Happy Birthday Daddy!

This is my Daddy, who today turns 75! I took the kids to spend the weekend at their house to celebrate. We played the piano... Played hide and seek... (my dad is really good at hiding, and the kids gave up... while my dad patiently stood inside a closet waiting for 30 minutes until someone went in there)
Had Puppet Shows...

We jumped on the bed.....
And slept all together in a bed that Mr. Boy said was just like sleeping in a Marshmallow. My parents believe in down everything... down comforters, down featherbeds, making the beds sinfully fluffy.
And we took my Dad out for Ice Cream, and had the whole place sing to him. I've never seen him blush before, but he loved it!
I owe my Dad a lot for he taught me that I could be ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING that I wanted to be when I grew up. He also taught me to be grateful for the everyday freedoms that I enjoy, along with the investment tip of investing where you spend your money. (Such as Nordstroms stock to go along with my Nordstrom's habit)
While on vacation with a friend at the young age of 16, I found a leather jacket that was beautiful and on sale. That night I called my Dad, and said, "Daddy, I found a leather jacket today, and it was gorgeous." My dad told me, "Wendy, if you are going to regret not buying it, just buy it! I trust your taste, and you know good quality". I bought it, and it taught me a lesson to evaluate purchases based on the "Will I regret not buying this?" principal.

Happy Birthday Daddy!! Thanks for everything!

Mr. & Mrs. Maxwell

We live next door to a fabulous family named the Maxwells.* They moved in on a Saturday, and the following week we brought home Mr. Boy from the hospital. Over the years we have formed a bond with them that goes beyond just being neighbors. Mr. Boy especially loves Mr. Maxwell, and they have a deep friendship that was formed while spying on Mr. Maxwell from the jungle gym, while Mr. Maxwell gardens. Mr. Maxwell has been Mr. Boy's biggest cheerleader and when it came time to get a bike, Mr. Boy wanted one just like Mr. Maxwell's.
Mr. Boy's top bunk looks onto their side porch, and Mr. Boy has had some wonderful conversations from his bunk while the neighbors take their garbage out on balmy summer nights when the windows are open.

*random story* One night we talked to Daddy on the phone while we snuggled in Mr. Boy's bed. I said goodnight, not realizing that I accidentally left the phone in Mr. Boy's bed. He tried to come out and tell me, but I was talking to Mrs. Maxwell who had popped over to borrow something, so I shoo'd him back to bed. He went to his room and dialed the "Daddy Button" and Mr. Man answered. Apparently, he talked to Daddy and told him that Mommy was with "Mr. Maxwell's Mom" and that I said not to disturb me. With Nathan being only 4 and having a little trouble with his speech, all Mr. Man heard was "Mommy is with Mr. MmmhmmMmm, and she said not to bother her, because she would be busy for a while". So, Mr. Man called the home number and said, "Hey, who's over at the house?" And I was alone and said, "No One." (Mrs. Maxwell, or as Mr. Boy calls her Mr. Maxwell's Mom had only been over for 1 minute.) Mr. Man, kept pressing the issue, and finally said, "Uh, Mr. Boy called me and said that Mr. Somebody was at the house, and you said not to disturb you." Oh boy, I laughed so hard at what that must have sounded like to Mr. Man.Over the summer, we have spent a lot of time with the Maxwells and keeping a big secret that I finally can reveal. On Friday night, they brought home this..... Her name is "Mr. Maxwell's Baby" according to Mr. Boy. She is beautiful and we love her to pieces. Mr. Boy is especially smitten with her, and told me when he saw her, "Oooo Mommy I just want to reach out and kiss her!" He has come up with 200 excuses of why he needs to go over to Mr. Maxwell's Baby's House. "I want to give Mr. Maxwell a dollar." "I want to give Mr. Maxwell's Baby this toy." (which happened to be Baby Roller Hand, and AK actually pummelled him at that suggestion) "Mr. Maxwell's Baby is thirsty, and I'd like to bring over some red juice."

Even better the Maxwell's have provided us a wonderful opportunity to talk to our children about their adoptions. Mr. Maxwell's Baby is adopted, and we got to talk and meet her amazing birthmom and family over the summer. It has been an amazing experience to have the children watch the situation unfold and explain their stories and compare it with Mr. Maxwell's Baby. Although, Mr. Boy doesn't quite understand it all, he asked a random man, if he could grow a baby brother in his tummy for our family!

It has been fun for Mr. Man and I to sit and reminisce about our own experiences and be reminded of our time with our birthparents, and of those sweet days when our children were babies. I'll never forget the first night we had Mr. Boy at home, I crawled into bed to be snuggled by Mr. Man, who started to chuckle.... "You smell like baby wipes and formula." And now I crawl into bed smelling like applesauce and animal crackers... and I'm grateful to be loved... odd smells and all... and to have been given these children by such amazing and courageous women. This weekend, Mr. Man and I have paused and given thanks for the amazing blessing of adoption.
*Not their real last name

I love this face...

