falling in love pt. 3

i fell in love with this little girl, all over again

her self portrait checking her hair on my phone

again, this is not the kind of twitterpated love that we associate with love, but love nonetheless. it's amazing to me how kids change not just over time, but in different settings or when given individual attention.
princess grace spent 7 1/2 days with me and no brothers. there were cousins to play with, but she got undivided mom time. that's not really all that unusual for a home preschooler, but this was different.
she was amazing!
this 5 year old got 5-6 hours of sleep each night in a new place with new people and new things and she rocked it.
at the wedding she stayed out of the way. never really whined or complained. found cousins to hang out with and made it special for her.

probably her favorite thing of the whole trip was hanging out with her cousins. look at these girls. could they be any cuter?

when she had downtime, which she had plenty of, she occupied herself with doing things her own way. she loved jumping on the trampoline and became a champ at jumping off the "tower". 

when she wasn't jumping on the trampoline she was in the backyard or front yard searching for, finding and collecting potato bugs aka rolly polly's. pretty sure she collected over 200 of them over the course of several days. i learned she has very limited fear of her own abilities.

one of the funnier moments was at a pool party on memorial day. we crashed a party with my sister and princess grace swam the whole time. typical right, except not really. there were about 10-12 boys between 12-16 in the pool playing chicken, marco polo and doing crazy dives off the  board. then there's this crazy girl jumping off the board right along with them. they were totally respectful and it was totally funny. wish i had a picture of her, but you can enjoy a pic of the ladies chatting it up moments after we were splashed by aforementioned boys. 

falling in love is about gaining appreciation for a person and what the can and do add to your life. i learned during this great adventure with this little girl that she is fabulous and i totally fell in love with her all over again. i will remember to read this again during the days surely to come where she tells me how much she hates me and i'm ruining her life. i'll still love her then.

falling in love pt. 2

while maybe not the same kind of love as previously posted i fell in love all the same.  in love with california.

don't get me wrong i am an east coast girl through and through. i would never make it there. i talk too fast, i walk too fast, i'm too uptight and i have an uptight east coast sense of style. all that aside i love northern california.

 first thing princess grace and i did was hop off the plane in oakland into our ford edge (which i also fell in love with, despite the obvious error in spelling) and headed into san fran. we went over the bay bridge and over the san francisco bay.

i loved!

we hit the piers, shopped, ate ice cream and got messy hair from the wind. 

i loved!

we drove the amazing streets. we don't have straight streets here. all streets dead end, go one way or randomly change name, directions or close. these streets while at crazy angles were straight. two cars could drive by each other. what a concept.  i drove lombard

i loved!

 we saw the gorgeous architecture of row after row after row of brownstones. amazing colors, and more architectural details than i ever remember seeing before.

i loved!

as we headed east back toward oakland and the clayton valley area the hills and mountains struck me. they were amazing. they were not green, but covered in sage like bushes so you could see all the bumps and crevices. we talked a lot about sledding, or skate boarding down those hills. or living on the edge.

i loved!

then there was the one thing i will miss unexpectedly. the food. you'd think in such a large urban are we would have amazing food here. the truth is that small authentic restaurants are few and far between. those you find are not necessarily savory to visit (pun intended).

princess grace and i had awesome mexican food and some amazing dessert.

i loved!

ok, virginia i still love you, but i can have a bit on the side with no regrets.

another proud moment

who has two thumbs and married the awesomest guy ever - this girl

my man, through interventions known only to the big man upstairs, was promoted within his company to an amazing new position. well. technically the company created a whole new division within 2 days so that hubsters could stay with them.
seriously....blessings people.
i'm proud of him. i love him
my favorite thing though.....?
his comment shortly after changing jobs: "it's like i don't have a job anymore. all i do is manage!"
hahahahha!

oh...and why this picture, you ask....seriously he tries to look all mad and mean, but please....give it up!

jp, the businessman

jp, and siblings, have been playing outside with the neighbors everyday. it's great! the weather has been awesome and they are outside!!
jp, however is not simply playing or riding his bike all the time. everyday for a week he, with the help of the younger siblings and neighbors, have been setting up stands to sell everything from rocks (princess grace) to gatorade and even held a mini yard sale. none of these were successful, which frustrated jp to no end. he was really trying, which i felt needed to be rewarded.

i baked several dozen cookies, printed some cute labels and the hubsters and i packaged them up. jp set up a booth outside on a perfect saturday morning in our driveway, which happens to be facing the farmers market on saturday mornings. convenient, no?

he was set to go. and go he did. he sold out all of his cookies. 50 cents for two cookies, so most people were buying two bags. the cute neighbor girls even made a sign and taped it up at the farmers market. he generously gave them a $2 tip (hubsters plan to keep the employees happy). it was a great moment to hang out outside and watch him being successful at something he wanted, and honestly worked for. definitely a proud momma moment

all about the princess

when we moved this summer princess grace was put on waiting lists for several preschools. preschool is a pretty competitive market in a "small town". i thought the first week alone with just her and i would kill me.

it didn't

in fact now, we are quite enjoying ourselves. she has the rest of her life to run away from me and go to school, for now i'm trying, and sometimes succeeding, in enjoying every moment.

we put her in a ballet and tap class once a week for 45 minutes. she's in heaven. she mostly loved the tap shoes that had "heels"

here's her first week in class:



although she is through and through a princess, she is being raised with two older brothers and a mostly fearless mother. when we went to playgroup several weeks ago she was the one dragging the other kids to dig up worms. at her friends house she found a slug, and was in heaven

we love this little girl!

