Brianne, Ethan, and Sophia

Bonfires all Summer Long

2011-01-19T23:24:00.000-08:00

Although these pics are old I just found them and feel like posting and updating the blog. More recent pics and posts will come. Now that I have a camera again (got a new one as a Christmas gift). This bonfire was the last thing I took before I dropped my camera in the sand and broke it.

My Art

2010-08-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

My first painting ever. A cropped photograph of ferrofluid from a National Geographic magazine

My sculpture is 6' tall. I love working with power tools and wood. My new favorite material.

This scultpture moves. The center represents me and is my height. The two mimic me and are Sophia and Ethan's heights.

Painted the butterfly when I was in CSUN. The blue painting was my 2nd painting ever and my first abstract painting.

My drawing of me as a baby I drew my Senior year of High School.

Update

2010-08-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

So it has been forever since I've put anything on the blog. So much has happened in this time. I'll give you a somewhat quick summary of the highlights that have happened and are happening. Sophia is the cutest and is learning so much. She loves preschool and singing. Ethan's starting kindergarten and is really excited about school. My schooling is going well. Made it on the Dean's List. Yeah! It's hard to juggle the kids, school, getting good grades, and all the many things I'm doing but I'm doing it and doing it well. I'm currently double majoring now. Being practical since I need to be the main support for our family and still keeping my passion. We are all adjusting well and are much happier than we've ever been. We are enjoying our summer and are all looking forward to school starting.

So much to catch up on

2009-10-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

A lot is happening for us right now. Ethan's in preschool and improving but having behavior issues. I'm slowly working these things out with the teachers help. I know Ethan has a great memory but I think we(the teachers and I) are finding out he might have a comprehension problem. Who knows, but there is a lot to look into. He loves preschool. The kids are really going through a lot of adjusting right now. They are slowly improving. Sophie spends her days while I'm at school playing with her friend Agatha. Agatha is the little girl Ethan hit it off with last Christmas. She's learning Spanish while being watched by her babysitter Rochy (Agatha's Mom) whom she loves. I'm glad I have such good friends. I'm also looking into putting Sophie into preschool. Hopefully soon. I think Sophie would do so well in it. She really loves to learn and she's quick at grasping things. I think by next quarter she'll be in a school.

I'm so proud of myself. I have finally gotten the kids on a sleep schedule and it was easier to do then I thought. I love it. They go to bed around 8-8:30 and are asleep in their own beds by 9. I have a bedtime routine that works and now I can even leave them awake and they stay in bed and fall asleep on their own. Yeah! I'm also going to bed earlier. No more 1 am or 2 am bedtime for me. We get up at 6:30 pretty much every morning so we need to get to bed earlier. Even Saturday's we wake up early as well because of Ethan's soccer. Which by the way he is doing so much better. Last week he played the whole game and was a good sport. He's been getting along with other kids and making new friends. It's good to see.

Last week the kids (I'm almost positive) got the H1N1 virus. Took a week off of school and got them on Tami Flu medicine. It really works. It's a pain to even find let alone get and so expensive but well worth it. Last week was pretty bad. This virus is nasty. They are 100% better and now I don't have to worry about them getting the Swine Flu. They've already had it. Glad I took care of it early though. They could of ended up (especially Sophie) with pneumonia. This virus is scary for the kids 2 and under. Ethan got sick pretty bad too. I caught it quick and took care of it with the doctors. I was more pushier about it this time then I usually am. Usually I just let them wait there colds out but this virus comes on suddenly and hard. It's really is scary. To all parents be careful. It's not like a typical flu. It's more like a serious cold with fever and what it does is attacks the lungs first. Do some research if you think your kids might have it. Doctors aren't really telling you that it's this either. Not sure why. But Sophie had a steroid shot and a breathing treatment which helped her sleep sound that night but she still woke up not breathing and with a nasty cough. Stride is what they labeled it. Never even heard of that. I did notice the urgent care doctor stayed in the corner of the room with his mask on. He must of known. He only touched her to listen with his stethoscope and then went back into the corner. I called her pediatrician and she never even asked for her to come in. She didn't say she had it because you only can be sure after you've been swabbed and then you get the results back 3 weeks later. By then she would of had pneumonia for sure. I let Ethan go to school on Tuesday since he only had a cough and the Urgent Care doctor said it was nothing more than stride. Which I thought is just caused by a common cold. Something just wasn't right. That day I get a call closer to the end of the day. Ethan's sick with a fever just like Sophie was. That day I got their medicine. I ended up having to go to a compound pharmacy to get it too. Because no one is selling this medicine for kids and it's the kids that are needing it the most. I think they are afraid of running out. Who knows. $60 later I have healthy kids again, in less than 5 days.
I got behind in my classes but I'm already pretty much caught up. I'm enjoying school and running around like a crazy lady. I'm loving all of my classes. I have jogging in the morning which wakes me up, Kung Fu kicks my butt, Philosophy makes my mind churn, and my 3D art class makes me crazy. Oh and my voice class is lots of fun. I'm shooting for all A's. The PE classes and voice I know will be A's. I've never gotten less than an A in PE ever. I'll see how the Philosophy and Art class goes.
So this is what's going on with us now. With many many other things too. Who knows when I'll be able to make another post with our crazy schedule. Still can't put up pictures but I'm still taking them. Eventually...

Preschool and Counting to 10

2009-09-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! I just got Ethan in to preschool! He is so excited. When I told him that he was going to go to school, he went into his room and found his backpack. He then started to fill it with toys. When he went to bed that night he kept it on and fell asleep like that. He also told me today that he needs to be a good listener for his teachers. He doesn't start till my first day of school but meets his teacher on the 15th. It's so funny how he is so eager and ready to go to school. He's been waiting all day thinking he's going. I've just been letting him wear and fill is backpack.

Last night after our bedtime story Ethan told me he wanted to count. I've been trying to teach him to count to 20. So we began to count and it was Sophie who shocked me. She was saying all of the numbers before us. She counted to 10 all by herself. I guess we have been counting a lot and Sophie just picked it up. I love my kids. They just keep growing and learning. I hope I can teach and keep them to always have that love of learning.

Ethan's 1st Soccer Practice

2009-08-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ethan had his first day at his soccer practice and it was so enjoyable to watch him interact with the other kids and his coaches. When I first got there he seemed a little out of place from the other kids. Since they all looked around his age but just were doing really well compared to what I think a beginner would look like. It was funny when Ethan joined them he turned to the kid next to him and made a comment about his cool shoes and how they had a puma on them which made him run fast. That's when the coach asked him if he belonged in the group. Turns out he wasn't his coach. I think it must of been the 5 year old group because the kids looked like they pretty much knew what they were doing.
We rushed Ethan over to the other side and he of course detoured towards the playground. I caught him and we ran over to the right coach. He was a crack up during the practice. He would point out things to the others that they really weren't paying any attention to, like the birds and clouds. He asked his coach Ozzy what the baseball scoreboard was and then said he wanted to put a number one up there. A flock of geese flew by honking loudly. Ethan was sitting on his ball and then started to flap his wings and honk. The others followed. He is curious, observant and gets so excited. I love my little boy.
He is a fast learner too, because today he learned to stop the ball, which he did really well. Everytime after he did it the first time he would do it. At first I didn't think he was paying attention but he picked up quick. He just needs to learn to not use his hands so much. Which he will in due time. He was so funny dribbling the ball all over the field during drills. Made it a little chaotic, but it was so much fun to watch and observe. He got his uniform today and it turns out he is #21. Yeah one of my favorite numbers since it is my birthday. I would post pictures but I'm unable to do that at this time. But his uniform is light blue.
After practice he was beat red and dripping with sweat. (Just like I do.) That morning I thought of bringing some orange wedges for all the kids and got props for that. Sophie enjoyed them as well since she loves oranges. We later headed over to the playground where he and Sophie played with the kids from his team. There is practice next Saturday and I'm excited just as much as he is. I can't wait to get Sophie into some kind of sport or dance class. Soon enough.

Bad Boys and Good "Grils"

2009-08-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

Among some of my errands I had to go to the Social Security Office the other day. When we were there Ethan was acting up and jumping on the chairs and was wiggling a lot when I was holding him and just giving me a hard time. The security guard there asked if he could talk with him and I said "sure, why not?" So the guard started off be telling him to listen and be good to your Mom. He then asked Ethan a question that I knew what his response would be, and I was right. He asked "Do you want to go back with all the bad boys?" Ethan of course responded with "yes." The lady that was helping me and I, both had a hard time keeping a straight face. It did help a little because he acted better from then on. Until we were getting ready to leave and he pulled my arm back and told me "We need to go Mom. We need to go see the bad boys." I then replied with "No, you don't want to be with the bad boys. You want to be with the good boys and girls." He then said "No, girls!" A few days later I had to go back to that office again and Ethan remembered where we were. Because as we pulled up he got really excited and said "Hey Mom, we're going to go see the bad boys." As we went in he saw the same security guard and said to him "I want to go see the bad boys." He was good this time while we waited keeping himself entertained with a small round key ring he found on the floor. After we were done he said good-bye to the lady and kept thanking her for helping us and "See you later." He's such a character. Sophia was sleeping both times there. Thank goodness:)

Ethan has been a sweetheart lately with all of his compliments to me and telling me sweet things, more than he ever has before. Forget that random guy's compliment. It's all about Ethan's that make my day. He is always telling me how much he loves me and how pretty and beautiful I am. (Man he's going to be a ladies man if he keeps it up when he's older;) He says "Mommy you are such a sweet gril (he always says girl backwards), and I love your hair." As he pets my head. The other day he asked me if I like Daddy? And I told him "Yes, I like him and love him because he made you." His eyes got all big and he had a big grin on his face. He then said "You do! Daddy's being a good boy and listening Mommy?" Made me cry. He's such a sweet little guy. He's been saying so many sweet things to me so often he has Sophia doing it now. I love my kids and am so blessed that I'm able to be their Mom. The sure give me a hard time but they also know how to pick me up and make my day. I love my kids!

