This is my life

The Talker

2011-07-07T19:43:00.001-07:00

Gavin's Birth Story

2011-05-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

It was a typical Monday. Mike was off to work, Ethan was off to school.. I stayed home with every intention to relax but somehow "relaxing" only made me more anxious. I had watched every show on DVR, trolled craigslist for baby gear, did a few loads of laundry, even finished painting the mural in Gavin's nursery. I went to Target that morning, got some Chinese food for lunch, Walgreens that afternoon to buy snacks for Mike (for whenever I go into labor). It was becoming quite apparent how exhausting it is just waiting to go into labor. Gavin wasn't due for another week, but I did convince my doctor to push my induction to Wednesday morning. 2 more days, I kept thinking... 2 more days...

So you can imagine my surprise that Monday night... we had just finished watching the latest episode of House. I felt like crap, as usual, but wasn't having any contractions. And then... the uneventful event happened. My water broke. No... I didn't stain the couch. I didn't pee all over the carpet either. But it broke alright... it was around 9:30pm. I yelled for Mike, and after calling my sister to tell her "this is NOT a drill" and a few minutes of last minute packing and Mike nervously looking for a "rope" to tie off the umbilical cord in case we don't make it all the way to the hospital... we were off.

By the time we got to the hospital, my family was already there. They wheeled me off to Labor and Delivery and I got comfortable in that horrid hospital gown pretty quickly. Slowly, my pain rating climbed from a 2 to a 4 to a 6. It sucked, but it was manageable. My mom said if I was still texting, that it couldn't be THAT bad.

I told the nurses the first chance I got that I wanted the epidural, but for some reason or the other, they couldn't give it to me right away. I had to get my blood drawn, they said. I don't know what the hell was going on at 10pm that it took them forever to draw my blood and get it to the lab.

Within 2 hours, the contractions have gotten so bad that I found myself yelling in pain -- something I didn't remember doing when I gave birth to Ethan. For what it's worth, Mike talked me through breathing through the contractions. I found a spot on the ceiling to focus on and held on to the siderail because I didn't By the time they drew my blood, the lab got the results, and the anesthesiologist got to the room, I was already 9 cm dilated. I was ready to push. I remember the anesthesiologist talking to the nurse, telling her it was too late for me to get it. I just kept thinking.. holy shit, this hurts.

No, no, no. Unacceptable. I don't remember if I spat out profanity, I don't think I did.... I just remember saying "please" a lot. I could've cursed them out politely, I suppose. Mainly, I begged for them not to let me go through it without drugs. Sure, people do it all the time. But I wasn't about to if I could help it. Mike kept saying "you can do this, I know you can". No offense, hun, but I hate you right about now.

They ended up administering the epidural after much begging. By then I was already ready to push. The anesthesiologist told me he can't sit me up because I was in too much pain, so he'll have to do it with me laying down - which apparently takes his difficulty level up a notch. I promised to stay still through the contractions, which is A LOT harder than it sounds. He stuck my back and waited inbetween the peaks. It took maybe 20 minutes for me to feel it, but it was too late..... It was go time. I don't remember much anymore after that.

Next thing you know, he was in my arms. He was finally here.... there's no feeling like the first time you see that baby. He was perfect. But my favorite part of it all was introducing Ethan to his baby brother.

Ethan, meet Gavin. Gavin, meet Ethan.

Gavin, meet the world.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T08:39:00.001-08:00

Sounds cliche but I really can't believe a whole year has come and gone. So much has happened, and I regret not being able to blog about it all, but life happens...... and well, even all the apps in the world can't help me in that department :)

This year, there'll be a lot of blessings to count. Baby Gavin is due mid-May, Ethan is going back to Kindergarten next week, Mike will be continuing his second year of his Masters program, and I will hopefully be finding better advancement opportunities.

So bring it 2011! Let's make it memorable!

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Airplanes

2010-10-20T22:24:00.001-07:00

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Sometimes, First Place is just Better!

2010-10-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

Didn't seem all that long ago that we're bribing Ethan to ditch his training wheels. Why am I ever surprised anyway? This kid has far excelled in everything he does!

Still, when we entered him into his first bike race, we knew we had a lot of work to do as far as teaching him good sportsmanship.

"It's not always all about winning."

"Always do your best and have fun."

We try to focus on making sure he has fun, above all else. But really, kids know the difference between winning and losing, regardless of whether or not there's a scorekeeper or medals or trophies. I've learned that ranking achievement is something they pick up on their own, and as parents, the best we could do is try to help them not be discouraged whenever they do end up on the losing end. I am a firm believer that sometimes, it's in losing that we learn the biggest lesson, and failing is what propels the greatest to succeed.

As my Tito Jess would say, "Try and try until you succeed!" :)

In Ethan's eyes, of course, things are much simpler than that. Competition is competition. And at 4 years old, he's pretty convinced that you're not a winner unless you cross the line first.

So he did just that this weekend!

This is Ethan BEAMING after he won. His excitement was priceless!

Proudly showing off his medal

Family support is very important to us and there sure is no shortage of that when it comes to cheering on Ethan!

Ethan's biggest cheerleaders!

THIS IS MY FAVORITE SHOT: Ethan telling the baby all about him winning the race!

And the Puking Begins......

2010-10-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Queasy, check.

Lightheaded, check.

Sometimes, it comes in the most unopportuned moments (like working) and I've learned if I closed my eyes, the world will pausily stop spinning at least until I open them back up again. The puking, is a whole other monster that I don't seem to remember from the first go-round, but that's not saying much considering I don't remember much of anything these days. Why do they call it morning sickness anyway when the stupid thing can hit you any time of the day, or worse, last the whole day! I met my fate yesterday in the girl's bathroom, and some good samaritan offered some saltine crackers and Sprite. So guess what I stocked up on during lunch......

Luckily, my work is pretty understanding when it comes to these uncontrollable spikes of estrogen and I suspect they're going to be pretty easy to work with for the rest of the pregnancy.

When I was pregnant with Ethan, I worked up until the day before I delivered, and unless something dramatically changes with this one, I would imagine I would working until this little peanut decides to pop out sometime next May.

Had our follow up appointment with the doc last week. He confirmed the due date from the ultrasound and stressed that I take it easy and to take time off work if I felt the need. Blood pressure was a little high, but nothing to be concerned at this point. We're waiting on the results from the blood work to see if we're gonna have to monitor the gestational diabetes a little earlier this go-round.

Fingers crossed!

Five on Fridays: Fried Brains, Lost Photos, and a Peanut in my Tummy

2010-10-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog. My name is Anne. I used to like writing on you... remember that? Why is it that I could never keep up with telling you about all the wonderful crazy things that go on in my life? I tend to forget things a lot. So I really should be taking advantage of you to remind me later about all the things I had done. Last week, I forgot my purse in the restaurant after lunch and didn't even realize it was gone until half an hour later. In 20 minutes, I will have already forgotten what I wanted to write about.

My brains are fried.

With that said, it's Friday. It's been a really long work week, with half of it spent nauseated. There's a lot going on, and everyday that passes, I can only hope I had done something worthwhile.

1) Meet our little peanut. I'm only 8 weeks along so we wont' find out for another few months if Mike will get to painstakingly help me pick the right shade of pink for the nursery. Ethan is set on having a little brother. He keeps threatening to "give it away" if it doesn't come equipped with a penis. We're still working on convincing him they don't come undecided... that God has already made that decision for us... and that he will love him (or her) unconditionally, no matter what. I suppose we have a few months to work on it. The little peanut's not due until the spring - May 17th to be exact. Although I love the idea of being pregnant, there are some moments that make me wish I could bake a little faster.

There's a lot of pressure to have a girl (as if I had a hand in the drawing board), and I have to admit, I'm a little tired of being outnumbered. In a way, I'm as freaked out as Mike is about the whole idea (although he would never publicly admit it) of being responsible to raise a girl. Is it really that much harder to raise a girl? They poop and puke the same I suppose, but then they grow up and menstruate and go boy crazy and you have to worry about giving her enough foundation to make sound decisions about not letting boys pressure them into having sex at 14, going to college on their own terms and not because they are forced to, because unfortunately, women are still paid half of what their male counterparts make. And then I think about doing her hair everyday before school, encouraging her it's ok to ride bikes, and short skirts are inappropriate, that she's beautiful and she can do whatever she sets her mind to do.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Boy or girl, we are one happy bunch. Ethan would be a GREAT big brother either way!

2) I had a talk with the Principal of Ethan's school the other day, but it was a great talk, the kind I wouldn't mind getting called into the principal's office for. He said Ethan's done a tremendous job in school. He's very smart and that we have given him a great foundation. He's actually started to read. Every day, he gets one-on-one time with his teacher, reads a few pages, brings home the book and we work with him to read at least 5 pages and sign off each time. He even passed his first reading test this week!!

It's amazing how much he loves books. My mom bought him a story book with a CD and that's all he listens to when we're in Mike's car. On Sundays, I have to referee between one who wants to listen to Sleeping Beauty and one the other who wants to listen to the Browns game. Guess who always wins?

3) Our big anniversary eurotrip is over, and 1 month later, I still haven't gotten to the photos we took throughout our trip which is probably in the upwards of 1500. I blame it partly on laziness, but mostly sad because it's over. We planned it for so long and looked forward to it for months and despite our differing levels of tolerance with hotel standards and walking til our legs fell off, we had a blast.

We found out I was pregnant just 2 days before the trip, so that put on a damper on our great plans to get plastered on the streets of London. There was not a single day where we just relaxed, even when we said we probably needed to physically reserve some energy to survive the rest of the week. See... Mike and I are not the type to go on vacation and lounge around. Ironically, we nearly killed ourselves trying to fit in as much culture and history and sightseeing in 8 days, that we needed another 8 days to recover from it.

But that's ok.

So here's a sneak peak. I hope sometime this year, I'll get to share the rest of the photos we took on our trip........ before they get lost in the sea of other untouched photos in my external hard drive. *sigh*

Stonehenge, London

Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Colloseum, Rome

Canals, Venice

4) Halloween is just around the corner. Gone are the days where I get to pick what Ethan will be for Halloween (which is usually whatever I can get on clearance the year before). After letting Ethan peruse through the Party City catalog, he's decided that he's going to be Robin, that I will be Batgirl and Mike will be Batman. So as Mike graciously agrees to wear tights for one night, I'm on the hunt for costumes that won't cost us a gazillion dollars. I've already bought Ethan's (somehow got lucky and saw it on sale for $5 on Amazon), and I've tracked down someone selling a Batman costume on craigslist, but no such luck on mine.

Now as far as decorating, I've learned from last year that my neighborhood's actually pretty gung-ho about decorating their houses. I felt pretty blah with my fake cobwebs with a few hanging spiders. I promised myself I would do better this year, but ever since my lovely sister took Ethan on a scary ride at Universal Studios, he's now pretty freaked out about everything -- I'm talking aliens, ghosts, "scary noises", even the strawberry smellin' bear from Toy Story 3 -- so I don't know how much I can get away with this year without putting my son in a Halloween coma.

5) Last month, I turned another year older, maybe a little smarter, but definitely more vindictive. And because of the recent no alcohol and no sushi restriction (boooooooooooooo for mercury!), I opted for a more low key dinner at my mom's house with family. Cake and good company, what more does an old lady need? The gifts were of course a hoot. They were actually terrific gifts, things which, now that I have them, I realize I quite like but would probably never have gotten for myself. Which is maybe the essence of a good gift. Although I have to say to this day, no one has ever gotten me the one thing that I have constantly asked for every birthday, Christmas, Anniversary or Mother's Day.... and that's either a house cleaning service or a detail for my car. My sister screamed at me once and told me she refuses to give me a carwash for Christmas.

London-Bound with Baby News

2010-09-03T09:20:00.001-07:00

It started with a dream. Just a dream. I dont really even remember what I dreamt about but it prompted me to take a test and sure enough! 3 for 3 and the doc confirmed. Can't tell yet how far along I am until the ultrasound. I kept it from Mike for 2 days, thinking about some special way to tell him on the way to London. The scene from the Wedding Singer kept playing over and over in my head. I hoped I could find a flight attendant cool enough to make the announcement on the intercom....

But I saw a perfect moment last night. Just me and Mike on the couch. Nothing fancy. He gave me the biggest hug and we both couldnt wait to tell Ethan. His reaction was priceless!! He couldn't stop jumping on the couch!

"I made a wish to have a baby brother, and it came true!" he said. And he's right. For months, he's been praying for a baby more than he does for any toy. I can't wait til he actually meets her! ;) We got a while before we find out still....

Well we're on our way to London. I am happily and gittyly imprisoned on my Droid, but I'll prob need to wait til we get back to write more. This keyboard is so darn difficult to write a novel with. Gotta love technology.

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shake my booty butt

2010-08-24T07:51:00.001-07:00

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Beach camping day 1

2010-08-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

its amazing that i got to wake up this morning to the calming sounds of the ocean, my back paying for a night of regretful decision of not investing on an air mattress, discovering that a family of pesky squirrels have got into some unsecured pastries, and my husband insists on going fishing where no one else would..... nature at its best and all i could think about was blogging about it. lol

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Brentwood Grand Prix

2010-08-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much of Mike's past few races... actually, I haven't posted much of anything lately. We've gone to a wedding, the circus, the waterpark, Ethan's summer school shananigans, Mike's ongoing races and all the other life responsibilities that happen inbetween... I've got tons of photos I want to share, so many things I want to write about, nuances to bitch about, but every time I start, I get bogged down with writer's block. I even downloaded a blogger app on my phone, and still I can't find the juices to write any one-liners!

In the famous words of my little Ethan........... Barnacles!

But I have to try.