Back to school night

Back to school night has come and gone, but the highlight? jp's letter to me. it reads as follows:

dear mom
I'm having a good year.
I like living so close to the school.
I've already gotten used to getting ready at 7:00 we don't always get homework, but when we do it's always easy, or studying. I like having mr. "S" for a teacher, it's like most Fox Mill teachers were sent off to military acadamy, while Little River teachers started teaching as soon as they got the job. I know I will have a good year, and I want to stay here for years to come. If everyday is like this I'll never want to leave exept maybe a change every once in a while.
My favorite subjects are Virginia Studies, Science, Validation writing, reading, and Library. I hope "Princess Grace" isn't causing you too much trouble while I'm gone.

Signed,
"jp"


awesomeness!!!

guest writer - jp

today i got to write a story about a picture of mountains with the beach in the back. the story was about a military soldier who found a chunk of atlantis.
at recess i played a fun game called grounders. the main idea is where one person stands in the middle of the playground and your'e supposed to not touch the ground when the person says grounders. if you get tagged or you touch the ground, you're it.
mom bought us double stuf oreos, and she made donut muffins.
for lunch i packed a cheese stick, a ham sandwich with no mayonnaise, 4 oreos, 2 muffins and a yogurt.
dad, i miss you a whole, whole lot
i wish baby e and princess grace could talk to you. they will probably talk to you some other time.
the high point of my day was when we wrote a story. The teacher really liked my idea. when you get home, i'll tell you the story.
xoxoxoxo

jp

file this...

file this under things that should only be shared with your therapist.
obsession:

things that make me happy: modge podging soup cans for school supplies, and labeling things that don't really need labeling.

the laminator....drool

i'm pretty easy to please don't ya think

food and sisters

as i strolled through target the other day i had forgotten what all the ingredients were for dinner that night. i had all of the interwebs in my hands to look up the recipe, but instead called each of my sisters (and each did not answer....ladies....). i started thinking about what the two had in common, and decided it was comfort. i knew that i could trust my sisters. i knew that if i talked to them i not only would get the right answer (thank you krinkle), but also not be embarrassed for being so brain dead. so today i thought i would share the simple recipe, with simple ingredients and simple comfort that food,and sisters, can bring. (oh, and mom....it was temple day :) )

sweet and sour sausage
(sisters are both sweet and sour...ok sister comparison done)
serves 6-8

slice 2 packages turkey kielbasa on the diagonal
put kielbasa in 1/2 cup water on medium high, covered
chop 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 2 celery stalks
add veggies to water after kielbasa has plumped
add one can diced tomatoes, drained
add one can tomato sauce
add one can chopped or crushed pineapple, drained ( we use crushed for texture reasons)
add 3 tablespoons brown sugar
stir
add beef broth and pineapple juice in as liquid needed
simmer until heated all the way
serve over rice

voila' a perfect comfort food, sister style

my daughter

if i had to sum up my daughter in just one video, this video would be IT!!

caught her doing this walking into home depot. that's my princess for ya.

so stoked

since jp was diagnosed with add last year, we having been struggling with teachers in school. he has been in the japanese immersion program and was struggling in class. he was having trouble learning new vocabulary and new concepts at the same time, so he would get overwhelmed and literally shut down in class. we had a 504 plan hoping to have the teachers do something, anything, to help him, but the 504 does not change personalities, of teacher or student. he finished the year fine, but not succeeding the way we want him to. we moved to a new school district and new school. since the diagnosis we have been wishing that jp had a male teacher. hubsters had one that really helped him, and knows that a male influence in the classroom is HUGE for boys. we moved into a smaller elementary school and when we checked the fourth grade teacher list, of the 5 listed there was 1 MALE TEACHER!! we prayed and hoped that we would get him.
well we got the letter this week. jp has been assigned to the male teacher. so stoked!!!

baby e has not struggled the same way jp has, but he has some laziness issues. we found out that the chorister in church teaches 2nd grade in our school. again, got the letter this week and baby e has been assigned to the woman he already knows. he will see her 6 days a week. no hiding or shirking responsibilities for him now. she will crack the whip on him. she's been teaching 20+ years and is AWESOME!