What's New

2009-08-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Right now I don't have the Internet so I'm using it at a friends as well as doing some laundry. I probably won't be able to post pictures that much from now on. I'll still take pictures of these activities and maybe I'll just write about the fun activities we do and post them. Later I'll match the pictures with the posts later on.

We have had a lot of activities going on that have kept the kids and myself busy. We've been doing a lot of running around and standing in lines for the papers we need to get and forms we need to file out for everything. But aside from all of that we have had fun times too. Saturday we had the ward picnic/bbq. Which included some of Ethan's favorite things. Water balloons and pinatas filled with candy! He's getting really good at whacking them. Sophie was very impressive as well when she was taking her swing at it. I really love the ward I'm in and hope that I'm able to stay in it with all the great friends I've made. We'll have to see what happens.

Friday night we went to visit Aunt Cora and Uncle Javier and the cousins Andy, Javie, and Alex. We had a nice visit. Ethan loves her boys and they are the sweetest helpers. Turns out on our visit it was Javier's birthday so they invited us to the surprise party they had for him that night. I found out he is the youngest out of 13! Wow wee and I thought I had a big family. We had a lot of fun with lots of good food. I ate too much because it was so good. Ethan soon became the live of the party. He had been throwing dirt up in the air for fun, which all ended up on his face. He then ran out in front of where everyone and stood there with his dirt made mask. I really wished I had taken a picture it was the funniest thing. Everyone was cracking up, including myself. They were saying he's a little bandino and said his new nick name was Zorro. I was thinking more like Dash from the Incredible's. I ended up washing him up after that in the bath. He's such a goof. When we got home it was late and the kids had fallen asleep. They were so dirty that I had to give them a bath. They both screamed the whole time like I was torturing them. Good thing we don't have the neighbor upstairs anymore. It definitely would have woken her up.

Last night I decided to have a little party. Since I love to entertain and wanted to do something for my friends who have been there for me and helped me out so much. I'm so lucky to have friends like them. I ended up having a big feast. I marinated a flank steak and corn (lots of corn), my friend Janet brought over hot dogs and zucchini, and the Romero's brought pork patties all to bbq. I was lucky that I had pro-bbqers out there working, so I didn't have to. I was busy cooking away. I made a lot of yummy homemade salsa (my favorite food, got to have it), had homemade refried beans cooking all day while I was gone at church. I made Mexican rice, warmed up some corn tortillas, had juice and in the end had quite a spread. We were so full after that we didn't even get to dessert. Which was rainbow sherbet, since I didn't want to turn on the oven to make what I had planned on making for dessert. Which would of been yellow bread. Everything turned out delish. The kids had a fun time playing with their friends. My sister April came that day too for a visit and was able to enjoy the day with us.

Today we went to the recorders office in Norwalk, so I could pick up the kids birth certificates. I ended up chatting with the lady in line behind me and we quickly found out we had a lot in common. She had a son who's 5 and kept Ethan and Sophie entertained while we were able to visit. I found out she is a single Mom, was adopted, and is Mormon. We ended up exchanging emails and thought it would be fun to set up a get together for the kids. Ethan kept saying as we were leaving he wanted to go with his friend Andona. I have always found it easy to make new friends. I think it's because I truly love people. I hope my kids are able to do this when they get older. I would think they would, just because they are so friendly now.
I also got the sweetest compliment that made my day. Some random guy told me that I was "a very pretty lady." I thanked him graciously. What a nice compliment he gave me. It actually took me a moment to register what he actually said. It put a smile on my face the rest of the day.

The Creek

2009-08-01T00:35:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the creek. Ethan even said he liked it better than the beach and keeps asking to go again. My friend Meghan invited us to go with her and her husband Joe and their two dogs Phoebe and Elwood the bulldog. The kids had so much fun playing with the dogs and exploring and jumping off the rock. Fun times. On the way home we saw a wild turkey and I had to have a picture.

Ethan's 4th Birthday Party

2009-07-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

The only ones I didn't get a picture of was Jordan, Vannesa and myself. Thanks everyone for coming.

My friend Isiadora, who is also the best babysitter you can ever have. The kids love Isi. My friend her Dad Chrisan who also is the master baker and cake decorater who made the beaitful train cake. Thanks for all of your help.

Wyatt and Levi, David and Janet and baby Merrel. They surprised us since they came home that same day of the party after a 3 week vacation across the country. We were so glad they could make it.

Aunt Rachel and cousin Micheal. Both Sophie and Ethan love "my Micheal."

Nonnie and Gramps and DeeDee girl.

This was the only picture I got with Grand-Dad since my camera died. Talking with Gramps.

Sophie with Grammy and Uncle Jord. Aunt Heather and Rose.

Ethan the birthday boy was having so much fun running everywhere. With Foxy.

Uncle Josh was our juggling clown. Always there to entertain. I think he's juggling 4 but he might of been juggling more.

The pinata I made turned out great. All except I built it as strong as a tank. Ethan wanted a red train so that's what he got and I added the 4 for his birthday but he was a little upset because he wanted Thomas' number 1. Funny little guy. I also made some cute party favors but never got to take a picture of them since the camera ran out of batteries.

Ethan's train cake. Made by my friend. Too bad it was so hot that day that it melted quite a bit. You still can tell it looks awesome.

Happy Birthday Ethan!

2009-07-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ethan! I had made banana muffins yesterday so I used that as a morning cupcake. They were okay but while I was making them I realized we didn't have any eggs. So I went online and found you can substitute 1 tsp of yeast and warm water for 1 egg. So that's what I did. I also substitute oil in replace of butter since we are all out of that as well. They weren't that bad, not the best. I just got side tracked here. So this morning I stuck a candle in a muffin and me and Sophie sang to Ethan, twice. For each muffin he had. Sophie wanted a turn too so we did it for her as well. I can't believe he's 4. Man the time goes by fast. Today we went to the school so I could take care of some things. While we were in line Ethan stood by me so well, and listened the whole time, and the line was long. He also was so cute with his pennies I gave him because he went to the vending machine at the school and he was trying to use his pennies to get something. I was in line with Sophie. Since I couldn't get out of the line to help him with his problems he went to a lady sitting close by that was smiling at him. He has always been a friendly little guy. He asked her if she would get him something. She came up to me and told me after she talked with him a bit, how sweet he is. He is such a good little guy and I love him. He has a ton of energy but has so much love for everyone. Happy Birthday my little Ethan boy. I love you so much!
I C you. Ethan loves to make glasses when I take pictures now. Goofy little guy.
This face is him trying to be mad at me while I make him laugh by asking him "why are you mad?"

My little brother Josh. He's not so little now, look at how taller he is to me.

By request a picture of me. Sporting my nice tanned skin from all this summer fun we've been having. We didn't go to the beach (probably on Friday)this week but we were still in the sun. Went on another walk to go hunt for my keys. There and Back Again (a hobbits tale by....) It was about 1 1/2 miles I would guess, total. Sophie on my back and Ethan walked the whole time because he is a stud! We had fun even though we left a trail of sweat the whole way. We've gone to the park a lot this week. Mainly because they have that free lunch for the kids everyday and I guess it's easier to do that then go home and scrounge the cupboards for food. So we go to the gym and then to the park. A some what routine we have.

Santa Monica Beach

2009-07-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

At the end of the long day from swimming at the gym to playing at the beach. We ended our day with a movie. Requested by both kids, Ghostbusters. Yes I got a little burnt as did Ethan. But it's turning into a nice golden tan. Yeah!
Poor DeeDee got left behind. I think she would love the beach. But not sure how she'd do with all the people and other dogs. We need to get her out more. Maybe take her to that dog beach in Huntington or start off with a small dog, dog park. Poor girl she misses us.
My sister did my toes and I love them. She made this color custom made just for me:) The kids love them too and will pet them.
You can tell it's Santa Monica. Brings back a lot of good memories.

At the beach I held Sophie while we played in the waves and she loved it this time. I met my family there and saw my brother Josh who came back from Mexico speaking fluent Spanish. He got back on Monday. He's grown almost a foot taller and is still the same guy I remember him. The kids instantly loved playing with their fun loving Uncle Gosh. Didn't take pictures until we were packing up in the car. I also had my friend Isiadora come along and we loved having her. Thanks Isi for all your help.

The Make-up Artist and at the Beach Once Again

2009-07-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

Last night while I was cleaning the kitchen Sophie decided to beautify herself. I found her like this and was having trouble keeping a straight face to scold her for getting into my purse and make-up. I had her look in the mirror and when she saw herself she said "So beautiful. I look so beautiful." I was cracking up. The funny thing is that she had put my mascara back into my purse all closed up. She's been copying me a lot lately. Pretty normal stuff for her age. She now rocks her baby and sings to it for a long time. It's really so cute.

Took the kid's to the beach once again and had a great day. I wish I would have taken a picture of an awesome fort that some guys made in the sand for the kids to play in. But when I got back from taking Sophie to the bathroom the tide had demolished it. Too bad because it was awesome.

Rude!