And I suppose now's a better time than ever to break the spell because I want to share about Mike and Ethan's race at Brentwood last Sunday.

Mike's cycling season this year is winding down. With Tour de France over with and with only a handful of races left on the calendar, Mike has really vamped up his training and have even finished 12th in Ontario last month.

Sunday's race started out strong, he stayed out front for the most part, while half of the races started peeling off one by one. It was harder this time to separate Mike from the "peloton" (main pack) because of his spankin' new jersey -- IDIOT me, who took charge of packing the overnight bag, somehow LEFT out his jersey at home. So we had to dash (literally breaking the law) the night before to get to the nearest Performance Bike before they closed so he could buy a new jersey. $150 worh of legit-looking Fuji jersey to match his Fuji bike later, I was out of the doghouse and he was a happy camper.

But I digress....

5 laps before the end of the race, Mike was apparently involved in a crash (his first of the season) and lost a minute so he fell back. I'm glad the officials didn't decide to pull him off that close to the end... but you could see the disappointment in his face when he fnally crossed the finish line 38th out of 70. If it weren't for the wreck, I can honestly say he could've finished top 10. He had started out so strong, and could've easily stayed towards the front if he hadn't gotten caught in the accident. I always hear about stories of people crashing and breaking their collar bones and needing surgeries done, so I constantly worry about him when he's racing with 50 other guys and they ride so close to each other going 30 mph. So I'm just glad he was ok!

And then it was Ethan's turn.

Ethan's First Consent Form

Mike had to do some convincing, but eventually, I suppose I knew (despite all the mommy-worries) that Ethan would handle himself just fine against the 8 year olds (he was in the boys 5-8 category). I did all I could do. I brought his elbow and knee pads, which he refused to wear after seeing no one else had them on. I made sure he was comfortable. I had bandaids in my purse. I strategically placed Mike, Sissy, my mom and my dad in increments from start to finish so we could all keep tabs on him. I was a worry-wart.

But Ethan, on the contrary, was ecstatic. It was his first race WITHOUT training wheels... and he wanted to be JUST LIKE DADDY. He just learned to ride on two wheels weeks ago, and we tried to practice as much as we could. You could tell he was a little scared, but I was tearfully impressed by how he tried to be strong. He wanted to be one with the big boys. You couldn't even tell he was the youngest one there (by 6 months at least). He did ask not be up front because he still wasn't 100% with the take-off. I gave him a kiss and he looked up at me with those "I can do it mom!" looks and I couldn't be more proud!!!! With that, I ran to wait for him at the finish line..... but of course, as luck would have it, there were some privileged parents who got to stay on the course to take pictures of their kids and run with their kids. So I didn't really get any great shots of Ethan crossing the line, but I did meet him towards the end, and surprisingly, he was just proud of himself as we were despite not finishing first.

My proud baby!

This will definitely not be his last!!

Of course, my sister, my mom and my dad all came out to support Mike and Ethan so it was a family affair. My mom even got Ethan his first racing jersey! A little foreshadowing maybe? UCLA is a great school that Ethan can go to for free :)

More pics!

Who Needs an Abacus When You Got Jenga!

2010-07-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure when Ethan decided that he loves Math (clearly not MY strong suite), but it's amazing, at 4, how strong his arithmetic skills are. It's about the only subject he's almost always interested in.

Last night, after working with him on writing his full name, I promised I would let him play on "dot com disney" (he likes to play the games on playhousedisney.com) if he would practice writing his numbers. Sure enough, by the time he got to 4, he had already lost interest despite the "reward". He eventually finished it and I thought he would be done with lessons for the rest of the night when Mike strolled in with a challenge.

He wrote this on Ethan's paper:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 =

5 + 6 =

7 + 5 =

"I will give you 5 extra minutes on the computer for every problem you solve," he said.

Ethan was surely up for the challenge. And although he could do the math with his fingers, I figured it'd be more fun for him to use the jenga blocks as a manipulative. This fancy term, manipulative, simply means using items with your child as visual aids of the mathematic concepts you are trying to teach.

Too easy....... :)

I ♥ seeing him feel accomplished!

Why Never To Ask Favors Of Designers

2010-07-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me by email (a coworker thought I would get a hoot out of it because of the reference to the graphic designers - my current trade) and I laughed my ass off.... it resembles so much of some clients I work with. It's well worth the reading!

-----------

Story goes:
Shannon (the secretary) has lost her cat and has asked David (the graphic designer) to help with a lost poster. This is their email correspondence.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.15am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Poster

Hi
I opened the screen door yesterday and my cat got out and has been missing since then so I was wondering if you are not to busy you could make a poster for me. It has to be A4 and I will photocopy it and put it around my suburb this afternoon.

This is the only photo of her I have she answers to the name Missy and is black and white and about 8 months old. missing on Harper street and my phone number.
Thanks Shan.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.26am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
That is shocking news. Luckily I was sitting down when I read your email and not half way up a ladder or tree. How are you holding up? I am surprised you managed to attend work at all what with thinking about Missy out there cold, frightened and alone... possibly lying on the side of the road, her back legs squashed by a vehicle, calling out "Shannon, where are you?"
Although I have two clients expecting completed work this afternoon, I will, of course, drop everything and do whatever it takes to facilitate the speedy return of Missy.
Regards, David.

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.37am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Poster

yeah ok thanks. I know you dont like cats but I am really worried about mine. I have to leave at 1pm today.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.17am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
I never said I don't like cats. Once, having been invited to a party, I went clothes shopping beforehand and bought a pair of expensive G-Star boots. They were two sizes too small but I wanted them so badly I figured I could just wear them without socks and cut my toenails very short. As the party was only a few blocks from my place, I decided to walk. After the first block, I lost all feeling in my feet. Arriving at the party, I stumbled into a guy named Steven, spilling Malibu & coke onto his white Wham 'Choose Life' t-shirt, and he punched me. An hour or so after the incident, Steven sat down in a chair already occupied by a cat. The surprised cat clawed and snarled causing Steven to leap out of the chair, slip on a rug and strike his forehead onto the corner of a speaker; resulting in a two inch open gash. In its shock, the cat also defecated, leaving Steven with a foul stain down the back of his beige cargo pants. I liked that cat.

Attached poster as requested.

Regards, David.

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.24am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

yeah thats not what I was looking for at all. it looks like a movie and how come the photo of Missy is so small?

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.28am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,

It's a design thing. The cat is lost in the negative space.
Regards, David.

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Thats just stupid. Can you do it properly please? I am extremely emotional over this and was up all night in tears. you seem to think it is funny. Can you make the photo bigger please and fix the text and do it in colour please. Thanks.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.46am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,

Having worked with designers for a few years now, I would have assumed you understood, despite our vague suggestions otherwise, we do not welcome constructive criticism. I don't come downstairs and tell you how to send text messages, log onto Facebook and look out of the window. I am willing to overlook this faux pas due to you no doubt being preoccupied with thoughts of Missy attempting to make her way home across busy intersections or being trapped in a drain as it slowly fills with water. I spent three days down a well once but that was just for fun.

I have amended and attached the poster as per your instructions.
Regards, David.

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.59am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

This is worse than the other one. can you make it so it shows the whole photo of Missy and delete the stupid text that says missing missy off it? I just want it to say Lost.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.14am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.21am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

yeah can you do the poster or not? I just want a photo and the word lost and the telephone number and when and where she was lost and her name. Not like a movie poster or anything stupid. I have to leave early today. If it was your cat I would help you. Thanks.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.32am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Awww

Dear Shannon,
I don't have a cat. I once agreed to look after a friend's cat for a week but after he dropped it off at my apartment and explained the concept of kitty litter, I kept the cat in a closed cardboard box in the shed and forgot about it. If I wanted to feed something and clean faeces, I wouldn't have put my mother in that home after her stroke. A week later, when my friend came to collect his cat, I pretended that I was not home and mailed the box to him. Apparently I failed to put enough stamps on the package and he had to collect it from the post office and pay eighteen dollars. He still goes on about that sometimes, people need to learn to let go.

I have attached the amended version of your poster as per your detailed instructions.
Regards, David.

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.47am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Awww

Thats not my cat. where did you get that picture from? That cat is orange. I gave you a photo of my cat.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.58am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Awww

I know, but that one is cute. As Missy has quite possibly met any one of several violent ends, it is possible you might get a better cat out of this. If anybody calls and says "I haven't seen your orange cat but I did find a black and white one with its hind legs run over by a car, do you want it?" you can politely decline and save yourself a costly veterinarian bill.

I knew someone who had a basset hound that had its hind legs removed after an accident and it had to walk around with one of those little buggies with wheels. If it had been my dog I would have asked for all its legs to be removed and replaced with wheels and had a remote control installed. I could charge neighbourhood kids for rides and enter it in races. If I did the same with a horse I could drive it to work. I would call it Steven.
Regards, David.

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.07pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Please just use the photo I gave you.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.22pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.34pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

I didnt say there was a reward. I dont have $2000 dollars. What did you even put that there for? Apart from that it is perfect can you please remove the reward bit. Thanks Shan.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.42pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Can you just please take the reward bit off altogether? I have to leave in ten minutes and I still have to make photocopies of it.

********************************************************************

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.56pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

********************************************************************

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 1.03pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Fine. That will have to do.

Ethan Learns How to Ride after 2 Lessons!!

2010-07-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

5 days ago, we took Ethan's training wheels off for the first time and had to come up with some creative encouragement to convince Ethan to TRY......... just TRY.... riding his bike on two wheels.

Mike and I figured we'd take turns with holding the seat, it was less strain on my back because I'm apparently closer to the ground. It was at least good exercise for us having to run after him up and down the street.

Yesterday, we figured we'd try again.... still got some resistance from Ethan, but we eventually got him on the bike.

And within 10 minutes, he was off by himself!!!!!!!!!!

We couldn't believe it!

The look on my face when I first let go of the seat

Ethan's first ride with daddy

AND........ I'm pretty proud to report....... he learned with no scratches/bruises to boot!

The Three Musketeers

2010-07-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

Bye Bye Training Wheels

2010-07-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone has their own fond memory of the first time they learned to ride a bike. Mine was pretty uneventful. No one held my seat. No one gave me pats on the back or high fives (in fact, I distinctly recall being told that "girls are not supposed to ride bikes"). I didn't have training wheels. I didn't even have my own bike. I was 7 years old, spending another summer at my grandma's farm in the province, and I was bored. I learned on my Aunt Tessie's bike (which was obviously too large for me) and I fell more times than I could tolerate. I remember being discouraged... having to jump up to find the seat while trying to pedal forward only to get thrown to the opposite side. I don't remember being scared to get hurt, although I'm sure I earned a few cuts and bruises along the way. I was determined to get on that stupid bike. I eventually learned sometime that summer... and after that, I remember gaining freedom like I'd never experienced before. I would disappear for hours and came back with satisfaction of having been to places I never would've seen by just walking.

Fast forward to 2010. Ethan is now 4 1/2 and we're trying to convince him to ditch the training wheels. Mike finally got them off..... and naturally, Ethan decided he changed his mind and wanted them back on. He whined and whined and whined. We couldn't understand why. He's a big advocate of graduating from baby to "big kid" and we thought he would welcome dissing the training wheels if it meant being one of the big boys.

"I'm scared," he finally reluctantly admitted. "I'm scared I would fall."

Duh Mom! And although I am a secret self-proclaimed superhero, I couldn't promise him he wouldn't get hurt in the process. Instead, we resorted to what every parent (or politician) resorts to during a time of desperation.

BRIBERY.

"If you let me throw away your training wheels, I will buy you......... Lots-o' Bear," Mike said.

(This is one of Ethan's must-haves for the week, it even got on the top 5 of his Christmas List. I asked him why he would want to have the mean bear from Toy Story 3, and he said because he smells like strawberries. If you haven't seen the movie, you won't get it.)

This is Ethan contemplating before taking the offer

After taking it into consideration, Ethan finally agreed. But Mike's negotiating skills apparently need some honing. Because Ethan's conditions included us NEVER LETTING GO and that he could quit after about a MINUTE of trying.

After "encouraging" him to try a little bit longer (in exchange for Cold Stone ice cream), Ethan was a trooper. He needs to work on looking straight ahead. But there were a few moments when I barely held on to the back edge of the seat, and at one point, I even let go. And he would've been fine had he not turned around to check if I was still there...... but it was definitely a proud moment... even if it only lasted a measly few seconds.

So hopefully, we can try again tonight. We need to prep him for a race Mike signed him up for in 2 weeks. :) He has a lot of practicing to do if he wants to be as fast as daddy.... who, by the way, placed 12th last weekend! Go daddy!

Minions

2010-07-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

I got to work this morning and realized I've got minions (Despicable Me) stamped on my feet.

This is evidence that a certain 3ft tall minion is back from Ohio......

I am ecstatic I get to be a mom again!

Five on Fridays: Birthday Recap

2010-07-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Mike's birthday this year was a hoot. You know what they say.... when the cat's away, the mice will play...

1. All-you-can-eat SUSHI! We did what we do best when it comes to dinner.

Roro's birthday is only 2 days from Mike's, so we've always tried to celebrate their birthdays together every year.

2. Golf by the beach. Yes, that's how much I love Mike. I bought me a set of Lady Cougar clubs at a yard sale for $5 (scoooore!) and finally went golfing with Mike -- Roro and Sissy in tow -- for 9 holes by the beach.

It was actually pretty fun!

3. The Happiest Place on Earth would be happier without the lines. Went to Dland on Sunday with Jojo and Jacob on Sunday. Now, Disneyland without Ethan is little bittersweet. On one hand, we could ride the rollercoasters and all the rides Ethan wouldn't be caught dead in, but on the other hand, he would've loved the World of Color water show. Too bad our passes are blocked for the rest of the summer!

