Party time!

Well, I have been a bit wrapped up in planning Ellie's birthday party and haven't had a chance to update the blog in the past week.  I seem to go a bit crazy with the party prepping and lose sight of the fact that I have other things like laundry piled to the ceiling and two small children to care for!!  I am having fun getting ready for Saturday though and I lucked out planning a garden theme with Easter coming soon, everything is flowers and butterflies!  It's perfect!!  The only problem has been the weather.  I was kind of hesitant to plan the party at a park, since I remember well the day Ellie was born it was raining and cold.  But I was hopeful, especially since the week I finally decided to have the party in Red Hill Park, an awesome park nearby with a lake, ducks, turtles and a great playground, it was 80 degrees and beautiful.  Well, I turned on the TV on Tuesday just in time to hear the forecast for Saturday is not only rain, but it is record breakingly cold!!  They are predicting a high of 49!!  For us Californians it might as well be Antarctica out there!!  I finally decided to move it to the house and not stress over the weather and worrying about being cold and miserable.  

So tonight I made the cupcakes and prepped myself to do the cake tomorrow.  It is going to be a flower shaped cake and it's gonna be adorable!!  I had elaborate plans for the cupcakes, at first they were going to be butterflies, with wings and antennae and then I was going to make roses from icing for each one...well I was getting ahead of myself on that one!  So, they are still cute, but just simple, piped pink icing, no fancy frills.  Oh well!  And my wonderful husband came to me after helping me bathe both girls and get them off to sleep and said, "What can I do to help?"  Those are just the most wonderful 6 words I've heard all day!  I love that he's so willing and happy to help me with these things.  He was chopping onion (my least fav thing to chop!) and veggies for the salads and then he even made dinner while I finished getting organized!  I love that man!

Her newest and favorite-est game, peekaboo!

I just realized that my baby is going to be one, and my other baby is nearly 3!!  What is happening?  I don't believe how fast this last year has gone by!  Can't she just stay this cute and precious FOREVER!?

Tasting her toes, as you do!

She has the BEST smile!

Also, exciting news, James sister Cliona had her baby this morning!  A beautiful baby girl, 6 lbs, 15 ozs.  We are so excited the girls have a girl cousin, not that they don't love Harry! She doesn't have a name yet, though Harry is pretty sure HIS name should be Percy, or Gordon or (I guess if it's a girl) Peppa!  He likes his Thomas the Tank Engine, and Peppa the Pig!  She is doing well!  I bet she's so happy to have a girl.  I can't wait to meet her!!  

Today, Thursday February 24, 2011
My favorite moment was...sitting down to eat some tasty noodles with my honey.
My challenge was...being patient when Sophia keeps changing her mind on me, "Mommy I want milk!"  Two seconds later, as I am pouring milk, "Mommy I want juice!"  
My question is...Is it normal to be so excited for your child's birthday party?
Quote of the day...Ellie telling herself "nuh-nuh-nuh" as she's unrolling the toilet paper roll!
My hope for tomorrow...A cake that doesn't look like an amateur made it!   

What Valentine's Day Means to Me!

Our Valentine loot!
The heart that says 'love' was colored by Sophia.
She did it all by herself!

I think, like most things, Valentines Day and what it means to me has changed over the years.  It once meant just wishing someone would give me a Valentine at school (sigh!), then it meant hoping I would get asked out for a nice dinner or get some pretty flowers.  In our dating days and before we had kids, James and I always celebrated by exchanging cards, he always got me pretty flowers and we would go out for a lovely, romantic dinner.  Well, things have changed a bit and while we still give cards and he gives me beautiful flowers, we don't really go out.  This is really ok with me, for several reasons.  First, I think Valentine's Day is really just a Hallmark holiday, and while the idea is nice, it's kind of over rated.  Second, when we do go out, it's so crowded, over-priced and not as 'romantic' as they make it seem.  Third, I like celebrating when it's special to us and not when everyone else is out too.  That being said, our anniversary is also 12 days after Valentine's Day, so we usually end up celebrating our anniversary rather than Valentine's Day.  To add to the fun, Ellie's birthday is the day after our anniversary!  We are actually having her party on our anniversary this year and I am really excited! I can't believe she's almost one!