2009-06-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

So today Brandon gave me some money to take the kids out to lunch. I ended up picking up a salad (really not that healthy, it's still fast food)for me at Jack in the Box and a couple of kids meals. (Which actually had some really cool toys. Big sidewalk chalk and a cool flying airplane.) Anyways, I also wanted to take the kids at the park and eat lunch there. So I did. I ended up going to Vincent Lugo Park which is the one that has the sea monster theme. They have other equipment there and a wading pool for kids 6 and under. (Might do that next time.) The kids ended up running the opposite way I was seated at the table eating. So I turned around so I could see them. They were clear on the other side of the park but I still had a clear view of where I could see them. I just watched them from a far and tried to finish eating. A little in front of where the kids were playing was a couple sitting there facing me. I wanted Sophie to come eat or play on the equipment that was closest to where we were sitting so I got her attention and waved my arms for her to come. I signaled by pointing to the play ground that Ethan had ran to play at. She saw me and did what I said. But now that I think of it more, I think maybe the couple was thinking I was signaling to them. But they did see us all sitting together at the table and my kids playing... I don't know. Anyways, the kids came back to eat, but then Ethan took off running to the other playground where I couldn't see him good and Sophie then followed. I ended up grabbing my purse and leaving the food there so I could go get them. While I was over there getting the kids I noticed the couple get up to leave. They then walked over to our table and I saw them hovering for a little while and then the guy threw something in my salad. I was shocked. After finally chasing Ethan all over the playground I went back and found that he had thrown his empty pack of cigarettes in my salad. I was so appalled. I asked another couple who were kind of close to where we were sitting to see if they saw where they had went. Yes, if they were around I would have confronted them with the kids. Don't have a clue why they would do this. They looked about my age. My kids weren't around them and we did nothing that I could see wrong. I guess they were just rude immature people.
I had another experience like that with a bagger girl at the grocery store. I just was checking out like normal. I could tell that her and the cashier were kind of teasing and flirting back and forth. I just did my thing and paid. The girl had something she was hiding and she didn't notice I saw her slip it in my bag. It wasn't by accident. I knew that because I could see her out of the corner of my eye. Before I left the store I checked my bag and pulled out what it was. It was a rotted out pineapple top. The spiky part all molded. I ended up pulling it out before I left and put it on the shelf right by the door. I kind of was upset so I called the store and saw the manager answer the phone from my car. I told him what happened and where I had left it. He talked like he was really busy and didn't care. Oh well. What I think happened is that the cashier dared the girl to do it. So she did. Again rude and immature. I wish I would of brought it back and said "I didn't pay for this." Too late for that. Always a good comeback too late. I also had Ethan with me and didn't want to deal with it.
Has anyone else experience something rude like that or done something like that for fun or because of a misunderstanding?
I guess maybe there are a lot of negative immature people in this world. I like to think there aren't. I like to think there is more good caring helpful people out there. Like the lady and her daughter at the beach. I guess they'll always be the negative with the positive. I'll just try to be the nicest positive person I can be. Hopefully those rude and immature people will get it. Someday.

Chris and Ani's Wedding

2009-06-28T19:22:00.001-07:00

Last night was my cousin's Chris' wedding and reception. Unfortunately I left my camera in the car, so I didn't get to take any pictures:( But there were sure a ton of pictures taken. It was beautiful and I enjoyed myself. I also had a nice time seeing family I hadn't seen for a while and catching up. I ended up going by myself, but I still had a good time. Because what can I say. I'm just a fun girl;) I learned a few new dances and ate lots of delicious food. It really was nice to get out and have a good time. I think that's why I stayed till 1. Lol.

Concert at the Park

2009-06-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

Pasadena has free concerts at the park and I really wanted to go. So when we got back from the beach, I begged Brandon to come with us. I knew that it would be hard to watch both kids by myself there. It was nice. We didn't stay the whole time because the kids were getting restless. But that night we went, they had a Mediterranean band called the Element Band playing and (Rose, you'd like this)they also had a guest singer from Boyz II Men. They also had another guest singer, but we left before we found out who. Sophie sure loves to dance. The kids love music and they love to dance so I knew they'd like it there. I want to go back on Wednesday nights because that's when they have the kid night. Where they have puppet shows and kid oriented music. But all music my kids pretty much like and can groove to. I love how they love music and dancing so much because, so do I. The pictures are really blurry. I'm not sure what was up with my camera. I don't think I had it on a weird setting. I'm planning on going again so hopefully I'll have better pictures next time.

Another Day at the Beach

2009-06-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

I ended up taking the kids to the beach by myself on Friday. I wanted to get out and do something to start off the weekend. We had a lot of fun again. We went a little later in the day so we didn't have to worry about getting burnt. The kids did much better this time too.

After swimming Ethan decided to dig and dig and dig. I had to pull him away kicking and screaming and luckily Bridgette and Lauren decided to leave the same time we did. Ethan then came with little fuss so he could tag along with Lauren.

Here are a lot of pictures showing just how much Ethan loves the water. He ended up meeting a little 7 year old girl named Lauren later when the cousins left. She was really nice and Ethan enjoyed following her and playing with her in the water. He likes older girls;) I ended up meeting her Mom Bridgette and we left the same time. They were really nice. They lived down the same block that we had parked so they walked us to our car. Sophie and Ethan were really good and held Lauren's hand the whole time. They also listened really well to her. This beach experience was a lot better than last time. It's nice when people help out others. I know I really appreciate it.

Sophie slept on the shore. She was afraid of the water because of last time. It's too bad too because she loved it before she pulled away and took a tumble under.
Ethan frolicking. He loves the beach so much. Check out all the surfers there in the background.

This picture I think is funny.
I love this picture!
Hey there Hot Mama. My sister Rachel and Makaila.

Another Fun Family Visit

2009-06-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

We had a fun visit with family recently. My cousin Charity and her baby came to visit and so did my Aunt and Uncle and their grand-daughter Rylie who is almost the same age as Ethan. They had fun playing together. My Dad had fun wrestling and playing with the kids. Sophia was funny because she'd run to Grammy to save her from Grand-Dad. She'd say "Grammy, save me" and hop on her lap. We had a nice visit. I think that was Sophia's first time to hold a real baby. She gets a little excited when she holds things she loves (like animals) and she had baby Clayton in a head lock and was giving him big hugs. Good thing he was such a sweet happy baby and didn't mind too much. Sophie was so cute with her doll to, because she was copying us and how we were holding the baby. She'd hold her doll like us and bounce it and she was always watching the baby. It was so cute.

Yikes!

2009-06-27T01:57:00.000-07:00

I found her on our trash can when I was taking the trash out. She's huge and ugly. I also think she just laid her eggs in those sacs.

Chalk Festival

2009-06-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

I found out about this chalk festival in Pasadena and I had to go. It was a lot of fun. It made me really excited to get back into art again. I think next year I might sign up and do it. It looked like so much fun! I also love to work with chalk and pastels they are awesome. So it's very possible I'll be there next year working. I'll have to see if I'm any good anymore or if I'm out of it and need practice. When I went back to school after having Ethan I actually was a better artist than before. It might be the same when I go back in the fall. We'll see. I also think I'm going to probably double major and major in something more practical as well. I still love art so I can't just drop it all together. I got to figure it out soon.

If you look at the sky you'll see a fuzzy dot. It's her penny.

Ethan has his glasses on. Though he calls them his circles.

This looks like a self portrait.

This was one of our favorites.
Looks like another self portrait.

Some were done in groups.

Beach Day

2009-06-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to Huntington Beach the other day. It was a lot of fun, but very tiring and stressful for me. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand, until I took them into the water to play. They loved it! Sophia loved it so much she kept twisting so I'd let go of her and she could run into the waves by herself. She finally broke free and ran in, but fell face down and a wave covered her. After that it was all over. She wanted to go back on the shore and be bundled up. She also was scared to go back in. Ethan on the other hand, loved it and rolled around in the water. He also enjoyed throwing sand and running down the beach. I had a lot of chasing to do. I was sprinting all over the place to get him. On the way out he ran to a lifeguard tower and climbed up. The lifeguard told him to get down and just smiled and shook her head at me. I just smiled back and waved to thank her. She also laughed at me sprinting around to try and catch him half way down the beach heading back for the water. I was carrying Sophie and the big bag of stuff so it was hard keeping Ethan by me. Another observer commented to me that it looked like they are hard to keep up with. I just laughed and said that it's true. Sophie was already at the top of the stairs while I was scolding Ethan for running away. Yeah, they do keep me really busy. Ethan also had a screaming fit all the way to the car. I could tell he needed a nap badly. He lost his sandal in the middle of the cross walk and freaked out. I had to go back and get it at the next light. He also made a big scene screaming at me because he wanted me to carry him. But with me carrying Sophie and the big heavy bag of stuff there just was no way. He fell asleep fast on the way home. It was still a fun day even though it was a little crazy. I just don't think I'll go to the beach alone with them being this little still. I'll be sure to bring someone along. It's hard being in two places at once.

Flan and Coconut Cookies

2009-06-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

One Word Response Tag

2009-06-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Samantha and I tag Rose.

Where is your cell phone? broke
Your significant other? working
Your hair? long
Your mother? supportive
Your father? wonderful
Your favorite thing? family
Your dream last night? none
Your favorite drink? lemonade
Your dream/goal? someday
What room are you in? living
Your hobby? cooking
Your fear? spiders
Where do you want to be in 6 Yrs? house
Where were you last night? home
Something that you aren't? ungreatful
Muffins? lemon
Wish list item? yard
Last thing you did? breakfast
What are you wearing? white
TV? nope
Your pets? crazy
Friends? Thanks
Your life? going
Your mood? tired
Missing someone? yes
Drinking? water
Smoking? Yuck
Your car? nope
Something you're not wearing? shoes
Your favorite store? Costco
Your favorite color? blue
When is the last time you cried? Sunday
Who will do this? unknown
Where do you go to over and over? kitchen
Five people who email me regularly? love
My favorite place to eat? Tito's
Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? beach
Four people I think will respond? no

Hey Samantha, my responses weren't thrilling either.