4. A nice upgrade. Mike's birthday present probably tops it all. I say if you spend that much money on a bike, it better pedal itself to 1st place. But Mike says it's still up to him to pedal fast, although having a much lighter bike would help him be that much faster.

5. Of course, Ethan missed all the celebration this year because he's having way more fun in Ohio with Grandma and Poppi. We've just (reluctantly) approved a petition to extend his 2-week vacation by a couple of extra days. Gah!

Dad Life

2010-06-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious......

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Mike!

2010-06-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Mr. Super Dad and Husband....
Happy Birthday to you!

Twenty seven years ago today, one of the most amazing women I’ve ever known gave birth to the most wonderful man I have ever known.

To her I say: Thanks for raising such a wonderful, caring, sensitive, and strong man. Thanks for teaching him what’s right and what’s wrong. Thanks for showing him that love and affection are wonderful things to have and to give in life.

To him I say: Happy Birthday, Babe! I love you with all my heart. Ethan and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. You are our rock. We are so very proud of everything you have accomplished, and we are here to support with everything else you got stored up your sleeves.

Five on Fridays: Empty Nest Syndrome, A Shiny, New Toy and Annoying Customer Service Reps

2010-06-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

1. Today is Day 5 of Ethan being gone. Sure, he's having a blast, but I think Mike and I are going through Ethan withrawals. Mike actually turned on the tv this morning and left the channel on Dora the Explorer, so I had to listen to it while getting ready, and by the time I walked out the door, I was miserably missing my baby and singing an awfully-written-incredibly-annoying-repetitive song about a map.

Fun day at the water park

Zoo day with Grandma and best bud Travis

Gameboards with Poppi

2. Got a semi-surprise visit from Mike's mom (to pick up Ethan to take to Ohio) over the weekend. And it was nice that she was able to join us for one of Mike's races (with the usual gang, of course), and then we all celebrated Father's day with a family dinner at the Yard House. But the best part of the short stay was meeting Jacob for the first time and I'm sure being able to spend time with both Ethan and Jacob made the long flights worthwhile in itself.

Hanging out after watching Toy Story 3

Dinner with family at the Yard House

3. So Mike turns a year older on Sunday (not a young buck anymore!), but he got his birthday present about a week early since we agreed that it's a Father's day/Birthday combo. Yes, it was that much. It weighs as much as my wrist. It's blue. It's shiny. It's got fancy shifts and gears. It's made by the same people who make cameras so it must be good. And supposedly, the fact that it's made of carbon fiber will help Mike go that much faster.

4. Holy crap! Who knew there is actually such a thing as a McGangbang? All this time, I thought my brother and his friends (who all equally love to raid my kitchen) are just trying to get me to order it and look stupid. But this concoction is apparently not only real, it's reserved for select special people who even know about the damn thing.

Now that's a heart attack in a bun...

I'm on semi-diet kick (I'm not about to gain that pant size back from one sitting) so I'm not at all tempted to get one of these, but I dutifully stand corrected.

5. Did I mention I hate the IRS? I have spent more hours on the phone (holding and arguing with customer representatives) the past week than I ever care to again for the rest of my life.

I call the 888 number.

Stay on hold for 30 minutes.

Get assigned to a Customer Service rep who tells me the reason why our tax returns got shot down is because I'm missing a form and that I can fax it to them. But, they can't receive fax.

So who can?

They tell me to call back that same 888 number and maybe the next randomly selected Customer Service rep can receive a fax.

WTF?

Am I supposed to just keep calling the SAME number, and sacrifice lamb to the gods of IRS customer service roulette, and hope and pray that the next person I get happens to be sitting in walking distance from a fax machine???

Can you transfer me to whatever department that has the capability to receive my fax?

Nope.

Can you forward me to a supervisor?

I don't have a supervisor. They are randomly selected.

Huh??????

I seriously hate the IRS.

Now, I know most of these people probably don't receive the training they ought to have, but COME ON. Customer service without the service is bullshit.

Lollipop Snatcher

2010-06-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Let's get our priorities straight: I need a new "purse"

2010-06-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make.

While Mike is busy making dinner reservations at the Eiffel Tower, I am currently obsessed with more important things.... like how I'm going to survive 10 days of carrying my camera around Europe while

1. Not looking like a tourist with an ugly camera bag in tow,

2. Not breaking my camera overseas by stuffing it into one of my handbags, and

3. Not risking getting my precious stolen in stinking Florence (we have a bad history) because my handbag was too heavy for me to sling on my arm. I had a HUGE backpack during that 2003 trip, and was surrounded by people in my trip, in a crowded hotel lobby.... it only took them 2 seconds to swipe it right under my nose. Lessons learned: I need a bag that will stay ON ME at all times.

This is my most powerful argument for buying a new "purse" and I'm sticking to it.

:)

I can't help it.... when I saw the Epiphanie bags, I was hooked.

Decisions! Decisions!

So, after a little bit of soul searching and dusting off my powers of pursuasion, I finally chose the black Lola..... I can't wait til she comes!

No Ethan for 2 Weeks!!! =(

2010-06-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Mike and I both woke up this morning at the usual 5:45 and were a little relieved we could hit snooze on both alarms. This is day 1 of not having Ethan. As promised, he gets to spend 2 weeks in Ohio with Grandma, Poppi, and "old" Grandma.

I don't get to sleep in very much, so I was happy to get the extra 15 minutes. When we finally got out of bed to get ready for work (45 minutes later), we found ourselves (even with the extra sleep) with seemingly a little too much time of just......... silence.

No Dora the Explorer in the background to "encourage" Ethan to get out of bed. Mike usually dresses Ethan, only for me to look at him and decide on the spot that I didn't like his outfit so I change him again. Mike didn't have to cook microwavable pancakes. I had to fight traffic without the carpool lane because the carseat behind me was empty.

It was really weird.

Last night, we had our first Skype date... something I had made mandatory on this trip to have every night before he goes to bed. He was so blown away by all the new toys Grandma got him, that he didn't even seem like he missed us one bit!

Wooden Annivesary = Eurotrip!

2010-06-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

So it was no secret that I was nearly 4 months pregnant when Mike and I got married in 2005. It put a little damper on our Honeymoon which was a week long all-inclusive trip to Cancun (a wedding present from my mom). We have since then promised we would try to do something special every year on our anniversary.

Year 1 - We went on a Carribbean cruise.

We made out with stingrays

Tubed through caves in Belize

Made friends with Mexicans who can't take pictures after getting stranded with no money for a cab

Drank a little too much in Cozumel

Ravaged through ancient ruins in Costa Maya

Year 2 - We said, screw it, let's jump off a perfectly good airplane.

Year 3 - We spent a week-worth of free beach-front suites in the East Coast.

We went to our first NASCAR race in Richmond

Almost decapitated Mike in Williamsburg

Climbed our first light house at Fort Story

Drank a little too much in Ocean City

Got diarrhea from jumbo pizzas in DC

Year 4 - BIG FAT NADA

I'm sure we went to dinner or something, but goes to show you that it must've been THAT boring that neither Mike or I can remember what it was. We had just bought the house, so not only were our funds a little low, we probably just didn't have enough energy left to plan anything.

So for Year 5, we are pulling all the stops and we're going to Europe for 10 days!!! We are super psyched!

Is it September yet???????

We Will Miss You, Oliver

2010-06-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today, we didn't just lose a friend. We lost a family.

Thank You to All Those Who Serve

2010-05-31T20:18:00.001-07:00

Raving in the Backseat

2010-05-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Couldn't help but post this video of Ethan dancing his pants off in the backseat. He literally danced like this for 10 minutes straight!

My Mom Called me a Bore

2010-05-26T13:47:00.001-07:00

Notice anything different?

I actually had my hair done (not well, I might add) for Mother's day. My beautiful sister decided she would spend her hard-earned mula to break me from my comfortable long black do.

I liked the fact that

1. I got to spend some girly time with my mom and Sissy, but mostly

2. that I didn't have to pay for it.

But I had reservations.....

My mom ended up taking us to this lady that she goes to. We went to this lady's house and she propped me in front of a mirror in her family room. "She used to work at a salon," my mom reassures me. Apparently, I looked a little worried.

I really didn't want to color my hair. I've dyed my hair ONCE my entire life (on a spur of the moment kind of thing in Italy years ago). And guess what... I dyed it jet black! Ha! Talk about adventurous.....

"You're boring!" my mom finally said. "You shouldn't look older than me!"

True, I thought. I shouldn't look older than her. So I popped my big girl pill and (with hesitatation) agreed to everyone's suggestion to chop my hair off and put blonde highlights.

You know when they say stick to your first instincts?? Well, let's just say I wasn't a happy camper when this lady was done. I was so mortified, Sissy had to dye it back to black that same night.

Well, it's been over a week and a half and the black over-the-counter dye is now starting to fade so my highlights are coming back. They're more subtle than they were that fateful Saturday, but I'm afraid it's going to go back to the chunkly platinum blonde highlights. For now, I'm trying to get used to it, but I think I prefer my long black hair. :)

Ethan's First Tball Season

2010-05-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well! The season's over... and we're all a little bummed about it. It was the first team sport we put him in, and he enjoyed it a lot... looking forward to every baseball practice and the "real game" on early Saturday mornings. The early wake up calls aren't going to be missed as much, but being able to give Ethan the opportunity to make friends, learn the fundamentals of a sport he clearly loves and learn about teamwork was priceless.

And because I was a bad mommy and didn't post after every weekend of tball, here's my sad attempt of a season wrap up.

The kids were all a hoot, 9 boys and 1 girl. They don't have much concept of "positions"... it's more like "whoever gets the ball first wins". For the first few games, the kids were like puppies climbing over each other to get the ball, arms and legs flying wildly in the scrum. Frequently, whichever kid won the ball in the scrum would just hold it up over his head triumphantly... then look around while the coaches and parents (including myself) yell "Throw it to first base!" Eventually, towards the end of the season, they started to learn to stay within their own boundaries.

But attention spans being what they are, each game would start to deteriorate a bit after the first two innings. The trick was to rotate the kids so that they all have a chance to "do something" other than wait. Seeing as we played 90% of the games on grass and not dirt, the balls didn't normally go past the pitcher's mound, so unless you were the pitcher, the short stop or the first baseman, there really wasn't much action to go around. In Ethan's case, there are times when he said he didn't want to play anymore because he didn't get the ball... but when he did get the ball, you would think the boy had just won the World Series. Their favorite part was batting and running around the bases. They all got considerably better in the few weeks they played, and Ethan especially loved wacking that ball as hard as he could!

He also loved being the catcher, or as we called it, the "Transformer". Putting on all that gear never appealed to the kids until we started calling it that, then everyone wanted to be the Transformer. Since the kids hit from a tee, the catcher's job was solely to get the ball thrown from first base and put it on the tee and sometimes tag the kids running to home plate.

During one of the games, several outfielders got into a wrestling match, which the coach decided wasn't worth the effort to defuse. There was one particular kid who would sporadically take himself out of the "game" and just hang out with the rest of us on the side. Ethan danced when he got bored......

The sidelines (ie makeshift dugouts in the outfield) were always filled with proud parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in lawn chairs, many with dogs and/or younger siblings trying on helmets that covered their whole head. One of the best parts of the season was watching parents step up to be base coaches. EVERY SINGLE PARENT of the kids on the team were at some point on the field cheering on every player (not just their own). Of course, I instinctively became the unofficial team photographer. Everything was so chaotic, not necessarily in a bad way, but most parents were too busy either coaching on a base or getting the next batters up ready, that they got too busy to take pictures on their own. I made sure all the parents had a chance to have some of those memories preserved....

Coach Mark and Coach Mando were great with the kids, especially Coach Mark. His kid played in the same league last year, but this was his first year coaching. Practices were at 4 on Tuesdays so my mom and dad took Ethan to practice, so my interaction with the coach was limited to the Saturday games.... but he was GREAT with the kids. He coached them no different from coaching his own. And the best part was that at the end of the season, he was truly and genuinely proud of each of one of them. So proud, in fact, that he ended up buying personalized trophies for all the kids (the league would only provide medallions).

The end of the season was bittersweet. Yes, these are only 4 year olds, and yes, there will be plenty more baseball seasons in our future. But this was his first. His first uniform. His first team. His first single. His first slide home. His first coach. His first trophy.

Way to go Ethan! Mommy and Daddy are PROUD OF YOU!

GO CUBS!!!!

Cedar Fair Announces Free Admission to Military Personnel

2010-05-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just passing on another great deal from the generous folks at Cedar Fair....

They are offering FREE admission to active and retired United States military personnel on Sunday and Monday of both the Memorial Day and July 4th weekends as a part of its Tribute to the Armed Forces program.

[Click on image to go to their website]

Last year, we visited Knotts Berry Farm for free during Veterans Day weekend, and had a blast.

BOGO Sonic Milkshake

2010-05-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'm technically trying to cut back on sweets, but if see a Sonic, I just might bite (no pun intended). Sonic is offering buy one get one free milkshakes through June 27. You can redeem your freebie at the time of purchase or on a future visit! The cool goodness continues on Memorial Day when after 8 p.m., the Real Ice Cream Sundaes are only 99 cents through Labor Day.

Five on Fridays: Five Lessons About the Way We Treat People

2010-05-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz I was a conscientious student And had breezed through the questions until I read

The last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely, " said the professor. "In your careers,you will meet many people. All are significant.. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson.. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2 - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 P.M., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm.. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.