I love this face and the happy look she gets when she plays with the family. Shhhhhhh!!! she has no idea she isn't human. And these little ears, they never hung right for a labrador...they never quite grew with her body. My favorite part is they happily bounce up and down when she walksAnd I love that these two are inseparable.

The Popsicle Spot

When we moved into our much-loved house, there was this round thing in the front yard. The previous owners put it in and when asked what it was for, they said it was "Architectural Interest". Every one of our neighbors after they introduced themselves said, "Are you going to take the round thing out?" We have jokingly told people it was our personal helicopter pad. Things change when you have children and the helicopter pad has become "The Popsicle Spot". We eat popsicles here at dusk every so often, while the dogs roam the yard or lie at our feet. We chit chat about whatever pops in our heads. Sometimes the conversations are deep, pondering the universe, or light, filled with giggles and made up words that tickle our tongues.Each time and every time I sit listening to those sticky mouths, I think about how I do not ever want to forget these moments. If only I could capture them in a jar.

In addition to the Worst Mom EVER!!!

As if you needed further evidence that I am raising the next Star of the show Praise the Lord enjoy the following tidbit.

The scene... 28 minutes until bedtime at Chateau du la Francaise.

After several warnings that if Mr. Boy did not put on his pajamas right now he would lose his chance to watch Justice League before bed. I did the unthinkable. I didn't let him watch Justice League, and put him straight to bed. (Somewhere in the world Supernanny has gotten off her naughty spot to applaud my discipline tactic.)

As I was putting the hysterical boy to bed and enduring the sobs filled with such things as, "You don't love me. Fine, I won't let you borrow my Flash Costume* at Halloween. You are a big giant meanie-head." He turned to me and said, "Mommy, you are listening to the voice of SATAN" I applaud his efforts to try and use religion against me, but it doesn't work on the Worst Mom Ever!

*Also, adding to the worst mom ever, last year during a trip to Target (moment to silently praise the worlds best retailer for the mom who can't stant to take her children shopping, and praise the one-stop-shopping-ness, and to plead for a Super-Target with lots of Organic Produce right here in the OC), also click on the target link for a hilarious video), where was I... oh yes... Target so apparently, as we looked at some Flash (Gordon) Pajama's I promised that Mr. Boy could have some when he was 5. This kid has a wicked memory and has been reminding me of them every single day for the last month. Anyone have a source... other than eBay.... because for the first time eBay has failed me.

Tagged by Booboo

Booboo tagged me for this....
Here are the rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts, and then tag 5 other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged. Here we go............

Three Joys:
My relationship with Mr. Man. We are closer now that we have been for years. Also my relationship with my children. We've made some changes in the last few months that have taken our family from existing to "living our best life". It's a work in progress, but the future is looking bright and I'm thrilled.
A good movie, tv show, or book. I love entertainment! I've been watching some really great tv shows that I missed the first time around.

My friends. They have been my rock and my biggest cheerleader. I always joke that I don't have room for any more friends and that I'm taking applications just in case I have an opening. The truth is, I'm not the best keeping track of the friends I have. Most of my friends know this and are patient with me...

Three Fears

Losing a child or both of them... I just don't know if I would be able to move forward from a tragic event like that

Losing Mr. Man or myself to a terminal illness before the kids are grown

Snakes

Current Obsessions/Collections

Getting caught up on Battlestar Gallactica... oh so nerdy, but a fabulous fabulous fabulous show

Finding new pillows for the living room, getting the family room painted, and new pillows.

And this bag... Oooo and also this one. Surprising Facts

My desk is always messy.

I'm a member of Mensa

I love fashion always have, and my toughest decision in life was trying to decide if I wanted to be a fashion designer or an accountant.

Hmmmm as far as tagging... I'll tag Brooke D, Carly & Cinnamon

First Day of School! First Day of School!

On the last day of school, Mr. Man & I jumped around the house excited to welcome in the lazy days of summer. Summer is a big deal around here. There was no jumping this morning. We were definitely excited for the kids, but more than anything we were tired. School starts earlier for us this year, and it's a new routine. We did the customary first day of school pics in front of the sign.