LA Zoo with Cousins

2009-06-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

Sophia and cousin Michael. Ethan and Sophie love their cousins. Ethan says it's his Michael and Sophie's Makaila.

I love it how they enjoy looking and observing a rolly polly bug as much as all the other animals at the zoo.

Baby Makaila is such a cutie pie and so photogenic. She's always a happy baby girl.

If Sophia were any animal in the zoo I think she'd be a mountain goat. Not only does it match her sign as an aries but she has the same characteristics. She loves to butt me with her head (literally) and she loves to climb everything she can. She's also really stubborn.

This was so cute!
We love the alligators! One of Ethan's favorite animals, but he's also very afraid. I have the same feelings about sharks. I'm completely fascinated by them but pretty scared of them too.

You can tell it was the end of the day. Sweet Sophie.

Train Ride at the Mall

2009-06-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to the mall with the kids and we stopped at the candy store and of course had to ride the train. Couldn't pass that one up. Daddy sure does spoil them and they love it. I really like the Santa Anita Mall especially the outdoor pavilion shopping area. It's very relaxing at night under the stars.

St. Vincent Lugo Park

2009-06-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

I love this cool park and wanted to show Brandon. This park I don't think is well known because it's kind of tucked away in the back of the park, which has two other playground areas that aren't hidden. We had a lot of fun with the kids. Our story is told through the pictures.

Dad's 28th Birthday

2009-06-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Brandon aka Daddy.
I cut those letters on the right of the card out of construction paper,(even the birthday, which was one strip of paper.)
This card was made from Ethan's beautiful painting he made in a past post.

These were scrumptious.

Yuck in comparison! But got to have donuts/sugar before you workout;)
Dinner, by the way, was yummy.
Well Brandon, I hope you had a nice day and an even better evening with the ones you love. We for sure did. And we do love you.

Pretty Girl

2009-06-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Sophia got into my make-up when I went to go get q-tips in the hall cupboard. The q-tips were in the hall cupboard and not in the bathroom because the kids had emptied the whole box and threw them around the bathroom one day. So now, we keep them up high. So while I went to get a few. I left my make-up there on the counter and when I came back Sophie had made herself look beautiful. She loves to pretend put on make-up. And she loves to be sprayed with perfume and deodorant. Though she doesn't like to have her hair brushed. (It's thin like mine, so I know how she feels. Lots and lots of tangles.) Now she knows how to unscrew the caps off the make-up and use it and she's fast at it. I got a kick out of her face. She's a little stinker.

Play Camping

2009-06-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

Brandon last night set up a tepee tent for the kids to play in. I asked if they wanted to sleep in it and they of course said yes. So I made them a bed but it didn't last long. Sophie wanted to sleep in her crib and Ethan wanted to be with Daddy. It was fun while it lasted. That picture that looks like they're sleeping was phony. Ethan wanted me to take a picture of him with his eyes closed. I think they are still too young to really appreciate a campout. We need to go camping this summer.

Strawberry Sticks

2009-06-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the kids wanted a treat and kept asking for a popsicle. I didn't have any so I made my own from a frozen strawberry. The kids had fun eating them and love frozen berries, which are healthier than a sugary frozen juice. I know, I should probably not post every picture I took of them, but I can't help it. It's hard for me to choose just one, so I just put them all up. I get a little picture happy and toward the end my kids aren't smiling.

Random Pictures of my Babies

2009-06-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures I took of the kids for fun one night while they watched a movie and had ice cream with Daddy. Yes, they are wearing the same shirt since both love Thomas the train. Like my Mom, I think it's fun to dress the kids matching. I hated it as a kid, but my kids are young enough to not care or know the difference. So I'll do it now while I can.

I took these pictures of the kids and loved how they turned out. I don't get many pictures of them together. They actually were cooperating for these ones. I love my kids.

Watercolors by Ethan and Sophia Wyatt

2009-06-06T23:25:00.000-07:00

Ethan asked to paint this day and of course I couldn't say No. He loves painting, not so much coloring. Sophie likes it all, she loves her colors. Their medium: watercolors. Their canvas: trashed plans that Daddy brings home for just this reason. I actually like the kids to paint rather then color since when they color, Sophie especially, likes to lift her shirt and color her tummy and whatever else she likes. It's pretty funny when I get her ready for the bath and find her drawings on her. She acts really proud while she points to her art on her body. They also both like having crayon fights which is usually how coloring always ends up. No fun to clean up. Watercolors I have found are the way to go, for right now anyways. Until they are older and can advance up to different mediums (mainly Sophie.) I mean, spilled water is no big deal to clean up. They had fun as did DeeDee. I think their paintings turned out great. I love the picture of Ethan really studying his painting and deciding where he should paint. Maybe I should get some nice paper and let them do their work on that and then I can frame it and... Sounds good to me. Right now is just practice.

Fun at the Park

2009-06-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

The kids had fun at the park. They also had a good time playing in my parent's pup's cages. I remember Ethan when he was little, he would get in the dog cage and shut the door on himself. I have pictures of him around a little over a year relaxing in one and as happy as can be. Funny little guys.

Baseball Fun

2009-06-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

After a while of Ethan asking me to go see his cousin we finally got together. Ethan loves "my Michael 8."
He just couldn't help himself to stay off the field and Michael embraced him by showing him how to do it. Ethan had a fun time copying his cousin and tagging along at his baseball practice. At one point during the practice they told Michael to run. Ethan wanted to as well but not knowing what to do he ran all the way to the fence and then came back. Telling Michael "I did it." He also had fun running around the bases. Maybe we need to look into putting him in baseball. This fall I'm going to get him in soccer which I know he'll love. So we'll start him with that. Sophie also loved watching them play. She must really love sports because she just sat there watching. She did the same thing when she watched Brandon play basketball at school. They both had a fun time playing with their cousins.

Pepino Melon

2009-05-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

The newest of the fruits we've tried lately was a pepino melon. It's about the size of a large mango with pale yellow with purple striped skin and the flesh is a pale cream color. The texture and taste is a mix between a cantaloupe and a honeydew. Ethan really liked it, Sophie and I both tried it and didn't care for it enough to want to eat more or get it again. I love the purple stripes on it.

Mustard

2009-05-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here is yesterday's and todays stories. I called a friend who lives close to me, to meet at the park that morning. I then decided that we'd walk to the park and bring the kids sand buckets. If I brought a stroller either both kids want in and there's no room or neither want to ride and I'm pushing an empty stroller. So we walked without a stroller. It took us a long time to get to the park. The kids had a bunch of their tantrums along the way. Ethan and Sophia are both so independent that they hate holding my hand to cross the street and so I have to hold a squirming Sophie under my arm with the buckets and drag a resistant Ethan across all the streets. When we finally get across the main street, Ethan throws his bucket in protest and it breaks. When we finally get to the park I throw his bucket away telling him that, if he didn't throw a tantrum his bucket wouldn't be broken and I wouldn't have to throw it away. Thinking it might teach him a lesson. Or at least hoping it might. Turns out he could of cared less that it was now gone forever. After the park I get home in time to make lunch before Brandon gets home. I started making lunch. Within a few minutes of being occupied from getting back, the kids got into the fridge. Unknowing I go back and check on lunch cooking on the stove. I then hear the kids laughing. I look and what do I see? Sophie has the mustard out and is squirting huge yellow mounds on the coffee table while they dip their fingers in it and eat it. I then look at the floor and all across the living room floor and rug are huge squirts of mustard. It's everywhere!!! Ahhhh!!!! Just a few days ago I had cleaned up the berries, chocolate syrup, and ranch dressing from the carpet and now this. She also had left a big pile of mustard in front of our bedroom door. Why? I just keeping asking myself why? I really feel that I'm the only one who has to deal with all of these kinds of problems on top of the normal ones. Brandon assures me that I'm not, but I really feel like I can't name anyone who has problems like this. Have any of you experienced these types of things? Brandon just tells me no one talks about these things. I on the other hand need to talk and get these things out of my system. I mean everyday it's something for us and it isn't because we aren't attentive watchful parents. Believe me, you have to be sharp and aware with our kids. I wake up this morning and discover sour cream smeared across one of our couch cushions. I wasn't the only one home when Sophie did that one. Yesterday the kids put my cell phone underwater and now it's broken. It's always something. I really do try to be on top of things and keep a close eye on my kids. Just in those few moments when you think things are under control so you move on to doing something else, like making dinner or cleaning the house. That is when things start to get messed up. Purses get dumped, gum gets completely eaten, wallet contents get thrown around, and the house gets trashed within less than 10 minutes. Just enough time to clean the bathroom. I went to the gym yesterday and took the kids to the "play place." They seemed to really enjoy playing with all of the kids there. I'm glad to see them playing better with other kids. They usually are the bullies. If someone bullies them Ethan especially could careless and just plays with them anyways even if they are telling him to go away. My favorite parts of the day from yesterday were: Ethan reading the Star Wars text in the beginning of the movie he watched that day. It sounded like this: "The boy went fast and then the boy raced and going fast and...mumble, it was so fast, mumble, mumble. Hey Mom, I'm a good reader." I filmed the clip of him this morning so he didn't do it as well as last nights "reading." Another highlight of the day was when Ethan, who likes to have me look at him when he's talking pulled my face to look at him. If I'm not making eye contact with him he says, while holding my face and turning it to look at his, "Look at me, look at me. I love you Mommy." And he brushes my check. Sophia is now doing the same thing since she's at the copy cat stage. What also made my day yesterday was seeing Sophie twirling around in her dress. She's getting really good at it. My sweet reward today is when Sophie kept saying Hi to a particular lady every time we saw her up and down the isles. The lady then stopped me and asked how old 'he' was. I told her that 'she' is 2 and Ethan is 3 almost 4. We started talking about her kids and her relatives kids. She was a really nice lady. She then told me to enjoy them now because time flies and then they are all grown up. I thanked her and thought about how people say that a lot and I already feel that it will be like that for me when my kids are all grown. I'll miss all of the messes they make and the sweet moments and funny things they say. I'll miss the hard times too at least I might;) At the check out Ethan turns to the guy bagging the groceries and asks him if he could have a balloon and a candy. Ralph's really spoils them and gives them one almost every time we go. The guy ended up making a balloon for them and was really nice to Ethan, who surprisingly was being very polite. I had them thank him about a dozen times. They had been really good at the store this time but it was only our first stop which they tend to be okay with. Ethan has carried his balloon everywhere with him since he got it. The simple things make his day.
By the way, does anyone have any cleaning tricks for getting mustard out?