It read:

"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's' bedside just before he passed away... God Bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The Obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's' wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,

"Yes I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice,

"Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

I am Truly Blessed

2010-05-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

A coworker shared something funny with me on Monday. Her son told her that Mother's Day is just an arbitrary holiday. Something that was cooked up, probably the same people over at Hallmark who supposedly cooked up Sweetest Day, with nothing more than the sole intent of generating sales.

Arbitrary or not..... commercialized even..... I love Mother's Day. My sentiments, of course, have changed since I became a mom myself, but I loved it even before I was blessed to join the club.

Mother's day, to me, is another time when we take stock of how we have been blessed in life.

I am blessed to have a beautiful relationship with my mom, who is always there for me no matter what. She raised me, taught me to be an individual, and made me who I am today. She taught me to be strong, to be brave, to be aggressive with my dreams, to be respectful, to be loving, to be grounded. She has sacrificed so much and have raised three strong-willed children.

My mother-in-law, who's become my second mom and despite having to deal with my crazy antics, have found herself attached to me and treats me like her own and has welcomed me into her family in every way. But because she lives thousands of miles away (she thinks I'm the devil for stealing her son away), I don't get to express my appreciation enough, but I hope she knows that I appreciate everything she's ever done for me and my family.

This weekend, I spent my time spending it with the people I love. It started with a semi-surprise breakfast in bed from Mike and Ethan, and then went shopping then to lunch with my mom, sister and brother (dad had to work). Nothing extravagant, just the company of the people I care most about.

Grrrr... the only pic we got with mom... and she decides to blink!

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn’t take them along. ~Margaret Culkin Banning

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep

Grown don’t mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What’s that suppose to mean? In my heart it don’t mean a thing. ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother’s love endures through all. ~Washington Irving

There’s nothing like a mama-hug. ~Terri Guillemets

Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother’s love is not. ~James Joyce

It’s not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it. ~From the television show The Golden Girls

My mom is literally a part of me. You can’t say that about many people except relatives, and organ donors. ~Carrie Latet

A man’s work is from sun to sun, but a mother’s work is never done. ~Author Unknown

All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown

The phrase “working mother” is redundant. ~Jane Sellman

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

Coupon: Save 30% off $250+, 20% off under $250 @ COACH FACTORY STORES

2010-05-07T10:22:00.001-07:00

For Coach ♥ers (like me).......... and late Mother's Day shoppers........... :)

Click on image to print coupon

Under the Vegas Sun

2010-05-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Weather forecast today is nice and comfortable with a little breeze at 75 degrees. It's a BEAUTIFUL day outside but I'm stuck indoors with the AC blasting and a stunning view of a concrete wall outside my window.

What I need is some sun.......... get some colors in these pale legs!

I did get a little bit of a tan last weekend when we all went to Vegas for a few days. Thanks to my mom's high-stakes "playing" habits (she will not admit she's a gambler), she can pretty much get comped rooms any time she wants. So north bound we went, and 4 hours later, we were in Paris........

I could only wish the real one is that drivable.

So we did a little bit of sightseeing -- checked out the new Aria hotel and the City Center that's not quite done with the construction. Spent a few hours at Circus Circus. Saw the Lion King Musical. Hung out at the pool with a margarita while sulking in the tragedy of not having a bathing suit that fit. No gambling for me, but Mike did manage to lose $60 on a poker table in 10 minutes (see why I don't like gambling?). But the highlight of the weekend was the buffet of all buffets......

Free rooms and all we could possibly eat in 24 hours for $30 in 5 different hotels. You had me at buffet. :)

Lifehouse + Daughtry Concert

2010-05-04T16:19:00.001-07:00

For a (very) belated Valentines celebration -- it was a gift from me to Mike -- we went last night to see Lifehouse and Chris Daughtry (and band) perform at the Nokia Theatre in LA.

Now I've seen my share of concerts....

From two-stepping to Willie Nelson in the middle of Oklahoma July heat.

To my teeny bopping days with NSYNC (not to mention Britney Spears!).

To the gel-wearing college punk crowds of the Warped Tour.

And I have to say... I would jump on the first headline tour that Lifehouse puts out. I really enjoyed their show.. even though it was only 45 minutes long, AND the fact that they didn't sing our song ("Everything"). Hmmmmph!

Lifehouse performing "You and Me" and "Home" with Chris Daughtry - Nokiea Theatre

Bought the tickets from Craigslist back in January... and you never know these days, as much as you want to believe the goodness in everyone, I was still a little nervous about

1. the printed tickets that I bought would actually scan, and

2. that I would get seats that are different from what they advertised it to be.

But I was pleasantly surprised to sit 27 rows from the stage (although a side view) was still pretty good considering we paid face value for the tickets AFTER it had already sold out. It was a plus to sit at an aisle so Mike could stretch his knees.

Crawling Visitor

2010-05-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

We had an unexpected crawling visitor last night... otherwise known as Jacob. I can't believe not too long ago, he fit in Ethan's arms perfectly...

Now, he's big enough to sit on Ethan's head!

Despite that, Ethan loves having him around. We can't help but think this will only serve as best practice for whenever he does get a baby brother or sister. He hasn't quite figured out yet how to "play" with him for more than a few minutes at a time since Jacob can't exactly reciprocate the excitement. Every once in a while, you'd hear Ethan "clicking" his tongue like when he tries to lure Bella (our dog).

Of course, you can tell when he starts feeling overlooked when he goes out of his way to get your attention.....

If I had $12M for a house..........

2010-04-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

......... this is what I would buy.

I think I've found a new dream house.

Emphasis on the DREAM.

Bravo to Lance Armstrong's interior decorator. I am officially IN ♥

I probably wouldn't change a thing!!!!!!

Images from Architectural Digest.

The Lion King Musical

2010-04-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

We took Ethan to his first musical, The Lion King, on Saturday in Las Vegas and he loved it.

It was a little on the pricey side, $85 for the seats we got, but got a 30% off military discount, which made it a little less painful. I finally convinced Mike that it could be an early Mother's Day gift. I only wish I could afford the $250 seats dead smack in front, but even where we sat, I thought it was well worth it (except for Mike who thought the Blue Man Group show was better).

Seeing Ethan's reaction to the "real people" singing familiar songs to all of us was a trip. We've seen the movie so many times that we all had the lyrics memorized. At one point, I had to hush Mike from singing "Can you feel the love tonight?" a little too loudly, lol. Ethan took notice of everything on the set: from the bongo drums on the orchestra, to the giraffes on stilts, to people in costumes running up and down the aisles spinning bird props, even to the faint sounds of the jungle in the background during intermission.

The show was about 3 hours long and I love every minute of it. It was even better than what I remember when I first saw it a decade ago at the Pantages theatre. I know Ethan will probably forget about it eventually, but it was an experience I wouldn't have traded for anything! I totally recommend the show 100%! I've seen a few musicals and it is by far my favorite.

Questions

2010-04-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

Nearing two weeks since my last post. No, my life hasn't reached a standstill. Far from it. I've just been having a writer's block. Or is it some kind of a self-reevaluation. The other day, I had 4 folders full of photos I could've easily picked from to blog about, and I just....... didn't....... for some reason. I've been photographing like a maniac, thinking about everything I wanted to say. Then the days would pass, and it was all old news. It stacked up and became overwhelming. I want to write, but I can't.

Then I realized this isn't writer's block. I'm having a mini-crisis. If you took away my family, the T-ball games, Mike's races and all our random family excursions, what is there to write about?

Thinking back, I started this blog almost therapeutically to write about my grievances post-wedding and I just let it evolve into whatever it wanted to evolve to.... mostly my journey with being a wife and a mother. And every once in a while, there's a random post or two about something else.

There is something else.......... right? I have other things to write about..... don't I?

As I try to keep my heart rate back to normal and blame my tearful eyes to allergies, I struggle to avert this stupid identity crisis by looking at what I do have.

I am so blessed. I have an extraordinary husband and smart, a healthy, intelligent boy, loving family and friends, and (minus the occasional late hours and conventional stress) a job that I enjoy doing and that I'm pretty good at. I'm proud to be a Tball mom and a supportive wife to a future PhD.

I just wish sometimes I could be proud of something I did... for me.

One Excellent Husband

2010-04-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

A guy woke up in the morning with a terrible hangover. Next to the bed was a couple of aspirins, a glass of water, and a note from his wife.

"Honey, there's a hot breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen. Love, your wife".

He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotlessly clean. So is the rest of the house.

He stumbles into the bathroom and notices a huge black eye. After shaving, he goes to the kitchen, and sees that the hall mirror is broken too.

His son is in the kitchen and as he's eating his huge breakfast the guy asks the son what all this is about.

"Well, last night you came home drunk off your ass, stumbled into the mirror and hit your head on the doorknob. Mom helped you to bed, and as she?s trying to get your pants off you kicked her away and said "get off me lady, I'm married".

Dana Point Grand Prix - Part 2: Mike's First Time Trial and another Cat 5 Race

2010-04-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday (early EARLY early) morning was another first for Mike -- his first time trial. Lance Armstrong sure makes it look super easy on ESPN. Most of the course was flat, Mike said, but it was this hill that he dreaded..... I'm sure EVERYONE dreaded.

Killer Cove

View from the top

I stayed in the finish line, so I didn't get any shots of Mike on the hill. We did, later on, go to the top of the hill to watch some of the pros sweat bullets and even they were struggling a little.

Mike's official time was 8:04. I think some kid weighing 40 lbs finished it in like 5 minutes. I don't think I would've made that time if I drove my trusty Elantra! Go figure.......

The next day was his third race, and Mike has gotten considerably better. I must say, as an obvserver, I don't know what it takes to be in one of those races. I would think the aim is to be able to ride as fast as possible, but every time I go to one of these things, my perspective changes. There's the constant need to hang on and not get dropped off from the pack when riders try to attack, taking turns "pulling" at the front of the pace line, respecting other rides turning corners at high speeds, picking tactical spots to try to break away.......

It's really quite something.....

Of course, by Ethan's advice, the ultimate goal is to "Go faster than the rest of them".

This race was only 20 minutes long.. I'm sure it seemed longer for those who were pedaling. The main group eventually broke away, leaving behind a chase group, and Mike ended up in the third group. They managed to get rotations going with their little group, and at least once, I saw Mike whiz through and take his turn to take his pull until his legs couldn't take it anymore, only to realize noone else was ready to take their turn.

2 laps to go and the official decided to pull Mike's group off the course for lack of contention, and I immediately reacted after hearing the whistle. There was a guy standing a few feet from me (who looked like a pro, or at least an experienced rider) who just looked at me and gave an annoying little grin. There were only 2 laps left for Pete's sake. Yes, they were half a lap down, but they weren't in the way of the main pack. They could've at least let them finish.......

Either way, I am impressively proud of Mike. He's set his sights on this sport, and I don't plan on missing a race.

We're proud of you daddy!!!

Dana Point Grand Prix - Part 1: Ethan's First Bike Race

2010-04-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ethan's Fan Club

You should see Ethan at around 0:13, he's wearing a huge white shirt (the race shirt) and red helmet towards the middle of the road.

If you notice, the kids that were up front were kids that didn't have their training wheels on and I would venture to say were pushing towards 5. I know this is such a mom-thing to say, but I was a little annoyed that there were some parents who chose to stay on the course when they were clearly told it should only be kids. I was towards the finish line but I knew there were some parents that "got in the way" so Ethan (in spite of being in front) couldn't really go full-throttle from the get-go.

[Click photo to enlarge. You HAVE to see the serious look on Ethan's face!]

I couldn't get great shots from where I was standing either. There was a kid who crashed right in front of me just right before Ethan crossed the finished line (kid was ok).

He was disappointed in the end, and no high-fives or hugs from mommy and daddy, not even the medal that he got (everybody got one) cheered him up from the fact that he didn't "win".

Mike: "That was awesome, Ethan! Do you want to race again?"

Ethan: "No"

Me: "Why now? Didn't you have fun?"

Ethan: "I'm not racing anymore...... because I didn't cross the line first"

His first medal!

Of course, we took turns giving him praises for trying his best, and that he just needs more practice like daddy so he could get better and better. He needs a little bit of work when it comes to "losing" gracefully, I think he's just naturally competitive, but I hope with T-ball will help that a little.

Five on Fridays: Eggheads, Beach Plans and Peer Pressure

2010-04-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

1. This is why I love my family.

We can all be eggheads together. There's nothing like spending 45 minutes laughing at each other for making stupid faces inspired by drawn on plastic Easter eggs. It was funny when Ethan started doing it, but even better when the adults started trying to outdo one another.

2. It's another busy weekend for all of us.

No baseball game tomorrow but this weekend is the Dana Point Grand Prix, where Mike will be doing a time trial and another Category 5 race. Here's the preview of the time trial course........ makes me tired just listening to the guy's heavy breathing, lol.

Sunday is a two-fer since Mike is racing in the early morning and Ethan will be "racing" around mid-day. He's in the "4 and under" category so it will be interesting since Ethan's bigger than the average 4 year old. Daddy's gonna be in the start line and of course, mommy will be at the finish line taking pictures! It's only a few feet but I can't wait to see the look on Ethan's face.... he's grown to be very competitive.

3. Talk about peer pressure!

I'm starting to hear it from all angles now... family.... friends..... my dog. I see baby commercials on TV and think they're trying to sell me a baby. When we went to church last Sunday, I asked Ethan what he wanted to pray for after getting the blessing (Communion), and guess what he prayed for. Lately, I've been praying with him before bed and instead of asking for more toys, a pony or a rocket ship..... he asks for a brother.

4. There's light at the end of the tunnel!

We've finally finished building the entertainment center! Gahhh! I thought we would never get that thing finished. Realistically, we probably spent about 8-10 hours on it, but since we could only work on it an hour here and there, it just dragged on forever. It's already been moved to the loft (we kept the pieces separted until it was migrated upstairs), and we still have to put the braces on, do some touch ups and of course.......... O R G A N I Z E. So hopefully, I can post the final photos by the end of this weekend. Hmm....... what to build next! :)

5. He deserves every bit of it.

Enough said.