Mr. Boy is in Kindergarten this year. We love his teacher, and she genuinely loves Nathan. She is so excited for the upcoming year. He was SO excited to get his own desk with his name on it, and his own pencil box. He totally kept telling me, "Mom.. GOOOOOOO, it's time for me to do my work. GO!" How did he get so big!? When did he grow to be so tall? *cue Sunrise Sunset*They want the kids, (especially the girls) to wear comfy shoes this year, to allow for maximum running and jumping. A concept I have been struggling with all summer, since I would choose fashion over comfort any day. We picked up these fab Converse Mary Janes for AK, and they are so cute. I want some in my size. Then it came time to drop this girl off. AK ran right in to class and sat down to play with her friends. She looked up and waved, "Bye mom." At that moment I had an instant flashback to 48 hours after she was born. Talking to the worried pediatrician to hammer out a gameplan to get this wee tiny babe to thrive. I am so proud of how far this girl has come! I turned to walk out the door, knowing I was not going to be able to stifle the tears of pride that were coming. I had a good little sob, then indulged in a facial which made it all better. Both kids had an outstanding day and we headed over to In-n-Out to celebrate the first day of school! My mom always did something special on the first day of school, what did you do growing up, or what do you do now?
At this time I would like to raise my glass and propose a toast to my pals on these world wide inter-webbythingamabobs... *raises glass* "a toast to Moving Forward, to these new everchanging phases of our lives... may we navigate them with success"

This may sound like I'm gloating...

I'm pretty much going to gloat about how awesome it is that Mr. Boy's school doesn't start until next week. Yesterday was the first day for most of my neighborhood. This morning I drank my tea while watching the kiddos of the neighborhood, march out in their new outfits, posing for a picture, and then hop in the car with shiny new backpacks. AK spent a leisurely morning in her jammies, while Mr. Boy enjoyed some novacaine at the dentist's office. Then we headed out to Disneyland, because I heard this is the world's best day to go. It was INDEED the best day to go.... our wait on any ride was never longer than 8 minutes.

Mr. Boy's favorite was the monorail...

Where we sat up front with the driver...

And pretended to drive...(They gave AK a Happy Birthday Pin to wear, because her recent birthday meant that we had to shell out some dough to buy her a pass to make her legit. For whatever reason they put the pin on her as if it was her birthday, which I told them it wasn't. AK loved being told "Happy Birthday" and would say, "Thank you, Happy Birthday!" right back to them.)Also, the monorail driver was this tiny older gentleman, who was hilarious and told fart jokes while honking the monorail horn the whole trip. Mr. Boy, AK, and the newlywed couple, who rode with us, were laughing hysterically the whole time. We learned how to be Jedi's, and when the show was over the storm troopers were walking off stage and Mr. Boy pretended to shoot one of them. The storm trooper tripped and fell down, which made Mr. Boy ecstatic that he might have more than just super powers, he might also be a Jedi.And this my friends is the whole reason I had children....
We rode the teacups eight times in a row. It's my all time favorite ride, and Mr. Man is lame with his, "I get motion sickness" wimpy attitude. However, these kids are awesome... eight times in a row, and they never got bored. AK's eyes started to look like they might roll back in her head, and she took on a slightly greenish tint... so we stopped. I had a nightmare that night that I'm sitting in a parent teacher conference and the teacher says, "It's almost as if their brain cells were subjected to a continual centrifugal force. Their brains are all scrambled." It's a small price to pay to enjoy the teacups, I'm so excited to have two little teacup companions.

Le poney court

Last week I went to a work/client thing. We went to Del Mar Race Track and bet on the ponies. It was so much fun and a fabulous venue for a work event. There was a horse named "Bon Jour" and I just knew she was going to win. So I bet on her, even though the odds were 55 to 1. She lost. However, I did bet on this horse because it was French. Bred in France. That was pretty much my strategy, if it was anything remotely French, I bet on it. Lucky for me, every race had at least one french connection. See the horse that looks French (or has the #2 on it), she won, and I took home $9.

Ahem.. never mind... that I bet more than $9 the entire day. Still, totally fun. Always.. .Always.. bet on the French!

And we're back...

So, the hotel was, in one word, FABULOUS. It was so charming and the perfect spot for a getaway weekend. I felt relaxed from the moment I walked in. Even better, it's got a spa onsite! Palm Springs.... was a little vacant. Lots of empty storefronts and for lease signs, however we still found lots of good places to eat and mill around. Being alone with Mr. Man without the kids or a nagging daily "to do" list, made me slow down and remember all the reasons why I love this man. Even if he tries to pull his "Mr. Funny Face" everytime I pull the camera out. This time I surprised him.... We talked about the future and what it holds, read a ton of magazines that have piled up around the house and the best part..... we laughed a lot....best weekend of the year!

Au Revoir!