My Favorite Part of the Day

2009-05-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'd thought I'd write about the little things that made my day yesterday.
Last night we had corn on the cob. The kids love it and could eat a ton of it. What made me smile is when the corn was too hot to eat. Ethan suggested that we put it in the frig to cool off. I stuck it in the freezer and later gave it to him. I then asked him if it had cooled off. He's reply "No, it's still hot like a teapot." I love my boy. I also think that when kids eat corn on the cob it is so funny to watch. Last night I sat back enjoying watching my kids eating their corn. It was so cute. Also, Sophie now will tell you her name when you ask.

Ice Cream

2009-05-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

I got an email from 31 Flavors for a night when they would sell a scoop of ice cream for 31 cents as a fundraiser. I kind of had forgotten about it 'til the night it was suppose to happen. Brandon mentioned how he was going to have ice cream after dinner that night. I then remembered the email I had gotten and it happened to be that night. Perfect! So after dinner we headed over there with our change. With all of our change we had, we were able to get 3 scoops (the limit per person) for each of us. Ethan slept through it so he ate his the next day. Can you guess who's ice cream that is in the picture? And which flavors? I now have a few favorites at 31. It was a fun night. It was on one of the last days of April.

Jicama and Mango

2009-05-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

I've always been trying new fruits and vegetables for the kids to try. Since I like many different fruits and vegetables and I like trying new things. I thought it's something we could do together that I think is fun. So this last shopping trip I bought jicama for an add in to our salad and mangoes. The kids were leery about the jicama but I told Ethan it was like an apple and that got him to try it. They like jicama now. I also picked up a bunch of mangoes and Sophie and Ethan love those as well. Now Ethan asks for a mango for a snack almost everyday. Yesterday I was shocked when he ate a whole can of pineapple and the juice all by himself for his snack. I'm glad they like fruits and vegetables. I also grew up being told that if you're hungry and want a snack, to eat a fruit. I agree with this rule and might make it one of my own. I was exposed to a lot of unusual fruits at an early age and so I like a lot of different fruits and veggies. I'm hoping that by me doing the same, my kids will be more adventuress with food and will be healthy eaters.

My Mother's Day

2009-05-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

My Mother's Day went a little like this: Brandon had already got me a gift for mother's day a week earlier. We both got a pair of sunglasses and called it our Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts. The morning of Mother's Day I got ready for church at 10. I wanted to be a little early so I could run through the songs I was asked to play. Unfortunately I had lost my song book and had forgotten which songs they told me I would be playing. I didn't get to practice and I could tell. Oh well. I ended up leaving the kids at home with Dad, since they are too wild in sacrament meeting. When I left Brandon was making pull-apart bread with dough I had made the night before. When I got home after church I came home to yummy bread. Thanks love for making me the yummy bread. My favorite part of the day was when Brandon told the kids to tell me Happy Mother's Day and that they loved me. I then decided to take a nap and before I did I said "that this was the best Mother's Day ever." Turns out while I took a nap Brandon also took one on Ethan's bed, with both kids awake and by themselves. When we woke up the house was completely trashed. Every single toy the kids could get their hands on were strewn around the house. The kid's got hungry and were eating shredded cheese they had gotten out of the frig. I guess frig was unlocked from that mornings breakfast. They also got into the freezer ate all of the frozen blueberries and pulled out the blackberries and threw those around the room. Lot's of smashed berries in the carpet. The kids also had stuck crayons in the air purifier filter in their room. Sophie got a hold of Brandon's car cleaning spray and was spraying that around the house. She also unrolled another roll of toilet paper and got it wet. Brandon then decided to go get quarters and milk. He also took a rug we needed to have cleaned to the laundry mat to get washed. I don't blame him at all for leaving. Man I wanted too but, he beat me to it. We scolded the kids and then I began to make dinner. Nothing fancy since I wanted to make something easy, since the kitchen was a mess again from breakfast. We had Pasta Roni with chicken I had already boiled the day before and salad that I already had made a few day's before. After dinner I later sat with the kids holding one in each arm while watching WALL-E. I love my kids. But they really showed me to not take a nap on Mother's Day or any day for that matter. Hope all of you had a Happy Mother's Day.

Our Get Away

2009-04-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

The first picture is of the beautiful gardens at the San Luis Obispo Mission. I have a story about it. I visited it when I was younger, on a family vacation. Brandon and I were just writing to each other at the time. He didn't know it then but he was all I could think about. My family took a trip and visited this mission as well as the Santa Barbra Zoo, Hearst Castle and other fun stops. Along the way, I bought and collected different things to send to him in a package I was making. Among these things, I bought a necklace from the missions gift shop, made from small wood beads. I ended up not sending it, thinking that he might not like it. Later in our marriage I came across it and told Brandon the story behind it. He liked it. He now wears it every once in a while, but right now it just hangs on the mirror of our white Honda. Not sure why. It just ended up there. I actually think it's some kind of prayer beads, or something like that. I thought it looked like a cool surfer necklace. With Brandon's hair long he looks the part. Now all he needs to do is learn to surf. We both want to someday.

We didn't take many picture of us together, so while we sat in the car looking at the beach (too cold and foggy to soak up the sun,) I snapped a few. Not the greatest. But it's the only one we took of us. Just never ended up asking anyone.

The beautiful, yet foggy picture of the ocean is at Moonstone Beach. Very nice beach.
Just across the highway from the beach is where we had our romantic dinner. The Hamlet is the name of the restaurant. It was nice with a nice setting and great view. We watched the surfers as we ate. As for the food, it sucked. Especially for the price, but the ambiance and the piano player who serenaded us and others in the restaurant, made up for it.

The frog I thought was just too cool to not take a picture with. Not sure what it's made from, but I loved this sculpture. It's in front of a store in Cambria.

Our trip was definitely needed. Thanks to Mom who watched the kids for 3 days! Even though it was foggy and a bit cold we still got a chance to relax, which was so nice. Oh, on the way home I did get to see dolphin. Again another highlight for me. Now it's back to the real life. Sophie let us know this, when she screamed and cried the whole way home last night. Almost an hour before falling asleep.

Hearst Castle

2009-04-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

For our 6th Anniversary this year we took a 3 day vacation and visited Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Here are the pictures I took on our tour. It was pretty foggy as you might see in some of the pictures. With all the pictures I took you can really tell what I liked. I really enjoyed the beautiful Madonna and child paintings along with others. The first painting is my favorite. Sorry the shot was blurry. But the colors where so rich and vibrant. Loved it. The ceilings are amazing with all the detail wood work from old buildings and churches. I also love the pools, but who doesn't. Besides the beautiful pools, which by the way the indoor pool was drained for the first time since... I don't know when, but it was cool to see just how deep the pool actually is. Okay, so besides the pools I couldn't get enough pictures of the beautiful life size statues. (If you can't tell.) Our tour we got to see some on our walk but the ones that I took pictures of, are pretty much the ones we saw. Also on the way up to Hearst Castle that morning we were lucky enough to spot a Mama whale with her baby, swimming close to the shore. I get pretty excited about that kind of stuff. It was one of the biggest highlights of the trip for me. We didn't stop to take pictures since we had to be there in time for our tour. We probably should have.

Coloring Eggs

2009-04-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

We colored eggs yesterday since we didn't get a chance to do it near or on Easter. The kids kind of had fun but got bored after 1 or 2 eggs. They just wanted to eat them. DeeDee even tried to get involved.

Easter

2009-04-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

Our Easter:
Our kids weren't too excited at all about their baskets the Easter bunny brought them. Sophie grabbed her box of jelly beans and was content with shaking them around. Ethan saw his basket, grabbed a funsize Twix had me open it and said "Look Mommy, chocolate". He ate it and then went to find Daddy, satisfied with only that. The Easter bunny had also hidden eggs around their room. We didn't have a chance to dye eggs yet, we'll do it when Sophie feels better and can join us. We just are so busy with other things we didn't have time. Brandon worked on Friday and had class on Saturday 'til 1. I took the kids to an Easter egg hunt/breakfast at the church and then to the park afterwards. When Brandon got home we went to my Mom's, who always throws a big Easter bash with cousins. That's always a lot of fun for the kids. This included another hunt, pinata, and lots of yummy food and goodies. After that we stopped by Nonnie's and Gramps' to say hi. By the time we got home it was after midnight. The next morning was a rush since we woke up at 8, had the kids do their Easter thing and then I got them ready for church. As I was leaving for church Sophie threw up and I had to turn around and take her back home. I just ended up taking Ethan. She was sick all day and night. She seems to be doing better now but is sleeping most of the day today.
At church there was also another Easter egg hunt. Ethan's pretty funny; he stops, picks up a sucker and tries to open it, gets it open and then will pick up a few eggs. He would be happy with just his one sucker. Just like his one piece of candy on Halloween. This year they got more candy than I think they did on Halloween. Which reminds me, I told Ethan that the Easter bunny was coming on Sunday and he got all excited and said "I'll go get my pumpkin!" Every holiday has some association with Halloween to him, since candy is usually involved. I think Easter candy is my favorite since I'm having a hard time refraining. I might end up making cookies again and sending them to Brandon's work. So that was our Easter. We didn't take too many pictures with the rush, and our kids were just moving so much it was hard to. Here are the ones I did take of Ethan looking through his eggs, and Sophie sleeping since she's been sick. We also have an earlier one we thought was funny, of Sophie wearing a box.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sophia

2009-04-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time. Sophie loved all her gifts and loved her cards (she calls stories and has us read them to her.) Thanks everyone for coming.