Cha Cha Slide

2010-04-07T13:13:00.001-07:00

Deployment's a bitch. But if these guys can have a little bit of a break by getting down to the Cha Cha slide, I'm all for it.

Beach Day with Lolo and Lola

2010-04-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ethan's on Spring Break this week, and thank God for grandparents who are more than happy to watch him!

Yesterday was a bum-at-home-day because of the rain, but it finally got sunny enough for Southern Californians to rush to the beach --- at least those who could afford to miss work. :(

Smart Ass

2010-04-05T11:54:00.001-07:00

Got this in an email from a coworker today and made me chuckle...

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

My Favorite PEEPS

2010-03-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

I ran into this idea a while back perusing through random blogs and I can't remember for the life of me the website I got it from so I could link to it.... but I thought it was the cutest thing. And even though I was dead tired last night after having worked all day and spent a few hours (with a round of golf and dinner) with MY two most favorite PEEPS... I decided to make them for Ethan's class for their little Easter party.

It was actually pretty simple. One row of the peeps chicks fits perfectly in a snack size ziploc bag. I took white cardstock, cut out 6 3/4" x 4 1/2", folded in half and stapled it to the top of the bag. Then I glued the topper on covering the staples perfectly. And Voila!

Of course, I got my production line (Mike helped with stuffing the peeps and Ethan put the glue on the toppers) so it didn't take us very long to make. The BEST part of it all was getting the brownie points from Ethan.

"You're so cool Mom. My friends are all going to love this!", he mused.

That made staying up til 11:30 to finish them all worth it.... :)

In case anyone wants to borrow the idea, you're more than welcome to download the PDF (I took the name out).

[Click image to download PDF]

Now, if I can just finish that darn basket, I'd be set!

Redlands Classic

2010-03-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

This is Mike's second race, and although we didn't come home with a medal, we still had a blast. I imagined much of the same scene as the Tour de Murrieta. A bunch of seasoned riders talking about their techniques and blah blah blah. It was another early race... seems to me all the Category 5 races start very early in the morning.. in our cases at 7:30, which meant having to get up at 5:30 am to get ready.

I didn't really mind the morning cold, but by 9am, the mist and the chill was gone and Mike and Ethan were scrambling to get multiple coats of sunscreen on. I didn't care for the heat either.... lately, it has been giving me headaches that I can most definitely live without, most days it's partnered with dizziness. Mike says I'm probably dehydrated... I can't really argue, I probably am. I say that as I continue to sip on a Pepsi while I'm writing this blog..... how ironic.

Banging the boards for the last lap...

Ethan finally found a cow bell!

Next stop... Dana Point Grand Prix. And next time, not only will I be cheering for Mike, we're also entering Ethan in the Youth race (4-6 category). Time to assemble that brand spanking new 14" Hot wheels bike!

Uncooperative Model

2010-03-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

These days, it's not as easy to get Ethan to look at the camera and smile anymore. And when he does, he often gives me what I call his "fake smile", which is cute in itself, but makes it harder for the photographer (ie. me) to get the more coveted natural look.

Instead, I get this.......

or this......

Eventually, he cracks and says, "can you tickle me so I won't have a fake smile?", and I get this....

But the best pictures are the pictures I get when he's in his natural element, just being silly. :)

I love how striking his eyes look in this.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-03-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Meet the Cubs

2010-03-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

I ♥ having new reasons to scrap about!

[click to view larger]

First Hockey Game - Do the Flying V!

2010-03-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this by saying the only I know about hockey is whatever I have watched on Mighty Ducks. Go Coach Bombay!

So when Mike suggested we watch the local minor league team, all I could think of was:

1. Trying not to quack

2. Bundling up

Dressed like we're going snowboarding, we went to the stadium and was pleasantly surprised. Apparently, that night was well attended. It was Military Appreciation night, so the tickets were buy 1 get 1 free for military (gotta love the discounts when you can get em). We weren't exactly in the nosebleed seats, but high enough, although we could still see pretty well.

Ethan enjoyed the first 2 periods, but started getting antsy after the second intermission. The funniest part was when I jokingly yelled "Do the Flying V!", and Ethan kept repeating it (yelling at the top of his lungs) for the next 10 minutes.

Prayers

2010-03-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Lately, Ethan's been begging us a lot for a little brother. "I'll share my toys," he says, and sometimes he can seem very convincing. One time, I told him he would have to pray to baby Jesus and ask for a little brother, and he immediately dropped what he was doing, put his hands together, closed his eyes and said...

"Baby Jesus. I would like to have a baby brother, please. I'll be a good boy, and I will help take care of the baby. Thanks."

Only if it were that easy, right!

This evening, while waiting for our 15th plate of sushi, Ethan drew this.

"This is daddy, this is mommy, this is Ethan, and this is my little brother."

Five on Fridays: Skanks, Visions of Yellow, and Powers of Pursuasion

2010-03-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

1. What ever happened to the sanctity of marriage? I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about these high profile marriages go into shambles because the husbands can't keep it in their pants. Guys who have everything in the world who throw it all away for affairs that satisfy little to absolutely nothing. And those women who knowingly have affairs with married men are, to me, worse than scum of the earth. They deserve nothing but the worst karma and shouldn't be surprised if society sees them as whores because that's what they are. Enough said.

2. I daydream about bathroom renovations. One of the ignored rooms in our house (design-wise) is Ethan's bathroom. The only thing it has is a dying plant inbetween sinks and some Christmas static clings on the mirror -- how sad is that? I thought about carrying over the sports theme to the bathroom, but have since then decided to make it more fun to encourage Ethan to start using his bathroom instead of ours. He goes potty, showers, takes his baths, even brushes his teeth in OUR bathroom. So Mike and I decided it would be fun to design his bathroom with Spongebob... although I don't have the whole thing planned out in my head, I have been getting quite a few inspirations.

Isn't this cute???

3. The windshield gods are conspiring against me. From the day I started driving, I think I have had my windshield replaced (not counting the two times I recked a car since those technically weren't replaced) at least a dozen times. Why do those flying pebbles on the freeway so attracted to my car??? I have, yet again, a cracked windshield and that's going to cost me another $120+ for someone to come to my workplace and fix it during the day. I swear I just had that thing replaced LAST year!

4. I occassionally practice my powers of pursuasion on my husband. Last night, we were at the mall to buy Mike a pair of Oakleys and I convinced him (coyly) to let me swing in the Coach Outlet store....... "just to look around". Well, the reason why I hardly go there is because I always happen to find something I'd like to buy. Last night, for example, was a new wallet that I wanted to replace the 6-year old Coach wallet I already have. "There's nothing wrong with yours", he said, which was partly true, unless being "old" counts as a defect. After 30 minutes of solid arguments like, "I totally deserve a new wallet", he finally caved in and said I could have it. Stood in line for 10 minutes (still arguing even after I got the green light), got to almost the front of the line until I realized I wasn't inlove with it after all. I walked out of the Coach store empty-handed but uberly proud of my powers of pursuasion, that I, in fact, reserve the credit to that $100 I was told I could spend but didn't. Did I mention I love my husband? :)

5. Haven't gotten back on the treadmill since last week so I have some catching up to do this weekend. Why is it so difficult to stick to a work out regiment??? I find solace in that days are a little longer now, so I'm hoping I'll get to squeeze in a few minutes at least twice during the week, but between getting dinner ready and picking up around the house and catching up with Ethan, I almost have to wake up an hour early to get the work out done BEFORE I even go to work. Ugh. Doing it on the weekend is fine with me!

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day - March 23rd from 12-8pm

2010-03-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
12:00pm - 8:00pm
Participating Scoop Shops in the US - Locator

Mike's First Race - Tour de Murrieta

2010-03-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

So not only do I get to play cheerleader for Ethan's T-ball games, Mike is now getting into road racing and he had his first bike race last Saturday at the Tour de Murrieta.

As with every new venture, there are a lot of rules -- categories, differences in equipment, time trials, the list goes on and on -- for me to learn. But all I know is that Ethan and I will always be at the start/finish line to yell "Go Daddy!"

The race was 35 miles long - 10 laps total. Mike finished it in about an hour and a half... behind the main pack, but still proud he survived his first. Out of the 50 riders, it was obvious he was one of the few newbies. You could tell by the nervous postures of the "unattached" individual riders versus those who are part of a more organized, sponsored group.

I'm just glad he finished crash-free!

Free Pastry Day @ Starbucks: March 23

2010-03-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

[Click on photo to print coupon]

Get a free pastry on the morning of March 23 with the purchase of a handcrafted beverage.

Come to participating Starbucks on Free Pastry Day, March 23. Choose a delicious pastry to pair with your beverage and that tasty item is free.

I Want to be an Austronaut (uhm) -- Buzz Lightyear

2010-03-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

After engulfing 2 waffles in the car this morning on the way to school, Ethan proceeded to tell me about their wonderful day at Disneyland yesterday (it was Mike's furlough day). He told me about his brand-spanking new lanyard and his 2 new pins. He told me about the yummy waffle cone, and how he didn't want ice cream at first, but then he tasted the "thingie" and it was so good he took it from daddy.

You could hear the excitement in his voice... and for 20 minutes it was non-stop... walking me through every single ride, every single show they watched. And then.......

.......there were crickets.

I figured he was tired, maybe went back to sleep (he does that occassionally since it takes us 30 minutes to get to his school in traffic).

I took a peek (safely) and he wasn't asleep at all...... in fact, he was in deep thought. His eyebrows were scrunched up and there was a serious look in his eyes.

Me: What are you thinking about sweetheart?

Ethan: [short pause] I'm thinking about how I can become a real Buzz.

Me: A real....... bus?

Ethan: Yes, a real Buzz.

Me: Ohhhhh.. you mean Buzz Lightyear?

Ethan: I want to be a real Buzz Lightyear

Me: Well...... how do you become a real Buzz? Do you have any ideas?

Ethan: [still have a serious look on his face] I have an idea! I can go to college, and then I can be an astronaut, and then I can go on a rocket, and then I can fly to outerspace, and theeeeeeeeeen I can be a Buzz Lightyear.

Taken aback that my 4 year old just confidently told me about his college and career plans, I couldn't help but smile.

Me: That sounds like a great idea!

I suppose it's never too early to plan for college. Can you believe they actually have books on how to prepare toddlers for college?

And since Mike was medically retired (now a disabled veteran), the College Free Waiver Program will waive Ethan's tuition if he attends any California Community College, California State University or University of California campus.

Hmmm.......

I hear Cal State Fullerton has a mean NCAA Baseball team. To date, 47 Titan Alums have played in the MLB :)

Unless, of course, he gets a scholarship to Harvard or Yale...... then he doesn't have to stay in California ;)

Part 2: Cameron Media Wall System

2010-03-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

Slowly, but surely, our major DIY project of building the entertainment system/toy storage for the loft, is coming along. We're building it piece by piece, on whatever spare time we have which is not a whole lot, so it's taking us a lot longer than we first anticipated. But we're not working against a deadline, and we want to get it right.... I have no doubt we'll be SUPER proud of ourselves after all is said and done.

Cameron Extra-Wide Media Wall System - $1,399

Since building the media base, we have built two open bases and two more cubbies.

Basically, we've built one of these.....

Cameron Extra-Wide Media Base $359

and two of these.......

Cameron Cubby & Open Base Set $309

.....but didn't pay crazy $$$ for it.

Anyway, hopefully, we'll be able to finish building the last 2 cubbies tomorrow, build the drawers for the open base cubbies at the bottom, and add all the trims so we could start painting this weekend.

We're still debating on whether to put the hutch (we've got the wood cut for it already) but we started thinking maybe it would be better without it.

What I love about these pieces (besides the fact that we're not spending so much money on it) is that they're so versatile. We can always add more cubbies and re-arrange them if we ever need more storage space (we can't get enough!) or if we just want to change the look of the room.

But I digress..... :)

Thanks to Ana over at Knock off Wood for the plans! I wouldn't have done this without her help!

Coupon: 30% off March 18-21 @ Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic

2010-03-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

[Click on link to print full page coupon with reusable barcode]

You're Invited...

For 4 days, enjoy 30% off while we give 5% of the amount you spend to Teach For America. So in a time when our communities need it most, your shopping counts for more.

Ethan's First T-ball Game

2010-03-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the big game

That smile is proof of how excited he was to play baseball

Last Saturday was Ethan's first T-ball game. But it wasn't just a game, it was an all day affair. We had to be there at 8am to take team photos. And they had an "Opening Day Carnival" so between practicing his batting, crab walk and alligators, there were tons of unlimited jumpers and ridiculously priced fundraising food to keep us busy. His game started at 2pm, but NOT without incident.

By incident, I mean losing his glove and not realizing it until 5 minutes before their game was supposed to start.

What's a rookie T-ball mom supposed to do? First, panic. I walked around 4 baseball fields full of baseball fans looking for a brand new unlabeled kids' glove. No luck. Next step? Beg!!!!!!!!! I managed to find a very nice Team Mom from the Dodgers team (they played before Ethan's team) that was willing to lend me her kid's glove. But it was all such a scramble, next thing I knew, Ethan was already out on the field warming up with a pink glove! The only girl in his team had an extra. He didn't care, so I didn't care. Mike may have squirmed a little, but I'm sure he'll get over it.

I tell you what.......... it's not the glove, but the player that matters.

Ready at 2nd base, Ethan caught the first ground ball (they were all ground balls) of the game -- pink glove and all -- and we were all so proud, but poor guy didn't know what to do with it after he picked it up.