What I am trying to say is that Valentine's Day is supposed to be about love and celebrating your love for those around you and my biggest loves are my girls and my husband.  It doesn't really matter what you do, but who you're with!  We actually started celebrating yesterday.  James planned a brunch for the four of us at a nice place in Claremont.  It was a nice morning and we took Sophia for an ice cream after and even got some yummy cheese at a place called, no joke, the Cheese Cave!  Then, last night, I gave the girls their dinner and bath while James cooked a delicious pepper steak dinner with homemade fries!  It was amazing!!

My guy can cook!! What a lucky girl I am!

We had a lovely Valentine's Day together today as well.  Although James had to work, we met up for lunch and Sophia gave James his card!  We were at Chick-fil-A, but we were together and it was nice!  James came home with some lovely roses and we had dinner together after the girls went to bed.  It was nothing fancy, but it was perfect!  I love my little family!  

On our way to meet Bapa for lunch.  Love the shades!

Sweet and cute, my lil valentine!

Our little walker!  She's so proud of herself!!

Babies, babies, babies!!!

Katie's talented sister-in-law made this cake and the cupcakes too!

It seems like everywhere I look, I see babies, and I am not just talking about my own home!  I have one friend who just had a beautiful baby boy last week, and four friends and one sister-in-law all due in the next month!  Crazy baby time!  It's all fun and good and I love that my friends are having babies, I not complaining AT ALL!! I think it's so nice sharing this time with friends, as pregnancy and being a new mommy can sometimes be confusing and challenging and it just makes things a bit easier when you have someone to lean on or go to with questions.  All that being said, I am super excited because, (no I am NOT pregnant!) my college roommate is one of the friends due in the next month and I spent Saturday at her baby shower.  It was so nice to see her!  I am sad to say it was the first time I have seen her since she got pregnant but she looks amazing!  Katie and I have known each other for 11 years!  Is that right??  Yes, since we were 20!  She and I met by chance because I needed a roommate and she was just transferring to UCSB.  My roommate's girlfriend went to high school with Katie, and that's how we ended up roommates!  Here we are 11 years later, still friends and I love her so much! Even though we don't see each other often, when we do talk or get together it's always like old times.  

Katie looks so adorable!  We both wore her fav color for her day!!

The shower was beautiful, hosted by Katie's mother-in-law at her home in Stevenson Ranch.  It was so nice to see Katie and her family, who I love as well.  I had a great afternoon catching up and visiting with all the ladies.  I will say, I was a little worried because I was going solo and leaving the girls for most of the day.  I have full confidence in James, it's not that I think he can't handle taking care of the girls, it's just I was worried about Ellie, since she is still very much nursing and gets cranky when she doesn't get milk.  I am so happy to report that they both did great, they even both took their naps!  Elizabeth usually gets nursed to sleep, but I have been working on putting her down awake and it paid off.  I had some milk pumped for James to give her before her nap and she happily took it, from a bottle even!!  She never liked a bottle and we haven't even tried to give her one in months.  But she drank it all down and fell fast asleep!  It just made me so happy and relieved.  It might be my imagination, but I think Ellie is even more in love with her Bapa since yesterday!  I think she really bonded with him and it makes me so happy to see how she looks at him and lights up when he smiles at her!  

In any case, it was a wonderful day all around!  

Katie and her sister Julie

Katie's adorable niece Lucy, twirling in her tutu.
 It was fun to see that it's not just my Sophia who can't leave home without her tutu!

Katie's adorable and hilarious grandmother made us all laugh during lunch.

Sooo many presents!!

When I was uploading the pics from the day, I found these James and Sophia had taken while I was away!

Can't you see the love??

I think they had a good day too!

I meant to post this yesterday, but unfortunately when I got home last night I had a terrible headache and barely stayed awake through dinner.  I feel much better now, but since I am posting about yesterday, I am writing my "today" about yesterday (if that makes any sense!?).

Today, I mean yesterday, Saturday February 12, 2011

My favorite moment was...seeing my sweet friend so happy!