Tissue Please

2009-04-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

I asked Sophie if she could get me some tissue. She quickly ran to go get some as did Ethan. They both like to help. Ethan brought some back and I forgot about Sophie still in the bathroom. She later came out and this is what she had. I thought it was pretty funny so I took pictures. Turns out she brought me the whole roll.

Haircuts

2009-03-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

It's been a while (for me) since I've posted anything. It's been a month! The night I made the last post I lost the memory card for our camera. I couldn't find it since it was too dark and so I thought, I'd find it in the morning. By the time I thought about it the next morning DeeDee had found it and chewed it up. So I just haven't been taking any pictures.
Let see... What's new. Brandon finally finished this quarter and has two weeks off before he starts back again with almost the same schedule. Busy. Busy.
I need to go back to school. I've been wanting to for a while. With only 21 units left and all electives, I can easily finish by taking a class here and there. I have a couple of friends who are very encouraging and have offered to watch the kids while I go back. I also need something for me and the kids love my friends. It will be so much fun to get back into art again. Hopefully it will work out. I'm thinking in the fall. I can get a break and the kids can also get a break from Mom.
Lately I've been busy with the kids. We go to the parks, on walks, to the grocery store, somewhere we always try to get out everyday. If not all day. Ethan loves to go shopping at Ralph's since they have a shopping cart for him to push around. He does well with it but gets a little crazy. I just have to calm him down and then he's fine. Not so much at the other stores though. He takes off running or won't sit down in the basket. Not at all safe. I might need to bring our little red cart my sister Cora got for him, to the other stores. It really seems to help. Sophie will also give me a hard time, since she can always shimmy her way out of the seat belt. She's so tiny that even if I adjust it to the tightest setting she still can slip out. Shopping has not been pleasant. I'm sure that everyone wants me out of the store (including me) when they start screaming at the top of their lungs. I tell them and make them sit down and they'll scream so loud at me. I don't know what to do. I need to look for disciplining actions I can take when they do this. I just quickly finish my shopping and leave as fast as I can. Of course I give them the "you better stop it" look and tell them to stop. But they totally ignore me. I've tried distractions with sticker but they quickly get bored. I've also tried games for them to find me colors or letters but after a little while they again get bored. I've tried paper and a pen to draw pictures, that doesn't work either. I try to get them involved by picking out the vegetables and fruit. Doesn't turn out very good. I can't think of a toy that they can bring and play with that would help. Now I know why I see kids with Gameboys at young ages. I think that would appeal to Ethan, but I really don't want that. I'm not sure what to do. I've tried threats and usually try to follow through and rewards. Nada. Any suggestions besides stay home and hide away? Again some days are better then others.
The other day I let Sophie take her baby and her stroller on our walk to the park and she also did pretty well. Ethan pushed her baby on the way back. My kids have always been pretty independent but they seem to be more then ever now, especially Ethan. If I try to hold his hand he pulls away and says "That's my hand Mommy." He wants to open every door by himself and so on. I have to shut it just so he can do it. I do encourage this by telling them "you can do it." With that they almost always prove to me they can. It's hard to now, let them know they need my help for things like crossing the street or staying by me. Another thing, my kids are pretty fearless. Which is a good thing in some instances but in others it's not good at all. This is where I have a problem. I try my best to teach them and explain what might happen. Still that fear or understanding is not there. Parenting is so much more complex then I thought. You think you're doing the right thing and then it comes back that maybe you over did it. So much to think about and everyone has different opinions.
So let see whats new... Ethan and Sophie got a haircut. My first try at cutting hair (besides my own) is Ethan's and then I decided to cut Sophie's after she woke up from her nap.
Ethan's Before and After

Sophia's Before and After

And her being a ham. Saying "Cheese" with a very cheesy grin.
I don't think I did that bad of a job and with a really wiggly kid. I think they both might need touch ups. Either from me or a professional. I had Ethan look in the mirror after and he got shy. But the next day he was excited to show and tell, his friend Wyatt about his "cool hair". The picture of Sophie was taken after she napped on it, so its matted.

Update

2009-02-24T00:55:00.000-08:00

DeeDee got her second set of shots today. She's not feeling well now. Thought I'd share some cute pictures of her I took on Sunday.
She's funny how she listens. Usually her ears are floppy unless she's really listening.
Sophie had a high fever early Sunday morning. She woke up later with crazy hair and a little spacey so I snapped a picture.

Saturday night I went to bed late. I was busy making tamales for Sunday's dinner and the refried beans I make, that take 8 hours to cook in a crockpot. I made 32 tamales for my first time and they turned out great.
Sophie had woken up around 4 since she wasn't feeling well with her fever and coughed so hard she threw up (on my side of the bed of course.) After that I couldn't go back to sleep. So I decided to make biscuits and sausage gravy and eggs for breakfast. While Brandon cudddled with Sophie at the bottom of our bed and Ethan slept in Brandon's spot.
I felt fine for most of the day. But when night came I turned into a witch. I made our bed with clean sheets and let everyone know that we were all going to bed.
Ethan and Daddy have not gotten sick while me and Sophie have gotten it all. From conjunctivitis (pinkeye) to chest infections. Yucky. I'm hoping we will be completely better soon. We both still have coughs but are feeling much better. The boys are staying healthy.
The picture of Ethan I took while typing this blog at 1 in the morning. Yes, he is up and wanted me to take a picture. He got up from bed when he heard the video of him saying his quote. He says he's hungry and is now fixing himself some chips, salsa and rice and beans leftovers. He didn't really eat his dinner. I need to get the kids, and myself, on a schedule. I'm not tired and neither is he. We both are night owls and I'm the one who has turned him into one. (I'm getting a kick out of watching him right now eating his midnight snack.) Being sick has thrown all of us off, with our somewhat schedule we use to have.
As requested this is Ethan saying his quote. I took a couple videos of him saying this because he asked to say it again. He loves watching the videos of himself.

Ethan's Quote and Sophie's Almost There

2009-02-20T10:17:00.000-08:00

Last night we watched a Netflix off the computer on our TV. Brandon set it up and it worked out really nice. Brandon chose a documentary for us to watch called The King of Kong. It was about a couple of guys competing to make a world record. All about video games. Brandon and I thought it was pretty good. We like documentaries. Ethan hadn't taken a nap that day and still had so much energy that night, hopping around from couch to couch. People made statements all throughout the movie but we never thought Ethan was really listening to them. Until this morning after breakfast Ethan quoted part of the movie. "I don't drink, I don't smoke, I just play video games." We thought that was so funny. I'm amazed he even remembered any of the movie. He picks up more then we know. Lately he has been wanting to play video games except he doesn't really play he gets me to play while he watches and cheers me on. He requests Mario. All we have is the old school Nintendo and 64. Brandon sold all his video games to be more focused for school. It's been a few years when he did that. Now we are thinking we should of kept them for Ethan to play. But by the time he's good at them they have the Wii and interactive video games that are even better. He won't just be vegging out he'll actually have to move to play.
Sophie has been doing really well potty training and we think she might be done. Last night and the night before she went to bed without a diaper and had no accidents. Yesterday she also went all by herself with no mistakes and is even good about pulling her pants up. I'm excited she might be done with diapers!

Tagged with the Letter E

2009-02-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Samantha since I read her blog to make a list of ten things I like that start with the letter E. She got tagged with the letter D. So I'll make it like Samantha's and tag whoever reads my blog with the letter F. Wonder if that means that Samantha, you have the letter F and get tagged again? (Only if you want to, I guess.) Not sure how this tagging stuff works with tag backs. Here's my E list:
1. Ethan (of course I don't just like, I LOVE HIM!)
2. Exercising (Yes, I actually do like it.)
3. Easter
4. Egg rolls
5. Eclipses (both lunar and solar)
6. Everybody (okay seriously not everybody, but it seems that way.)
7. Emeralds (who doesn't?)
8. Eating (okay this should of been further up on the list.)
9. Energy (sometimes I wish I had more.)
10. Echos, echos, echos.....