I heard the coach from home plate yell "THROW IT TO FIRST!". So we all started to echo and yell the same thing, until we realized that these are 4 year old kids.... who had 2 practices before the game...... who know NOTHING about the fundamentals of the game, so they don't have much context for helpfully yelled directions like throwing it to first.

Ethan catches the first ground ball

Ethan hit the ball off the tee really well. I think out of the 3 times he went to bat, he only missed once.

Run, Ethan, Run!

Even Jojo stepped up to announce the players and did some "commentary" during the game

The rest of the game was a hoot. Each kid on the team got a chance at bat, they hit as many times as needed to get the ball more than 2 feet in front of them. No scores were kept. No one was tagged out. And all the kids out on the field chased after the ground balls......... EVERY TIME.

I must say the coaches did a great job trying to keep it fun for the kids. One of them stayed on home plate, giving the kids tips on how to plant their feet, position their hips, swing the bat and run to first base. The assistant coach stayed on first base to encourage the hitters to run towards him. There was also a little league team that shadowed all the players on the field so they could give them tips.

Team Mom cheering on the Team in the dugout

Overall, as chaotic as it was, I think everyone had a blast. I got to hang out in the dugout -- I probably should have been on the stands with the rest of the parents but I wanted to take some good pictures of the team without having to look through a fence.

I'll post more team pics as soon as I get them uploaded onto Picasa.

This was Ethan's last at bat. He was 2nd to last on the line up, so after the last batter, he got to run from first base all the way to home base. Gotta love that slide to home plate!!

GO CUBS!

FREE mini Mango Pinkberry: Friday 3/12/10 5-9pm

2010-03-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

For the yogurt lovers.....

Don't get too excited. It's only a 3 oz... basically to get you in their store for a "sample" hoping you'd buy a slew of other things. But free is free........ if you're going to be in there anyway :) and I love mango so I just might stop by!

Day Off Checklist

2010-03-10T11:23:00.000-08:00

So my boss tells me I could take the day off after working a few late nights - didn't get home last night (this morning?) til 2:30am. I'm a little at a loss about how to spend my day. Law and Order SVU isn't playing a marathon so I don't suppose I could just plop on the couch and watch re-runs and eat chinese food until I fall asleep.

Nope. Got better plans.

7:00: Slept in........ all 30 minutes worth. I asked Mike to take Ethan to school so I could catch up on some sleep, but just couldn't seem to force myself to sleep past 7am. How sad. I tried to stay in bed for a while until my mom woke me up complaining about a print problem (she apparently thinks I'm her personal IT helpdesk).

7:30: Ran on the treadmill for the duration of a CSI NY episode (ok... so I fast forwarded through the commercials. Once you DVR, you never go back). We bought a treadmill from Craigslist 2 weeks ago and I said my goal is to run twice a week. I ran once on Saturday and limped (stretch much?) Sunday AND Monday. This morning, I made sure to stretch afterwards.

8:30: Did 2 loads of laundry..... considered deferring the folding to Mike, but he has school tonight so I might as well do it.

9:00: Started building the cubbies for the entertainment center. Took me 1.5 hours to build one, and it's not entirely complete (but I'm so excited to brag about building it 95% through minus Mike that I'm prematurely posting it anyway). The middle sections aren't secure, the plans from Knock off Wood recommend "toe nailing" it which I guess is just nailing it at an angle. By then, my bad hand started hurting from all the pre-drilling and countersinking, I called Mike and told him I'll let him finish it :) One down, 3 more cubbies to go.

10:30: Snack on last night's leftover Chianti braised short ribs from Olive Garden (company always gets us dinner whenever we have to work late) and read 2 chapters of Nicholas Sparks - The Rescuer. It's one of his older books that I haven't read yet, I picked up from the Goodwill Bookstore I've recently discovered near my work for .99 (already stacked up on .50 children's books!).

11:15: Check my emails. Visit my usual blogs. Blog.

1:00: I'm meeting Mike for lunch in an hour - when either one of us has the day off, we always meet for lunch - $1 says he'll want to get sushi.

2:00: I'll pick up Ethan after lunch, and we'll go shopping for his baseball outfit for Saturday's big game. He's supposed to get a cap, shirt and pants (included in the $60 registration), but apparently, those recent nasty storms in the east have delayed the uniform orders and they may not be here for Opening Day. Oh well. We'll probably go to the park to break in his new cleats and practice some more of his crab walk and alligator. It's nice to be able to see my son while there's still some daylight out. I can't wait til the summer.....

6:00: Stop by Ross to find something to hang above our sad-looking mantle in the family room. I've been on a bargain hunt for a while, but haven't had much luck. Maybe I should just build something........... ;)

7:10: Catch Planet 51 at the Regency with Ethan - yay for $2 movies!

My thumb's really bothering me now, even by using the space bar. It sucks to think it'll always be in pain now since surgery a year ago. Ugh. Time to soak it....

Over.......... Way Over.........

2010-03-10T01:03:00.001-08:00

1:03 am. Still at work.

Last Friday, didn't get home until 2am.

Yesterday, worked til 8pm.

I hope and pray my boss gives me the day off tomorrow. I need some zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Five on Fridays: Sexy Schoolgirls, Random Music, and The Fuzz

2010-03-06T00:06:00.001-08:00

1. My phone is seriously starting to get on my nerves. It started having glitches a month ago... turning off sporadically, it won't ring or let me know I missed a phone call but I'll get an alert of a new voicemail, the buttons on the front never work anymore... and a slew of other annoying little things... like, NOT WORK. I've been eyeing the DROID, which is also what everyone else seems to recommend. Problem is, I'm too cheap to pay the extra $30/month for the data plan... which Mike is already paying for with his phone since he upgraded to the HTC Ozone. Ugh... more bills.

2. We were going through some miscellaneous boxes that were tucked in the obscurely-shaped storage under the stairs and found a whole box of unpacked photo frames and photo albums, and much to my surprise, included an album from my glory days in the Philippines -- WAYYYY before I moved to the US. It has everything in it! My girlscout awards. A ribbon for a spelling be (2nd place only, gah!) Pictures in my freshman year uniform that went down to our ankles! Catholic privates chools in the Philippines are vastly different from what they are around here.

No slutty schoolgirls here! My BFF Claire!

3. So I was surfing the internet the other night and came across this "leaked code" for some free songs on Napster. Remember the good ol' days when Napster was the coolest thing in the world and it was completely legal??? I miss those days. Well, they say there is never such a thing as a free thing..... unless someone messes up and in these days, over the internet, a little boo boo means someone's getting fired because someone is losing money. Apparently, the code for the free songs were only meant to be distributed to supposed group of Dell customers, but hallelujah to rampant deals discussion boards, I was able to score a couple of albums before they were able to yank the promotion.

Can we say random?

4. Can anyone tell me what's bigger than outer space? I really need to know. Even Google can't give me an answer! Every day, Ethan tells me he loves me "big like outer space"...... which gives me the fuzzies every time and he can never say it too many times..... and I always tell him "I love you bigger than outer space", but then he corrects me (every time) that there's nothing bigger than outer space. So you see, I HAVE to figure out what's bigger than outer space.......

On the flipside to that, whenever he's mad at me (or if he just wants to irk me), he'd tell me that he loves me "small like nothing".... (one time he told me he loved me small like a booger, which I guess is better than nothing). And I can't counter that either...... what's smaller than nothing??

5. We got our taxes done this week! Whew! We actually usually get em done a lot sooner than this, but our accountant (ie Mike) was lagging a little bit this year, but that's ok. We still haven't figured out what we'll do with the good chunk of refund we'll be getting - thanks to the first time home owners credit. Mike wants to spend them on solar panels, and I would like to upgrade to stainless steel appliances. Maybe we should just go on a vacation... that way, we'd both be happy! :) Of course, we end up owing the State of California money...... which, by the looks of the whole deficit saga..... they may be collecting from just about everyone anyway.

Part 1: Cameron Media Wall System

2010-03-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

Between two full time jobs, Mike taking classes to get his Masters, the daily upkeep struggles of a 3200 square ft home, and keeping up with Ethan.... finding time to start on our next big project is a little low on the priority list. But we finally broke ground last night and was able to build the first installment of our "knock off" Pottery Barn Cameron Extra-Wide Media Wall System.

This entertainment center is selling on Pottery Barn Kids online for $1,399
which I am absolutely NOT willing to pay for.

I, myself, have never built anything -- at least not with wood. Do Popsicle sticks count? I think I remember building a miniature house from Popsicle sticks in 4th grade.

Mike's cherry, on the other hand, was popped last summer when I asked (nicely) if he could build an entertainment center for that awkward-looking inset in our family room. And this is what my hubby proudly built!

So when I ran into Ana's plans over at Knock Off Wood, I was ecstatic. I was also inspired by Ashely over at Shanty2Chic whose already almost done with hers!

And this is what we're hoping to build for under $300........

We can do it!

Step 1 was to build the media base. We bought all the wood (MDF) from Home Depot last Sunday, and had the guys there cut all our pieces. We had 5 sheets of MDF and a sheet of plywood, and it took roughly hour and a half to cut all our pieces. Mike told the patient HD guy the dimensions, and I re-measured each piece to make sure it was correctly cut and labeled each piece.

It took us 2 hours to build the media base. It would've been faster if we just used a nail gun but we opted to use screws to make it more stable. The hardest part was make sure everything is square (why it's called a "square" if it's in a shape of a triangle, I have no idea). We decided to leave off the trim until all our pieces are painted and done... but we're extremely happy with how this one turned out!

We're holding off on putting the trim until everything is done and painted.

For some reason, Ethan kept trying to climb into one of the bottom cubbies....

And here is my silly husband testing it to make sure it can withstand climbing monkeys....

Hopefully we can get some more pieces done this weekend. Til then!

Ethan's First Tball Practice, Crabs and Alligators

2010-03-03T16:53:00.001-08:00

I'm going to begin this by saying I feel like a deadbeat mom for missing my son's first t-ball practice. I've been slammed at work lately and I couldn't leave early. But I did promise Ethan I would be there for his games, and I hope he forgives me.

But looking at how excited he was when he finally got home last night to show us his crabwalk and alligator, I say he didn't even notice we weren't there.

Extending his arm to aim.....

Practicing his alligator.....

Practicing his pitch......

Looking all serious......

Now....... I have to get cracking on those TEAM ETHAN shirts...... :)

Bike Race

2010-03-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

The rain all day on Saturday was a drag... we stayed home for the most part and cleaned the house, lounged on the couch, caught up with laundry. Sunday was BEAUTIFUL, and although we spent most of the morning at Home Depot getting our wood cut for that entertainment center, we did manage to squeeze some time to check out a local bike race that Mike initially wanted to enter.

Maybe next time.

I was told that these tires cost as much as what I make in two weeks. Go figure.

This is Mike dreaming about that $2k bike he wants to buy for himself.

Five on Fridays: Party-Pooping Rain, Non-Planets and Lumber Addiction

2010-02-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

1. Our huge clean house yard sale scheduled for tomorrow is a NO GO because of the rain. I was looking forward to getting rid of a lot of the stuff just sitting around, to make room for more new stuff! I'm just kidding. We really need to purge, especially Ethan. This whole thing, by the way, was his idea to begin with. He knows that he has $150 of birthday money that he could spend on whatever he wants.... but in order to buy MORE toys, we told him he had to get rid of some. So my brilliant offpsring says:

"Let's have a yard sale so I can sell my toys. Because these toys are for babies, and I'm a big boy. And then, I can get toys for a big boy."

He has actually set aside 2 bins of toys already that he is willing to rid of, including his train table (that he never really used anyway since the Geotrax were always set up on the floor) and his toy kitchen.

2. I've been craving fo sushi all day! Mike wanted to go last night, but we decided to hold off until tonight. There's an AMAZING all-you-can-eat sushi place that we frequent...... and all-you-can-eat is NOT an exaggeration!

3. Work is starting to really pick up, so I'm anticipating some late nights within the next few weeks. Last year was pretty bad....... I think our record was working 30 hours straight! God help me......

4. Did I mention Ethan has been moved to the official big kids preschool class? Their preschool class is split in two, and the second level class is where they put the ones who are more advanced, not necessarily the older kids.

This month, they are learning about outer space. One day, I thought I would proudly recite my planets in order starting with the planet closest to the sun. Remember MVEMJSUNP????

Me: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. See Ethan? I know my planets too!

Mrs Nacion (my kindergarten teacher) would've been so proud..........

Ethan: Ummmmm... mommy? Pluto is not a planet anymore.

Doh.

5. If the rain lets out even just for a little bit this weekend, I would like to start on our next project -- the entertainment center for the upstairs loft. I've got my lumber lists ready and we're itching to get that upstairs finally organized. Mike thinks I'm going crazy.......... I have so much I want to build, but so little time! I actually have a binder (with dividers, haha) of the plans of different things I want to build. At least something's organized..........

My new addiction: Home Depot! :)

Eeny Meeny Miny Moe

2010-02-24T16:53:00.001-08:00

Almost 9 months after we moved in....... I think it's about time we furnish the loft. At first, I didn't mind that it has become the catch all for Ethan's toys. As long as they weren't all over the place downstairs, I was ok with it. But it's become such a monster, it's like Santa's workshop and Toys R Us got married and had babies and they threw up in our loft. I have been desperately looking for an entertainment center/shelving unit to hide our own Toys R Us, but haven't had much luck.

So.... hopefully.... with some elbow grease, a brand spanking new nail gun and jigsaw, LOTS of wood glue, and quality hubby/wifey time...... we're going to be building the furniture for upstairs.

I want to build both the media center for one side, and the bankable bookcases on the other. Amibitious, I know! But even if it takes us a few weeks to do..... I think we'll all be happy that room will finally be organized!