God is good and answers prayers!!!!

oh baby..

as if he needed to solidify "stud status" in my eyes, the hubsters has done it again.

about 4-5 months ago, my car had a serious issue. ya see, my car is pretty dang awesome and has electronic everything, including electric folding backseats. they fold into the floor, sit up, recline or sit backwards all with the touch of a button. well, shortly before the move when we would need the seats stowed the back seat electronic seat stopped functioning. a rod bent inside the seat rendering the entire right side seat useless.
stuck like this.....

it was annoying and "VERY expensive to replace". i have procrastinated getting it fixed, because i knew it would be "VERY expensive to replace". well, handy hubsters googled the schematics for our exact minivan and spent 3 hours taking apart the back seat.

...HE DID IT!!

he fixed it after reading a schematic drawing...(remember i told you about that whole nuclear fusion thing).
i think i'll keep him cause he would be "VERY expensive to replace"

i'm married to....

handy manny
well except, no hables espanol and although he has been known to yell at his tools, they have yet to talk back to him.....to my knowledge.

he can fix almost anything. he doesn't love doing it, but he can. the man could read a "how to" manual on nuclear fusion and be an expert in a week.

in the past week he has:
hung a light fixture (i took it down to replace fluorescent bulbs and broke it in the process)
replaced all the elbows on a piano (i know, right!)
& installed a fan and light control in my bedroom.

he's a stud for sure

i love being mom

if i am to be totally honest with myself and you, i cannot say that being the mom is easy, always fun and instantly gratifying. some days are definitely more difficult than others. with perspective i know it's worth it and is so rewarding that i can never say i hate being a mom. it's finding that perspective that proves tricky sometimes.

as i organized pictures on my computer this week, i looked through the recent photos and felt gratitude for the chance to be a mom. it's these little moments that give me the perspective to look beyond the current commotion and drama and realize the amazing eternal calling as mom.

boys reading on the metro. one with the sports section, the other with comics.

the look of pure joy on this girls' face

baby e rocking out with speakers on his ears

sniff, sniff...

there are some moments in time that we all wish we could freeze. this is two of them.
my sweet jp just walked into my room, glassy eyed when he was supposed to be in bed. i reminded him to get back into bed. he told me that he couldn't sleep because was thinking of how much he enjoyed the beach this summer. he was so sincere and started tearing up. he said that it was the best part of his entire life, even when he was a little baby. he wants to do it again, every year, with all the same people, doing the exact same thing.

i could not agree more jp.

i wish i could freeze this time, when this sweet little spirit walked into my room at night in tears telling me that a vacation with family 2 months previously was the greatest thing ever. this little boy, who normally talks and talks and talk was sincerely expressing love. i want a freeze frame. i wish i could do it again too my boy.

guest blogging

i did a guest blog post at my gf erin's blog. hop on over and read it.


click me to read it

who are you?

i love this quote by ralph waldo emerson

" to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment"

who am i?

i am a dork, a wife, a mother, a musician, a lover of arts, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a whole slew of other things. do any one of these things define me more than another?
no.
they work together to make me the magical bipolar person that i am. i am kidding, but honestly each of these parts of me define me.

there is a part of getting older that is amazing, and that is self-actualiztion. realizing that who you are is not dependent on any outside forces. i cannot allow anyone else define my worth and value. i cannot allow others to diminish who and what i am, neither can i allow any of the labels control me. i only wish that i knew this as much when i was in high school when i needed it the most.

i'm not the biggest dork i know, nor the best wife, mother or musician. there is always someone who is a better daughter, sister, friend or leader. i know i have my own mission in this life. i know that no matter what people say, think or feel about me that i have a purpose. a calling. a divine nature that God intended to be truly mine. given to me as a gift of His love. to be used as a gateway to serve Him through serving His children. i am not perfect, great or even good for that matter, but in the end i am a daughter of God. a woman.

i'm proud to be the dork who doesn't write well or speak good and who always gets in trouble for plowing through life, but i am who i am. at least for now. i know i will change again.

who are you?

pretty princess

 i had to post possibly the cutest picture ever. the picture itself is darling, but the situation was too cute not to post.
princess grace and her cousins were having a tea party with papa. papa broke into his "pretty princess" song.
princess grace was enthralled! truly enthralled with her papa at the moment. she felt like the true princess that she is. any man who makes you feel like a princess is good, and papa, you're good.

delayed shout-out

hubsters and i celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago. since i cannot express accurately my feelings for him i will allow disney to do it for me. they always do it better anyways.




through everything, babe!
you are my rock, my roll and my soul. i love you!

happy hubby

happy belated birthday to my amazing husband!!

when we were dating 15+ years ago (all 3 weeks of it) hubsters wanted to be an architect. he went to school and ended up majoring in music, since it paid for school. architecture was out. he still loved design and we loved discussing designing homes for ourselves and others. he found his way into an industry that he fit perfectly into.
here we are 15 years later and this week found out that his job title is....ready for it......

systems architect

life's funny that way.