to come soon :)

We've been spending our mornings at the park.
With Joe home, there's two people to chase Lily around the playground.
Best.Thing. Ever. I could totally get used to this!

Friday Letter

2011-06-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

My favorite combo: waffles, strawberries, syrup and powdered sugar. Because I can.

Dear First Day of Vacation,
Sleeping in.
Waffles with strawberries.
Lunch at the park.
Afternoon at the beach.
Redbox movie with Joe.
Enough said.
Love,
a happy happy happy me.

P.S. Did you hear? A trip to Paris?!? A girl can dream, right?

Secrets

2011-06-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

Lily loves when we tell her secrets.

Usually our secrets are...
I love you soooo much
or
go give mommy a hug
or
go give daddy a kiss
Pretty awesome secrets, if you ask me.

My favorite is when you ask her to tell you a secret...

...she puts her ear up to yours.
Perfect.

On a sadder note...
the fish died.
all of them.
seriously?!?!
we have issues.
how hard can it be to keep fish alive?
it's got to be the water.
in which case, should WE be drinking the water?

Ishies

2011-06-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

Meet the newest additions to our family...
"ishies" as Lily calls them.
Best. Gift. Ever.

She loooooovvveeeessss her ishies.
She gives them kisses through the glass.
Hugs their bowl.
Occasionally tries to pick them up (luckily we've stopped her just in time...)
And wants to feed them. all. day. long.

We started with three, but one of them died the first night. Ooops.
We don't have the best track record with fish...
But the two that are left are bffs and doing great.

Joe's Ice Cream

2011-06-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ice cream always sounds good to me.
Even when it's raining.
In June.
Please.

Plus, we couldn't not go...
after all it is Joe's ice cream.

After a lot of tasters we settled on
Maple Nut
Pistachio
& Double Chocolate Fudge

mmmmmmmmm.
Delicious, homemade, tasty ice cream goodness.

We'll definitely be going back!

Friday Letters

2011-06-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

dear rain.
you've made an appearance most days this week.
you don't belong here.
it's june, have you heard?
and lily hates her new rainboots, sooooo...
go away.
love,
lover of sunshine, not rain.

dear lily.
your new rainboots... i searched high and low for those.
why do you hate them so much?
probably the same reason why you hate socks
and footie pajamas that zip up
and hats that tie under your chin
and any pair of shoes except the shoes that make your feet smell bad.
i love you and your very opinionated self.
love,
your mom. (who supposedly was the exact same way when she was a baby...karma)
p.s. thanks for helping me clean the house. you're the best swiffer-er there is!

dear period.
you forced me to eat almost an entire batch of no bakes.
but they were the most perfect no bakes ever to be made.
ever.
my bum will thank you later.
i'm sure.
love,
hormonal me.

dear joe.
i'm excited for our date tomorrow night.
and thanks for letting me choose the movie.
even though you wanted to see x men.
that's true love.
love,
me.

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

We escaped the chilly city weather and spent Memorial Day afternoon

soaking up the sunshine in Palo Alto at the Rinconada Pool with some friends.
Best. Decision. Ever.

Lily was in heaven and couldn't get enough of the water.
After 3 hours, we had to lure her out with fruit snacks because the pool was closing.

I think she went down the slide at least 100 times
and was absolutely fearless when it came to jumping from the side of the pool...
whether there was someone there to catch her or not!

Her fearlessness makes me a little nervous...

Chicken fight, baby style - Joe & Lily vs. Mark & Lucy

Cute moms and their babies :)
Lisa & Lucy, Me & Lily, Diana & Opal, Anisha & Max, Rebekah & Avery

100 times. No lie.

The boys played on the diving boards... for a long time.
Had it not been for tired babies, I don't think they ever would have stopped jumping off the diving board in an attempt to catch the ball that was being hurled at them.

...this is making me very diiizzzzyyyyy!

...and the best for last!
not sure why she loves digging in her nose
or why i find it so funny!
I should tell her to stop... maybe next time :)

Half Marathon - Check!

2011-05-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

As of Saturday, I can check a half marathon off my bucket list!
Such a rush to run the whole thing and to cross the finish line.
We haven't gotten our official times yet, but I think I finished in about 2:08:15.
Thank you Diana for talking me into doing it :)

Great playlist.
Beautiful weather.
Joe & Lily cheering me on at the finish line.
It was the perfect run!!

Followed by a juicy hamburger,
fries & a chocolate chip calzone (thank you, Anisha)
at Claim Jumper to celebrate.
Yes, please!