Pottery Barn Cameron Media Wall System - $1,790

Land of Nod Bankable Bookcases - $699

The big question of the day is...... which should be build first??? :)

Decisions! Decision!

Ethan's First Year - in Scrapbook pages

2010-02-24T10:17:00.001-08:00

I finally ordered Ethan's book of all scrapbook pages I created for his first year. Yes! Finally! Four years later! I knew I was missing some photos..... but I was on a deadline to use the flatrate book sale over at Winkflash. I did put some blank pages towards the end of the book so I could "manually" scrapbook the ones that I missed -- who does that still anyway? :)

Our First Project! Knock-off Pottery Barn Montgomery Upholstered Headboard

2010-02-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

So one night, I stumbled into Ana's awesome blog Knock-off Wood, and I was immediately inspired to be a carpenter. No, really.......

No one wanted to believe me. I've always been obsessed with furniture. Ask Mike. I almost had a 3 bedroom house furnished before we even got the house!

The plans sat in my purse for a few days before I finally convinced Mike to go to Home Depot, where he decides, by the way, that this is actually a pretty brilliant idea because he can coerce me to buy power tools. I should've bought the pink nail gun so he can't claim it's his.

We thought we'd start with something easy, so we decided to build Sissy a headboard for her birthday.

Inspiration: Pottery Barn Montgomery Upholstered Headboard - $599 new

Using plans from Knock-off Wood - $100

It took us about 1.5 hours to actually put it together, and maybe another hour to put 2 coats of paint on. The hardest part was setting the fabric-covered panel on because the fabric kept puckering on the sides, but eventually we got it on. It's not perfect, but we're pretty damn proud of ourselves. Overall, the process was a lot easier than we anticipated... so we're debating on what to tackle on next as we speak.

The plans for the Montgomery Headboard (inspired by Pottery Barn) is here.

PS. I think Sissy needs more pillows.... lol

T-Ball Mama

2010-02-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm SUPER excited that Ethan will be starting T-ball in March. I just got a call from the coach last night that said Ethan will be with the Cubs -- which didn't sit too well with Mike at first.. he started rambling on about the Cubs having some kind of a curse?

But who cares!

I imagine Ethan will probably be one of the youngest ones, since he just turned 4. But he's very good with following instructions, and he has a lot of interest in baseball, so I hope he doesn't end up being the kid that sits on first base and eats grasshoppers (see Raymond clip to understand the reference).

So here's my crash course on the differences between baseball and T-ball:

Baseball - 9 innings (or more); T-ball - 3 innings

Baseball - runs add up as each player crosses the plate; T-ball - no scoring

Baseball - clear winner, clear loser; T-ball - no winners or losers. Everybody gets ice cream

Not sure I like the whole no scoring part. I'll probably be one of those psycho moms who keep score and give the slacking kids a dirty look or 1 less of a goodie snack. Ok. maybe I won't be that bad.

Can't wait to see Mike blow up like Raymond! LOL
Link (if the embedding doesn't work): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeukHLf1V0Q

Facelift

2010-02-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

So I decided to change things around again, I was getting kind of tired of the simple layout, so I tried out the other one for a while, but got tired of that one too. I was looking for a particular post that I had a few years ago and I realized I didn't have a search feature! That and I had only started labeling my posts about a year ago, so at some point I want to go back and label the rest so I could find posts when I want to. Hopefully, this format will work out for a while (at least until I get bored again, lol).

I've also added a new feature below each post that links to other similar entries.

With that said, good night!

Five on Fridays: Chickens, Knock off Furniture and Future Vacation Plans

2010-02-19T17:07:00.001-08:00

My thoughts are on shambles. I have so much to think about... talk about... write about, but not enough time to do it. Days later I recall a fond memory I meant to blog about but never did, and I wonder how many times that happens.

So in a desperate attempt to organize my thoughts, I'm going to try another ploy to self-motivate chronicling my life. Here's five things I probably would've told you about if I had all the time in the world to tell you about it (in a shortened version, of course)

1. This weekend will be a rest weekend (sort of) after a few days really long and tiring (but fun) last weekend. Mike has a class all day tomorrow (he's back to school getting his Master in Psychology). Ethan and I will probably spend an hour or two yardsaling because we both enjoy searching for "treasure". But the rest of the weekend will probably be chill. If we feel up to it, and if I ever catch up on laundry, maybe we could squeeze in a few hours at the zoo on Sunday.

2. For the first time in a long time, I chickened out of a risky recreational sport. A bunch of us went to Snow Summit last Saturday, and aside from Ethan, I was the only one who didn't snowboard. Last year, I shattered my thumb from snowboarding and it took me more than 6 months to get my dominant hand back. Up to this date, I feel pain whenever I use it for anything strenuous (like swining a plastic bat), and the doc almost reluctantly promised I would suffer from arthritis because of the injury. So this time around, I opted out of sliding down the hill at 40 mph on a piece of fiber board and instead spent the whole day sledding with Ethan. I had more fun with Ethan than I probably would have worrying about not getting hurt again!

3. Mike and I finished our first project together -- Joana's headboard. Somewhere, somehow, I got tired of stalking the furniture section on Craigslist and decided to find a way to build our own, and I ran into knockoffwood.blogspot.com. This blog is AMAZING. Ana posts plans on how to build furniture from Pottery Barn and the likes, without spending an arm and a leg for it. I'll post more on the headboard we just built, but I'm excited to move on to our next project! Hmm.... entertainment center? Our loft is DYING to be organized!

4. My mom and my dad are coming back home from spending a little over a week in the Philippines (my birth country). I have to admit, I have been longing to go back since the last time I visited close to a decade ago. I want to bring Mike and Ethan there so bad so they could see where I grew up, went to school, meet all my ever growing family (that even I have a hard time keeping up with who's having which kid), everything that is innately me that I probably would never be able to explain. Yes, it's a third world country. Yes, I probably wouldn't choose to raise Ethan there -- only because he'll obviously have more opportunities here in the US. But the Philippines is still my home, my birthplace, my history. Hopefully, sometime this year, we'll be able to finally make that trip. Fingers crossed.

5. Mike finally got his lasik surgery on Monday. By the grace of God, so far, so good. No complications... and Mike seems to be very excited about not having to worry about glasses or wearing contacts ever again. His eyes are still eerily bloodshot.... it's normal, I suppose (it's only been a few days), but he was so worried the other night, that he went out of his way to divert away from a DUI checkpoint because he was worried the cops wouldn't believe him if they told him his eyes weren't red because of alcohol. In a few weeks, his eyes should be back to normal. For now, he has to wear protective goggles when he sleeps and I have to get used to sleeping next to Michael Phelps.

That's it for now!

Hope to post some this weekend!

How can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you?

2010-02-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

As part of my Valentine's Day gift to Mike, we're going to see Lifehouse live in May (they're opening for Chris Daughtry, but we're really going for Lifehouse).

It'll be a departure from our usual Linkin Park/Korn concerts, but our first dance at our wedding was to "Everything" by Lifehouse, and I've been dying to hear them play it live! I get goosebumps every time I hear that song...... :)

Lifehouse performing live at the Winter Olympics

The Interview

2010-02-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

These questions were posted by someone I knew on Facebook. I had always meant to ask Ethan all the questions but it always seemed to stay in my draft folder. I finally got him to answer them all tonight (inbetween playing Break the Ice) and I have to say, I was incredibly impressed!

**Answered by Ethan, age 4

1. What is something mommy always says to you?
"Don't run away from me"

2. What makes mommy happy?
"When I give you a flower"

3. What makes mommy sad?
"When I do something bad"

4. How does mommy make you laugh?
"You tickle me"

5. What was mommy like as a little girl?
"You take a picture"

6. How old is mommy?
"5"

7. How tall is mommy?
"Like Daddy"

8. What is mommy's favorite thing to do?
"Work"

9. What does mommy do when you're not around?
"You do work when I'm gone"

10. If mommy become famous, what will it be for?
"You gotta be a star"

11. What is mommy really good at?
"Dancing"

12. What is mommy not very good at?
"You're not good with spinning"

13. Where does mommy work at?
"Your job"

14.What is mommy favorite food?
"Burritos"

15. What makes mommy proud of you?
"When I'm being good at school"

16. If mommy was a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Little Einstein"

17. What do you and mommy do together?
"We stay home and do everything we need to do, like play with toys"

18. How are you and mommy the same?
"I saw a girl today with the same color of your hair"

19. How are you and mommy different?
"Girls doesn't have a penis"

20. How do you know mommy loves you?
Starts singing to the tune of You are my Sunshine: "I love you mommy, my only mommy. You make me happy... everyday. You are my mommy, because I love you. Please don't take my mommy away...."

21. What does mommy like most about daddy?
"He gave you a big heart. When you get married, he gave you a heart"

22. Where is mommy favorite place to go?
"Home, because you live at home"

Happy Valentine's!

2010-02-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

F-O-U-R!!!!!! (and we're not talking about golf)

2010-02-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

I know I still need to post details about his birthday party, but I couldn't resist posting this one. I've been scrapbooking like crazy the past week (Winkflash has a flat rate book sale and I want to make one for his first year at least) -- I'll post those too when I get a chance.

Envy of the Office (Again)

2010-02-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

I don't understand why some women get embarassed when they get flowers at work..... I absolutely love it! Mike has sporadically sent me flowers since I started here, and every time, I enjoy hearing everybody coo about how great of a husband he is for being thoughtful.

I used to get mad about it. These suckers are not cheap! But it's the thought that really gets me, every time. Cliche? Who cares.

I spend 8 hours a day (some days, more) at work. That's more hours awake than I do at home during the week. I don't mind a constant reminder that someone is thinking of me, and I certainly don't care that people look at me with their jealous eyes.

Happy Valentines!

Growing Pains

2010-02-08T15:49:00.000-08:00

There's no worse feeling than not being able to comfort your child whent they're in pain. Most days, my hugs and kisses are plenty enough to get him through. But last night, I was at a loss.

It's happened before. He wakes up in the middle of the night screaming bloody hell like someone's cutting him to pieces. It started about a year ago, and at first, we thought they were night tremors. We started becoming more conscious about not letting him watch anything that could potentially give him any "bad dreams". We tried getting him to sleep earlier after a long, warm bath. Some days, it seemed like it worked. But every once in a while, the screaming would come back.

He doesn't even seem awake when he does it. He just screams and screams and screams. It wasn't a scream for attention, he was screaming because of pain. I've thought about running him to the Emergency room a few times, just because I didn't know how else to help him.

For the past six months or so, he's finally been able to point at what's hurting him... and every time, he points at his legs... both legs. Sometimes, the knees. Other times, his shins. Most times, it's all over. I thought maybe he just lays on them wrong (he moves around a lot) and gets a "charlie horse" or his legs fall asleep. Massaging it helps very little, and he would scream for at least half and hour if not longer until he finally gets tired. The next morning, everything is back to normal. We can't even ask him when he's lucid about where the pain was, because he doesn't even remember he'd been up for hours crying the night before.

So it happened again last night. At 11pm. 12am. 3am. 4am. Mike and I took turns trying to comfort him but nothing seemed to work. He lays there and kicks, sits up and cries with his eyes closed, lay back down to do the some cycle over. I finally gave him some tylenol around midnight, which helped him (all of us, really) get a little more sleep before the next episode.

I've been told that they're probably "growing pains". A simple google search for "toddler leg pains" reigned hundreds of threads from same worried moms with the same problems. They all suggest warm baths before bed, massage with bengay, warm blankets, more bananas. But I'm not one to take chances when it comes to my son's health, so I'm taking him to his pediatrician on Friday.

I hope we find something that works soon though. I can't stand just watching him cry himself back to sleep.

My Favorite Kind of Conversations

2010-02-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't written much about it, but Ethan seemed to have grown overnight. All of a sudden, he's holding his own in our conversations ranging from extraterrestrial beings, homework, and well, poop.

My favorite kind of conversations happen mostly in the car. I love our drive to school every morning because that's my 30-minute one-on-one with Ethan. We sing, we laugh, we drive up next to Mike or perfect strangers and wave or make funny faces, we blast the Kids Place Live channel on Sirius and put the Chipmunk or Spongebob song on repeat 5x or until we find something else to obsess about. Most importantly, we talk.

Yesterday, we were on our way home from my mom's house, it was pushing 9pm and I didn't expect to get much out of my usual "How was your day?" conversation starter, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Me: How was school?

Ethan: Good...

Me: Did you learn anything new today?

Ethan: No.

Me: Are you still learning about dinosaurs?

Ethan: No. We're learning about outer space now.

Me: Oh that sounds cool. What did you learn about.... [interupted]

Ethan: Mommy, why are there hearts in my classroom?

Me: Those are for Valentine's Day.

Ethan: What's Valentine's Day?

Me: Valentine's Day is a day of love......

Ethan: What's love?

I had to pause for a minute. How exactly do you explain love to a 4-year-old?

Me: Mommy loves Ethan. Daddy loves mommy. It's when you care for someone, or when you are nice..... [interupted again]

Ethan: Is love like kissing and getting married?

Me: [chuckling] That's part of love, yes, like mommy and daddy. But you don't have to kiss someone to love them.....

Ethan: Kara kissed me today.

Me: What?!?!?!? Who kissed you?

Ethan: Kara did. I was going down the slide... and I got down. She kissed me then she ran away.

Me: Did she kiss you on the lips?!?!?

Ethan: No. Just on the cheek.

Me: Does that mean she loves you, Ethan?

Ethan: No. [pausing for a second] It just means........ it just means she likes me, and not Jacob.