My challenge was...letting go and leaving my girls for the day, and I am so glad I did!

My question is...How did I not realize that while driving ALONE to the shower, that I cannot drive in the carpool lane?!  I actually drove about 45 minutes down the 210 in the carpool lane before realizing it!!
Quote of the day...Katie's grandmother, (mother of 11 children!) says over lunch as we're talking about having babies, "Well, I think my 11th was the easiest...I could have gone to dinner afterward!"
My hope for tomorrow...Enjoy a fun Sunday with my girls and hubbie!

Year of the Rabbit

  We don't usually do much for Chinese New Year, since James family is so far away and we don't really know anyone else who celebrates it.  We should really get my family or some friends to celebrate and start our own tradition.  But this year, since we are members of The Huntington Gardens we decided to go there for their Chinese New Year Festival.  They have beautiful grounds, with amazing gardens and enormous trees, one of the most gorgeous Willow trees, my favorite tree!  We thought we'd go and check it out.  It was such a beautiful day and there we tons of people!  They had dancers, Tai chi, food and drinks, music, story tellers and even a lion dance!  Sophia really loved watching the dancers, but wasn't too sure about the lion dancers, especially when they came into the audience and let the kiddos pet them!  The girls had a blast and we really enjoyed all the festivities too!

Sophia got a bit spooked by the lions when they got too close!

They called all the children onto the grass to learn some Tai chi!

Sophia was hesitant at first, but she did join in at the end!

Some of the young performers getting ready to dance!  They were so cute!

They had some food, but it was really over priced and didn't look too tasty, so luckily we brought our own picnic lunch and sat under a tree and enjoyed the afternoon.  The have a Children's Garden, with little mazes, fountains and this really cool area that fills with mist and the kids can run through and cool off.  It was awesome!

James and Ellie getting clouded with mist!

Sophia of course LOVED running around in the fog and getting wet!

Love this one of them laughing together!

In the Chinese Gardens.  That pond is filled with beautiful koi fish!

 We are really enjoying our membership and are so glad we joined.  It is a fun day, nice to be outside with the girls.  Next time we might bring them inside some of the exhibits, as we haven't even seen any art since we joined.  It's not too early to expose them to a little art and culture, right?  Sophia might even enjoy looking at some of the statues and paintings.  We will definitely be back soon to see!

Today, Wednesday February 9, 2011
My favorite moment was...seeing good friends at the door for a visit!
My challenge was...trying to get two tired girls to nap while noisy painters were outside my house all day!!
My question is...when will the wind go away?
Quote of the day...Sophia, "Where's my sierra?"  She cried and looked for her "sierra" for a while before I realized what she was saying...tiara!  Sierra is our cute 1 yr old neighbor!
My hope for tomorrow...Find out some good info at the Preschool Fair.

Busy Girls!

Lately Sophia is REALLY into coloring.  She sits or stands over her coloring books and spends lots of time coloring pictures!  It's so fun to see now because she actually stays in the lines and you can tell she is really understanding the concept, and really well for a 2 1/2 year old, I think.  She loves crayons, but lately she's been using colored pencils and markers (yikes!) and usually does really well keeping them on the paper only.  I can't believe how grown up she is and what a good artist she is turning into, although it should come as no surprise since both her grandmothers, her Uncle Kyle, Aunt Megan and her Bapa are all very talented artists.  I know she won't get any of that from me!!  I draw stick figures, very cute ones, but stick figures.  My first grade students were very impressed with my artistic skills, but I doubt anyone above the age of 7 would think much of them.  I really need to get some art projects for her, I think she would really enjoy some art time!   Maybe a Valentine?

Today, Tuesday February 8, 2011
My favorite moment was...I leaned over and asked Ellie for a kiss today at lunch.  She smiled, turned away and shook her head.  Silly little monkey!
My challenge was...laundry, my most despised chore!!
My question is...Why am I so hungry today??
Quote of the day...Sophia opened her bin with all her baby dolls and baby related toys, saw her fav. baby of the moment.  She gasped, pulled baby out and hugged her saying, "Oh Baby!  Are you OK?"  She was very sweet and gently rocked baby until she recovered!
Hope for tomorrow...Have a great day visiting with our friends from Redondo Beach.