Mr. Man and I are going away to a Spa Hotel in Palm Springs for the weekend sans kids. It's a much needed break from the daily grind and a time to reconnect. This has been a challenging year for us. In our renewed effort to be a fabulous couple, this is just what the doctor ordered. It'll be hot, but you will find us under the giant umbrella by the pool. We went away two years ago just before Christmas to San Diego. It was beyond fabulous and we stayed at this swanky place. We shopped...
And ate good food... Surprisingly, or not... those are all the pics I have from our last weekend away. Except for one of Mr. Man mid-sneeze. I think the Slurpee pic is just so... "us". One slurpee (my favorite drink)... purchased after midnight (because they test better after midnight)... two straws.

Au Revoir!

My Happy Place...

I have often used visualization techniques to help calm my nerves while on a plane or lying on a gurney, or at the dentist. Especially at the dentist... I have an irrational fear of the dentists. I tend to panic and can not stand to be sitting in the chair with the paper bib around my neck and the tray of tools hovering over my body. My dentist is pretty understanding and works with me. I stand in the corner until the very last second, then hop in the chair, do some deep breathing, and go to my happy place.

Sidenote: One time I was lying on the beach in my happy place. I was happily lying there and realized I wasn't alone. Whoever I was with, was wearing great cologne and I happily burrowed into him. I was aware of a muffling voice, which sounded like the waiter asking me what I'd like to drink. I listened again and heard, "Would you mind moving your arm?" Whaaaat? Why would my waiter be asking me that? Oops.. turned out it was my dentist and I had wrapped my arm around him and was nuzzling him while he worked on my teeth. Looks like my visualization worked a little too well.

Back to my happy place... This is it. This house is in Montecito and I distinctly remember driving by it one day and thinking, this is the worlds best place to live. They are in the midst of construction, so it doesn't look the same and there were a lot more trees surrounding it, and they didn't have those pesky gates. In my happy place I'm lounging on a chaise in the backyard wearing a giant floppy hat.

Also, my other happy places that appear often in my dreams are:

Books West - a bookstore from my elementary school days. My parents were always very generous in buying books.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Knapps CastleMoab This beach in Wailea Maui... What are yours?

"Not a Kid Friendly Outing"

It was several weeks ago that Mr. Man and I engaged in a debate about something related to the children and Mr. Man had the audacity to proclaim, "Taking the kids to Nordstroms is NOT A KID FRIENDLY OUTING!" I was shocked, as Nordstroms is one of my favorite places on the planet. And Mr. Boy and AK LOVE to go to Nordstrom to try on shoes. So I was all set to prove him wrong by taking the kids with the camera to Nordstroms. However, the stars were aligned that day because in Mr. Boys own words, "The BEST THING EVER happened to me today" and I captured it on film.

But first we have to travel back in time to these days... Don't you just want to nuzzle that sweet chubby baby!? So, it is shortly after this time that Mr. Boy starts to walk. We hit the local Stride Rite store because the pediatrician had mentioned while chuckling, "You might have a hard time finding shoes for him, try Stride Rite." So I walked in the store and the salesman measured Mr. Boys feet and looked at them long and hard. Finally he said, "Uh Ma'am, I'm afraid we just don't have any shoes that are um.. uh.. well.. cube shaped." So, we resorted to Uggs and European type slipper shoes. Finding shoes for Mr. Boy is a BIG challenge, and we have not been able to successfully get him a pair of tennis shoes since we lucked into some hideous Sesame Street Shoes on a trip.

Everytime we go to Nordstroms, Mr. Boy wants to try on the Nikes. He loves them, and begs for me to buy them. He hobbles around in them trying to convince me, "They're not too tight, I promise, it's just a little pinch, no big deal." Here is a pic from a previous attempt to get me to believe they don't hurt. When we take off the Nikes, his feet have red pinch marks and his audible sigh as we untie them, means No Nikes. So, he's worn Crocs and Flip Flops since he was two, with an occasional pair of Vans that are 3 sizes to big to accommodate his little cubes.

When we arrived at the shoe department on Friday, we were informed that Nikes had just come out with a Wide Tennis Shoe.Here is Nina, our favorite shoelady at Nordstroms South Coast measuring Mr. Boy.I took this pic while holding my breath, hoping these will fit. Seriously, I have nightmares where the kid is wearing a Tux with Crocs to his prom. Also, random side note, this kid has only worn red shirts for the last two weeks.Hooray, they fit! He refuses to take them off so we check his feet. He knows that is where the dealbreaker always is. However, because Nina is fabulous she gets him to take the shoes off for 2 seconds, no pinch marks!! He insists on wearing them out of the store, which was my favorite part as a kid. I feign having trouble keeping up with him because he is just too darn fast with his new shoes. And like all our outings to Nordstroms we end it with a carousel ride....

Kid friendly outing... Yes?