Curious... I started to ask Ethan about the preceding moments before the "kiss". Was it provoked? Did she kiss any other kids? Did she say anything before she ran away? Is she older or younger?

At this point, I realize my voice started to raise a little (pure excitement on my silly part) but may have been miscontrude as aggressive or lecturing even. As I quickly reached for my phone to call Mike and tell him about this very important news, Ethan started to retract and blush (4 year olds blush?!?!?!) and explicitly said, "No! Don't tell daddy!"

Poor thing. I thought it was the cutest thing in the world, and I didn't realize I was barraging him with so many questions like I was interrogating a terrorist. He thought he had done something wrong......

Me: It's ok that Kara kissed you Ethan. Maybe she's just trying to be your friend (I ommitted the "girl" part. I didn't want to implant the notion. After all, he's not allowed to date until after college.)

Ethan: Ok, you can tell daddy Kara kissed me.

He chuckled.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2010-01-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

Where do I even begin?

It's raining cats and dogs in Southern California... it's chilly, it's miserable, it's wet. Something we're not quite used to around here. And while the outpour is probably good for saving $ from not having to water the lawn, it hasn't been all that good for my blood pressure.

This Saturday, of course, happens Ethan's 4th birthday party. I totally suck at picking the right weekend, as last Saturday, naturally, was perfect weather for playing pirates outdoors. Next weekend, bite me, is supposed to be 70 and another perfect day. *sigh*

I have been planning this, for the most part, since last November. Up until last week, everything seemed to be in order. I have the majority of the decorations done, invitations are out, RSVPs are in, games are planned for..... That is, until Mother Nature started pounding non-stop rain, and since then I have been nervously checking weather.com if it's going to clear at all by the weekend.

I have a huge pirate ship made out of cardboard sitting in the garage, and I don't even know if we'll be able to use it at all. I suppose we could remove all the furniture in the living room, or perhaps downsize the ship a little. Either way, I have had to hold off on reserving the jumper, and at this point, I don't even know if I should just plan on having the whole party indoors!

Either way, I am thankful for having a healthy, intelligent, energetic little boy (no longer a baby) to plan a party for. I've put a lot of effort into throwing him the greatest pirate party ever, and I know he's going to love it whether we do it in the backyard or in the living room!

Holiday 2009 Long-winded Recap

2010-01-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

The beginning of the year always makes me a little sad.... it really shouldn't since it the dawn of a new year of making memories and breaking resolutions.... but I always hate going back to non-holiday routine:

No more Christmas songs on the radio.

No more using lunch breaks to sneak in some Christmas shopping.

No more practicing Jingle Bells and Santa Claus is Coming to Town with Ethan for the umphth time every morning on the way to school.

No more holiday decorating (I'm going to try to hold off at least until this weekend to start breaking down). The house just seems so festive with the Christmas tree up. *sigh*

But, as tradition goes, we enjoyed celebrating Christmas and welcoming the new year with the whole family. No out-of-town trips for us this year (or should I say last year?). I hosted Christmas eve dinner at our new home. We decided to open our presents that night, before going to midnight mass, because my parents were working the next day.

Ethan's reactions were priceless. He was definitely overwhelmed with the amount of boxes he had to unwrap -- he enjoyed very little of what was actually inside them before being pressured to move on to the next one. It was so much fun watching his eyes light up with every box. And it was even more rewarding to get that really tight thank you hug.

I know we're supposed to be in a recession... but I probably spent more this year than I did last year. The problem was that I "finished" shopping to early (shortly after Thanksgiving) which gave me almost a full month to get supplemental gifts. I love seeing everyone's reactions -- Sissy rejoicing after getting a gift card to the Dollar Tree, Mike finally getting a non-KSwiss pair of shoes from Jojo, or everyone getting a kick from playing Break the Ice.

Even Bella got presents!

As far as Santa goes.... we had to get a little creative and told Ethan he came by while we were at church. It was already 1 in the morning, but Ethan was just as excited to open the gifts from Santa -- the ones he knew he got because he was a nice boy....

"Just what I wanted for Christmas!", he yelled after unwrapping Optimus Prime and a bunch of other toys.

Awesome.... more toys........

Speaking of toys...... Mike got me my toy too. A more expensive one at that (that's why it was a collective gift from my birthday/anniversary/Christmas). Methinks this should be an incentive to post more pictures more often........ ;)

For New Year's eve, my mom hosted dinner at her house.... and with all the usual suspects being fed the greatest steak dinner ever, me trying to play bartender (I must've been good at it since my mom was already buzzing after 2 pina coladas), and Joana trying to hustle us all in Texas Hold 'Em, and Ethan being introduced to Shooter (new addition to the family) after Jojo rescued him from a shooting range last week....... it was a New Year celebration I wouldn't trade for another night at Rosarito or the Vegas strip.

4 hours later, we were all up again (I think I was still a little drunk) bright and early to try to watch the infamous Rose Parade. We got there a little too late to get a prime spot so our view of the floats were mediocre, if any, which was a little disappointing....... I was hoping to get some great shots of the floats....... but nothing a bacon-wrapped hotdog and good company can't cure!

The highlight of the parade was watching my brother scream for joy after seeing Jackie Chan pass by.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Griffith Observatory to have lunch and just hang out. Mike tried to trick me into hiking 10 miles up the mountain, but I shot that idea down fairly quickly. :)

They really fixed up the place since the last time I went a million years ago (high school). Naturally, it was packed since every one else probably had the same idea to go there after the parade. Still, it was fun elbowing other tourists for photo ops in front of the Hollywood sign. We spent half the time helping Ethan look for Bumblebee (there's a scene in the Transformers movie where the Autobots meet at the observatory).

Overall, it was tiring but well worth all the time we spent with the whole family. I'm sad to have to go back to work!!!

[Click for larger image]

Happy 2010!

2010-01-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

[Click for larger image]

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T14:37:00.001-08:00

I can't believe there are only 2 more days before Christmas!

I've been done with my shopping....... some still need to be wrapped, some have to be delivered.... but for the most part, I'm done.

I can't wait til we open our presents tomorrow (mom has to work on Christmas day, so we're opening them tomorrow night - Noche Buena!) before we go to midnight mass.

Ethan has been a hoot since the day we put up our Christmas tree -- day after Thanksgiving. Every day, he would come down the stairs and ask "Is it Christmas yet?"...... and every day, I would say "No, not yet". And with a hint of disappointment in his eyes, he always follows it up with "How many days mommy?"....

This year will be a blast!

If I don't get to post again before Christmas, I'll the time now to wish everyone a VERY Merry and Blessed Christmas! I hope you all get to spend and enjoy the day with your loved ones, like we are.

Christmas Program

2009-12-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

As a mom, Ethan's Christmas program is one of the most anticipated events on my calendar. This year, they're singing the same songs his class sang last year, so as an astute veteran (and the best singer of course), he knew his songs like the back of his hand. Still....... we practiced every day on the way to school..... and the closer it got to the program, the more excited he got.

Backstage.... Ethan was calm and collected, while the other kids shuffled around being yelled at to sit down.

"I'm soooooooo excited!", he squealed. He knew that mommy, daddy, Lola, Lolo and Uncle Jojo would be front and center, cheering him on.

Except.......

We weren't exactly front and center -- even after getting there an hour and a half early. Still, we were at a good spot.. with clear shot of Ethan and his buddies (who got the special spots at the top of the stage -- his teacher said that's where she puts the kids who knew the songs and the actions the most).

I got my camera ready with big proud-mama smile on my face, and gave Ethan a thumbs up. Then like a hurricane, a swarm of tardy parents who didn't give a rats ass about who they were blocking, bum-rushed to the front (and the aisles) to do exactly what were we were all there to do.

It didn't seem fair. And for a while, I yelled "Excuse me!" and "Sit down!" along with the other angry parents who had their views stolen. I was pissed.... but kept my composure. And while the show must go on, I was lucky to have a husband who was taller than 5'2 who was still able to somewhat get a shot of Ethan singing his heart out.

And they're lucky I had a zoom lens and my new Nikon 300s (early Christmas present!) or else I wouldn't have been as nice.

I turned around and saw a few of Ethan's friends' parents who weren't as lucky, and got their email addresses so I could send them what we were able to get.

Jingle Bells

Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Show and Tell

2009-11-19T14:29:00.000-08:00

Fridays are show-and-tell days at Ethan's school... those mornings can be a struggle when I'm running behind schedule and Ethan wants to intensely contemplate on what to bring.

Back when Mike was still in DC, Ethan usually brought something that reminded him of Daddy to show to his friends. A photo, a signed baseball Mike sent in the mail. These days, it's all about what spanking new toy he can show off.

I guess that is the essence of "show"-and tell, isn't it?

Thanks to Grandma... last week's show-and-tell subject was a hit with Ethan's friends. It was such a hit, in fact, that Ethan wants to bring the same thing this Friday.

(I'm not complaining!)

It's actually a pretty fun game! Ethan often wins, but I think it has something to do with a little cheating (when he has to draw an animal from the barn -- he scopes out the color/animal he needs and then pretends to close his eyes before "randomly" fishing for the perfect one).

But it's ok..... we love hearing Ethan yell "UNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YESSSSSSSSSS!"

I can tell you all about this game and even tried to get our own video, but to show you more specific detail, I wanted to share the commercial of UNO Moo so that you can get the idea of how much fun this game is.

SILLY SKUNK!

A Very Late Halloween Recap

2009-11-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

Halloween came and went... and in a lot of ways, I had expected it to be just another Halloween, but we try to do something different every year to make it a little more memorable than the year before.

Okay, before anything else. I have to disclose that there's not a lot of thought when it comes to me picking Ethan's costumes every Halloween. They have been typically whatever I was able to get on sale the year before (I've been lucky so far to predict the right size). He's still at a very convincing stage, but I'm sure my luck will be running out pretty soon. I have a feeling he's going to want to pick next year's costume....

So anyway, I got this Dash costume from a yard sale a year ago for $3. It was missing the mask, but I was able to borrow that from a friend. It was easy convincing Ethan to want to be a superhero....

That Friday before Halloween, we took Ethan to a "Trunk or Treat" event at a local church.... which, I have to admit, sounded a little weird at first. Our expectations were TOTALLY blown away. First of all, there weren't just a dozen cars parked in the church parking lot handing out candy. There were hundreds. Each "trunk" decorated more elaborate than the other. Cute. Freaky. Weird. Absolutely non-Halloween related (trucks decorated in Dodger gear). After the 50th car, I think Ethan started to get bored. But that wasn't the end of it. They had jumpers and games and food stands and a make shift skate park, fire trucks, police cars and even Navy helicopters for the kids the explore and play pretend. 3 hours later, we were pooped and retired to my mom's house for dinner. My only regret is not dressing up with Ethan. I think I was more excited to see a family dressed up as The Incredibles, as I run to get a photo op with Ethan. I would've totally dressed up as Elastigirl, but not sure if I would've gotten some resistance from Mike with wearing tights as Mr. Incredible. :)

Halloween eve: it was our first Halloween in our new home, so we were excited to see how many kids would come around for trick or treating. There were quite a few houses who had decorated with their typical pumpkins, spider webs and corpses hanging by their necks...... and for the most part, most of the houses participated and handed out candy. Mike and I dressed up as Fred and Wilma Flintstone and set out to get more candy... as if we didn't have enough already. Everyone kept asking why we didn't dress Ethan up as BamBam (which believe me, I thought about) until Mike crushed my dreams and made sure I knew that BamBam was, in fact, Betty and Barney Rubble's kid -- while Fred and Wilma had Pebbles. Mike was NOT about to let me dress Ethan as Pebbles.....

Next year, I'd like to have matching costumes for all of us, maybe even including Bella. Hmmmm...... maybe the Wizard of Oz? Ethan can be the Tinman, I'll be Dorothy of course, and Mike can be the Lion without a Heart..... hehe

I got time.

Today, we say THANKS on Veterans Day

2009-11-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to a list I've compiled in a forum of various FREEBIES going on in honor of Veterans Day

[link] Consolidated List/HUGE Collection: VETERANs Day FREE Meals / Deals / Discounts

SICK!

2009-11-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post photos from our busy Halloween weekend but we've been hit (and hit hard) with the stupid bug.... so all my energy is directed keeping my head from exploding.

Ethan started coughing about 3 weeks ago. Then Mike started coughing a week ago. And yesterday, I suddenly felt it.

Misery loves company.

I must be looking like a drag, my boss actually sent me home early today. And our president kept coming by to check my temperature... and insisting I should go home... he's a sweet man. I was a trooper today and decided to stick around, although my constant hacking is probably getting a lot of people nervous around me and wish I would just take the damn sick day and quit infecting everyone.

Then I get a call from Mike today that his boss is sending him home... but not before he gets checked out by a doctor to rule out H1N1. After several hours at the VA, they say he has Influenza B, sent him packing with a slew of prescriptions and told him he has to stay home for a week.

Great.

Ethan had an appointment this afternoon with his new pediatrician (we didn't like his old one) and was sent home with an inhaler. When he was one, his pediatricians then told us he has "asthmatic tendencies" but was too young to be diagnosed. Every year since then, he gets the same, recurring croupy cough. I don't know for sure if this new doctor diagnosed him with asthma, but I'll be calling her tomorrow to get a better idea.

For now, we're all sick as a dog and we can only hope for a faster recovery. I feel like curling up in bed right about now.....

Personalized Christmas Ornaments <$10 (Free Personalization) Plus Free Shipping til 11/2

2009-10-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yes! It's that time already! Time to start shopping for Christmas!

Here's a good deal for personalized ornaments, if you're looking for that sort of thing. Tons of styles $10 or less with free shipping (no matter how big/small the order) until Monday, November 2.

[Link]
Personalized Christmas Ornaments