Where does the time go?

I know it's one of those things you hear "grown-ups" say and you never truly understand until you're one of them, but kids just grow up too quickly!  I realize my girls are no where near grown, but these last 2 1/2 years have just flown by and I can't believe it!  There are so many things I wish I had written down some place because with all the busy days and nights, it's impossible to remember them all.  I am sad to say Sophia's baby book is unfinished and Ellie's is well...it's unopened!  I am going to get myself organized these next few months I swear!! In any case, I guess I am just realizing that I need to keep a better record of the moments and memories so that I can look back someday and not say, "Hmmm, was that you or your sister?"  I have decided to keep a little record each day, just a few things I can quickly write down, but will hopefully keep me motivated to keep on top of both blogging and keeping record for my girls to look back on someday.  I came up with the idea a while ago, but haven't yet started it until now.

I think the idea came to me after a particularly trying day, and I was thinking, well tomorrow will be better.  And it was, and almost always is.  I think parenting is so much about perspective and adjusting and adapting.  Looking back on the days of just one child, now it seemed so easy, but then it certainly was not.  And I know if/when we have a third, these days with 2 will seem like a breeze.  So, I was thinking by keeping a log of our days, both good and challenging, it will help me keep my perspective and remember to just have faith that I am doing the best I can!

Today, Monday February 7, 2011....
My favorite moment was...coming into my bedroom this morning to find the cutest girls cuddled up in my bed!
My challenge was...naps!  Not that they won't nap, but that Ellie takes a morning nap, usually between 9 and 10, they they both take an afternoon nap, some time between 1:30 and 4pm!  It's becoming very difficult to get out of the house!!
My question is...How is my baby nearly one year old!?
Quote of the day...A very concerned Sophia looking at her toe, which is peeling on the bottom, "Mommy!  I'm sorry, it's broken!!"
My hope for tomorrow...Get to organizing Ellie's ever rotating wardrobe!  Maybe a trip to Ikea?

I am hoping to do this often, maybe not everyday, but I will certainly try!!

Happy New Year

So life has gotten busy and I have really fallen behind on the blogging!!  Rather than describe all that has happened in the last 6 months, I will just show you!

We had some visitors in the Fall.

Phyllis & Auntie Pauline came to visit and spend some time with the girls!

Phyllis had fun with Sophia at the fountain!

 Ellie started solids in August!!  She was very interested at first...not so much these days!

Little Ballerinas!!

Addie and Sophia have so much fun, now that she is back in CA we are sooo happy!!

Mimi's Birthday!! Yummy!

 My dear friend Angie got married!

 Sophia was the flower girl!!  She did an awesome job!

What a cute couple!

Halloween!  A Ballerina/Princess & the cutest bumble bee!!

 Fun in the sun!!

 Sophia loves her sand box!

 Ellie started pulling up & cruising at 7 months!!  I predicted an early walker!

 More fun with Addie in Redondo Beach

 Thanksgiving at our house with the Roberts clan!

 Uncle Kyle & Uncle Brain were here.  Unfortunately, both girls were sick.

Temp of 102, highest Sophia has ever had!  Poor thing!!

Our early Christmas, as we were planning on spending Christmas in Dublin.
Four generations of lovely ladies!!  So lucky to have such wonderful women in my family!

Presents galore!!

Family pics are difficult these days!  Not too bad!

Ellie got a baby doll for Christmas...she looks interested!

 Our trip to Dublin for Christmas, New Year and Elizabeth's Christening.  Sadly we missed Christmas due to complications with the horrible weather, but we made it in the end!

 Harry and Sophia were having a great time together!

 Sophia and Ellie bundled up for the cold!  It has been a very, very cold winter in Ireland! I think it was about 3 degrees Celcius, about 35 F that day! Brrrrrrr!!

 Another walk, this time with Ahmah!

 Ellie's Christening Day!  So much fun with family and friends.

 Ellie wore the same Christening gown Sophia wore.  It's beautifully embroidered by Phyllis.

With the Godparents, Uncle Ronan and Aunt Ciara!