More Valentine's Day Fun

2009-02-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

These pictures are in a random order and so is my story. The orchid Brandon got me for Valentine's Day. For our date instead of the typical date we thought we might do, we went to Macy's and Kohl's. We bought Brandon some new work clothes, a wallet and we got some new bedding. Now Brandon has snazzy clothes for work and we have an actual quilt that fits our cal-king bed. It made us all (including Ethan and Sophie) sleep like babies. We all woke up at 11:05 to prove the bedding was nice. Late for church.
Brandon and I both had fun spending time together with just the two of us. We got some great deals since almost everything was 50 to 80% off. That always makes me happy.
For dinner instead of going out to eat I decided to make a nice dinner and invite my friend over to join us for what she calls Single Awareness Day. I made a nice salad, lasagna, french bread, and pink lemonade. For dessert I came up with a recipe on a whim. Wanted to use up the rest of the ricotta cheese and make it Italian themed dessert. So I sweetened the ricotta with powder sugar. Had wonton wrappers and filled them with what is kind of like the filling in cannoli's. Fried them and garnished with whipped topping and strawberry sauce, though I had mine with strawberry preserves instead. I loved the dessert and I don't really care for ricotta. I'll definitely make these again. After the nice dinner we left for our date while our friend Isadora watched the kids. We thought about a movie but everyone does that on Valentine's Day. The lines proved it as we drove past the theater's. Shopping together was more fun then we thought it would be. We both had a good time.
The kids got there Valentine's Day cards in the mail, from Grandma Markey. Sophie loves the bear and she carries it around with her making it hug her. Izzy also made us a Valentine's Day card (Brandon at first made me think he made it.) Almost cried for a moment (little stinker.) She also made marshmallows on a stick dipped in chocolate with different toppings, almonds, peanuts, and coconut. The kids really enjoyed them as did I:) Thanks Grandma Markey and Grandpa Ken for the cards and thanks Izzy for the handmade card and yummy treats. We are really lucky to have such a great babysitter.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T10:59:00.001-08:00

Thanks for the Valentine's Day cards and gifts Granny & Grandpa and Nonnie & Gramps. Ethan and Sophie loved them. Ethan also keeps asking (out of the blue) to go see Granny and Grandpa. He miss you guys.

In the pictures Ethan just woke up and his hair is wild. But I love those curls, so I'm not sure when we are going to get him a haircut.

I got Brandon some potted Gerber Daisies and that beautiful blue shirt which makes him look like a stud. Would of got him some slacks but wasn't sure about his size.

The tool bag is mine. It's pretty cool. I can use it as a purse;) No, I think I might use it for things I might need in the car or as my own little tool bag. Maybe I can keep my little hammer, nails, screwdrivers, and such in it. The wrenches unfortunatly are not mine. What would I do with them? Fix the car or something. lol. I'm lucky to have a husband who can do all of that. He needed some new tools since his got stolen.

Today we have a babysitter all lined up and we are planning on going on a date. Haven't gone on one for a while. We don't have the details planned since we are both spontaneous about that kind of stuff. Maybe dinner at TGIF's or Buco de Beppo's, then a movie, and dessert at Cold Stone's, maybe. We'll see, should be fun whatever we do. Missed our date this month since me and the kids got sick. But it worked out because Brandon's midterm was that week so he studied a lot on the weekend. This weekend we have a lot planned and it's long since Monday's a holiday. Happy Valentine's Day, Brandon, Ethan, and Sophie!

Funny Stories

2009-02-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share pictures of the kids art work. The wall was done in pen, mainly by Ethan. The carpet in blue sharpie, mainly by Sophie, who also has more work on the coffee table. If pens get left down some where the kids pick them up and use them. Ethan will add on to his circles. The carpet I'm going to try alcohol or hairspray and see if I can get it out. Tried acetone which works but also bleaches the carpet. We might just have to paint the wall before we move. Just want to document their art. We need to get them an easel.

The kids found some new toy the other day. I was busy cleaning or do something. The kids had gotten in the bathroom cupboard and had got a hold of a box of tampons. Before I realized what they were doing there was a scattering of tampons on the ground. Ethan then comes up to me and points one at me and says "pow pa pow." Turns out they were using them as guns.

Sophie is potty training as some of you know. It's off and on for her right now. But before she goes to bed we have her go potty and do the whole bedtime routine. Well, now she has her babies go potty too. After she puts them on, she pats them on the back and says "good girl. pee pee in the potty."

Yesterday I finally decided to take the kids out to the park. We haven't been out of the house for over two weeks! We were still sick with coughs and runny noses but I know we all needed to see the sun and smell the fresh air. We went to a park in San Marino called Lacey Park. It's also a dog park and has a field to fly kites right in front of the playground. Very nice park. Maybe sometime we'll go there with Brandon and try to fly the kids cool kite. Ethan made a bunch of friends with 4, 5 year old girls and a 3 year old. I visited with their Mom's for a while while they shared snacks. Sophie had gotten some snacks from them too and shared them with my friends son Levi. It was pretty cute. She patted the ground for him to sit next to her and she'd hand him one every time he'd ask for more. Sophie's already good about sharing. After Ethan finished he thanked them and then walked down the field with his head down and hands behind his back. As if he were contemplating. When we left all the girls said bye to Ethan and thanked him for playing with them. We had a fun day. After DeeDee has her shots we'll have to take her there.

SoCal Ducati

2009-01-23T23:55:00.000-08:00

We went to an event at SoCal Ducati tonight. Nicky Hayden was there, he's a motorcycle racer from Kentucky who is riding for Ducati this year. He answered some questions, took pictures and signed autographs. He's a cool guy. They had an auction and were selling stuff to support Make a Wish, we bought a couple shirts. It was fun, looking forward to 4th of July weekend when we'll go to the MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. The whole family's going this year.

My Birthday Present

2009-01-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

We are thinking of naming her DeeDee and yes, I did paint her nails.

All Aboard!

2009-01-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

This Saturday we went to the train museum at Griffith Park after our lunch at Tito's Tacos. The kids loved the train ride and climbing on the trains. Ethan did get in trouble for fighting with Sophie (as you can tell in one of the pictures.)

First Time Taking a Swing at a Pinata

2009-01-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

Our Nephew Michael had his 5th birthday party. There Ethan got to swing at a pinata for the first time. He got really embarressed with everyone watching and cheering him on, it made him blush. He also kept sticking his tongue out.

The Rose Parade Floats

2009-01-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know we took a ton of pictures. The floats were so beautiful to see up close with all the intricate detail.

Sophie Modeling

2009-01-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

Thought it was cute how she was putting her hand in her pocket. So I took a few pictures with her posing like that.

Balloons

2009-01-02T23:57:00.000-08:00

I had decided to buy some balloons for the kids for the New Year's Eve Party. But I went through a lot of trouble to get them. First I had to go buy the rest of my groceries at Albertson's which is in the same shopping center as Party City. So I did my shopping and since the kids were acting so good I decided to go to Party City to look for a punch bowl. While there the kids begged for balloons and so I decided to get some. Long story short I had parked close to Albertson's which wasn't that far from Party City who doesn't allow carts to be brought out so I walked with everything back to our car. I have know idea why I didn't predict this out come. I should have known. So right as we start to walk out of the store both kids start having major tantrums. Great. I'm trying my best to juggle two freaking out kids who if I let go will dart out in the street. I'm also carrying the dozen balloons I just bought and a huge punch bowl and my purse. I'm trying not to let the kids go get them to walk and holding tight to the balloons so they don't fly away. I looked like a total idiot the whole time. I got so many looks. A guy walked by and gave me a funny look and I just started laughing thinking how funny I looked. He also started laughing. I saw a cop car drive by me slowly with both officers gawking out their windows. Embarrassing. Oh well the kids give me lots of funny stories to tell. They're not always funny at the time. In the end they had fun tangling up the balloons and in the morning they were all deflated. Ethan kept throwing the balloons around in the kitchen while Dad was making pancakes in the morning. The heat from the grill popped a bunch of them. I think next time I'll just blow some up and throw them around on the floor. I've learned my lesson.

Where's Sophie?

2009-01-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

While I was preparing for our New Year's Eve party. Ethan came up to me and asked me where Sophie was. We both searched the house looking for her and found her asleep in a cardboard box that we had carried our groceries from Costco in.

Silly Sophie

2009-01-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

Sophie likes to put on Ethan's underwear. Though she can fit through one leg hole.

Our hike

2009-01-02T01:18:00.000-08:00

We went on a hike with Gramps, Wyatt and Manny. We only walked the small trail at Devil's Puch Bowl since there was a lot of snow and ice for the mile hike. And we didn't bring the backpack to carry Sophie in. On the trail Sophie wanted to walk all by herself. We can't wait till it warms up and we can start hiking and camping hopefully. With Brandon's busy schedule we might not get to do much of that this year.

To Grammy's house we go and Granny and Nonnie and...

2009-01-02T00:42:00.000-08:00

We went and visited Granny and Grandpa. The first thing Ethan said when we walked in their house was "Where's Grandpa?" Him and Grandpa are buddies and he loves to play and sit on Grandpa's lap. We had a nice visit (like always.) We love you Granny and Grandpa.

The video is our Friday trip to Grammy's house though we went to see everyone else as well. Our first visit was with Grammy and Grand-dad. Which Ethan and Grand-dad and Dad had fun playing trains.
Lately we have been listening to a lot of AC/DC and the kids love it. They especially like Big Jack which is what they're singing in the video. They both are awesome air guitarists as well and with Ethan's hair he likes to head bang. I love it how they shout out the words in the songs.

Christmas Party and Santa

2008-12-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

I just got the pictures back from the ward party. Ethan loved talking with Santa. Like I said in an earlier post Sophie freaked so we didn't get a picture with her.

Christmas Morning, Sophie

2008-12-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

Sophie loves her baby. I had to make another post so you can see her Christmas morning video it wouldn't let me download with the others.

Disneyland

2008-12-28T22:36:00.000-08:00

Nonnie rode with Sophie.

Toon Town

Kid's meal was on the restaurant's cool pirate hats.
The light and firework show
We had an awesome day. Thanks Nonnie and Gramps for a fun filled day at Disneyland.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

Santa came early for us. We got home from our friends house at 1am and when we came back Santa had come! Our Christmas morning started then.
She loved her legos.

Her floor coloring book.

Reading the directions. So it seems.

Geotrax airplane.

Basketball.

Ethan's floor coloring book.

Thomas train DVD's.

That's an awesome shirt.

He's really looking forward to washing our car.

What's that?

2008-12-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

Sophie loves "stories." I love how she names each animal like kangaroo. Dino and birds that look like ducks are some of her favorites.

Wish I Took a Picture

2008-12-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

This was probably one of the funniest things I've seen Ethan do that I wish I could have gotten a picture or video of.
Today while I was cleaning the bathroom Ethan went in the kitchen and I could hear him climb on the high chair to reach the top of the fridge. This is where we keep goodies or big items like chips and cereal. I just kept on cleaning thinking he'd get down soon. I then heard something fall and Ethan crying like he had been hurt bad. It really scared me. I thought maybe he fell and broke an arm or something. But what I saw was so funny. He was hanging on the freezer door that was wide open, screaming for his life. He was kicking around and really scared. To make the scene even more funny he was only wearing his underwear and they were on backwards and inside out. I quickly grabbed him before he fell and he cried for sometime. Poor little guy. I told him I saved him like King Kong saved the girl in the movie last night. He just said "Yeah Mommy you saved me." We found out at dinner when he was telling Dad about it that he was trying to get to the tortilla chips. Which were what had fallen on the floor.

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

I thought our tree turned out nice.
Sophie sleeping under the tree.

Today we had our Christmas Program in church. All went really well. Tonight we also had carolers at our door. It was a very pleasant surprise. Tonight after dinner we are planning on looking at the Christmas lights around here.

Fun with Wyatt and Weston

2008-12-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

Sophie's there she's just sleeping.

Love these two pictures of Sophie.

Knott's Berry Farm

2008-12-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

Ethan's first ride.
Ethan talking to his pilot partner.
Huff and Puff.
Ethan rode with Daddy. I rode with Sophie on the turn before.
Cheese.
Ethan on the balloon ride with me. Sophie screamed for me the whole time.
They loved riding together.

Brandon riding Jaguar by himself. We took turns watching the kids while each of us went on the roller coasters. Ethan wanted to go on the rides with Daddy. When he saw him riding them he freaked out and started crying. He'll love them when he's older.
Brandon in line for Silver Bullet.
Janet's family went to Knott's as well. We met up and they watched our kids while we went on a couple of rides together.
This is how our long day ended.
Ethan wanted to go on the ferris wheel. It would be the last ride but he fell asleep in line so we decided to just leave. When we put him in the car he woke up and said "I want to ride the ferris wheel." Brandon just said "you did."

Working for the County has it's perks. Knott's had a special for County Employees. Brandon and I got in for free, along with 6 other people only paying $15. Ethan we paid for, and Sophie was free. I felt we should do a good deed and not let this awesome deal go to waste. The original price for an adult ticket is $52. I made a family of 4 happy by pulling them out of their line to buy their tickets for $15. We had a fun day at Knott's for a grand total of $25, parking included. The weather was nice and the lines were short.

Our Zoo Trip

2008-12-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Janet invited us to the zoo today with her and her kids. Our kids are the same ages so Ethan and Wyatt are best of friends. In fact she was watching them the other day while I went to donate blood and over heard a conversation between them. They were telling each other how the other was there best friend and that they loved each other. Too cute. Her other son Levi is Sophie's age and they both get along, though Sophie also loves to tag along and play with Wyatt. Anyways. We went to the zoo today and had a great time. There was hardly anyone there so we gave the kids a little more freedom then we usually do. There were some crazy moments with Ethan, but over all it was a lot of fun and a beautiful day.
Some of those crazy moments happened when I let them run around. As I went to chase after Sophie, Ethan had climbed half way into the bushes where the flamingos are. Yeah. He also later started to climb the rail/fence to the seal exhibit. Scary. Another time he and Wyatt chased a peacock till it hoped over a gate. It was locked so I wasn't too worried about him getting in. But yes, he got it opened and started running down the hill to an area that is not meant for visitors. Wyatt also trailed behind. The maintenance guy stopped to make sure Sophie was okay in the stroller as I ran after them.
We had fun watching the sea lion show and watching all the animals. Our favorite were the gorilla's. They are fun to watch and they interacted with us, well Ethan. Ethan and Wyatt kept walking back and forth along the window and the littlest gorilla came over and walked back and forth with them. Ethan was eating a pbj sandwich at the time when the gorilla sat over where Ethan was. As I said to Ethan "You better watch out she's going to get your sandwich." The gorilla grabbed at it. If there wasn't glass there she would have snatched it. When she left, Ethan and Wyatt headed over to the other corner of the window to get a better view at the Momma gorilla (I think) sitting there. Wyatt was a little afraid so he pushed Ethan closer. I didn't see what happened. A couple who were there taking pictures and observing the gorilla's told me what happened. I guess the Mom (maybe, I really don't know) stuck her tongue at them and walked away. The couple told us that what she did was actually a sign of acceptance. It's funny the gorilla's like Ethan. Pretty cool.
Next time I'll be sure to bring the camera. Tomorrow we are also headed to Knott's. I'll bring the camera then. Should be fun.

At The Forum, Dec. 6th

2008-12-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

We went to see AC/DC last Saturday. It was awesome. They're the best.

My new sweet baby - leah!

2008-12-08T23:39:00.000-08:00

What do you think about my little new baby leah?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

Our 2008 Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

This year was my very first time making Thanksgiving dinner. I was overly excited about what dish to bring, that my Mom suggested I take over, which is what I did. We picked out our recipes for the menu and went shopping for all of the organic groceries they bought. I was all set for 3 days of cooking! For appetizers we had veggies, fruit, nuts, crakers with brie, and chips with dip. Onion dip, a bean dip from a recipe we chose, and guacamole. Which we all had as our breakfast. I had made all of the pies in advanced. I'm kind of working backwards. For dessert we had coconut meringue pie (for Dad), a chocolate mallow pie (which was too chocolaty), a cranberry cheesecake that had eggnog in it, and my Mom bought a TJ's pumpkin pie for all the traditionalist. My favorite was of course the pumpkin pie:) But I'm a bit a traditionalist and I love pumpkin and fruit pies. Amongst those pies I also made a green bean mushroom pie for a side dish. That one turned out beautiful with the lattice crust I made. We chose an herb turkey that everyone seemed to enjoy and was pretty moist. We planned on a rhubarb corn bread stuffing but were unable to find any rhubarb since it's out of season, so I made up my own stuffing which turned out okay. I used fresh cranberries, walnuts, and the cornbread stuffing mix from TJ's. Comments on it were "interesting." I made fresh cranberry sauce which is the easiest thing to make. It took about 5 minutes and was so yummy. It's the same recipe as what went in and on the cheesecake I made. Potatoes were what everyone loved, my brother Jord made those with the recipe we chose. It was a rich Swiss cheese scalloped potatoes. I also made over 40 sour cream rolls that were yummy. I messed up on the roll recipe but it really didn't seem to matter. Good thing. Everyone seemed to enjoy dinner. We did have a fun time when the house filled with smoke because the cheese from the potatoes was burning on the bottom of the stove. That was exciting:) Brandon got the idea of going to the movies after dinner. I guess he likes the tradition that Judy and Jane have every Thanksgiving and we started it for our own family with this Thanksgiving. We went to the movies and saw Bolt with the my sister Heather and my cousins Max and Axa and her little one Rylie who is about Ethan's age, just a few days younger and is just as big as Ethan if not bigger. She's a doll. We left Sophie with my Mom and she napped while we were gone. Ethan and Rylie sat together in a seat at the theater and loved playing together all day, it was really cute. I wish I would of thought to take more pictures but I was too busy cooking. I was lucky to remember to take pictures of the desserts. Everything turned out really nice. Now it's already starting to feel like Christmas. I'm excited.

!?

2008-11-26T17:04:00.000-08:00

Here are 5 tidibts about Brandon you're lucky to know;

1. I can say the alphabet in one long burp. When we were kids my brother and I taught ourselves to burp at will, after seeing our mom do it. Katie later joined our elite group and can burp louder and longer than anybody.

2. I listen to piano music when I am going to sleep. Chopin is the best. I don’t need it to go to sleep quickly, ‘cause I usually fall asleep in a couple minutes either way. In fact sometimes I might stay awake a bit trying to listen to the music longer, but it helps me sleep more soundly. I have some awesome nighttime/sleeping music if anybody wants some, although most of you reading this don't need my recommendations on good piano music.

3. I love and name my vehicles. It actually feels more like I find out their names after having them a while. I don’t see them as machines really; they have too much personality and I spend time with them and get to know them, so they are more than that. I try to maintain them well and it is easier to see the maintenance as a positive thing rather than a chore if the car isn’t just a machine. And like everything else, if you treat a car right it’ll treat you right, so I try to do that and I enjoy it. Many people seem to see this as aberrant behavior or maybe even a vice, but those people probably don’t mind driving in dirty, broken-down and ugly cars. I can’t stand it.
My bike is named Delilah; very sexy and dark. Our Honda is called Susan; she’s somewhat plain, but real reliable. Our Mazda is named Julie, after Julie Andrews’ Mary Poppins. She’s lots of fun, takes care of us and our kids, keeps us all safe and looks hot while doing it. Awesome.

4. This one may not be very unique; I hate wearing socks and shoes. Sophie and Ethan help me take them off right when I get home from work every day. I always wear flip-flops when I don’t have to wear shoes, no matter what the weather is like and for almost anything we’re going to do.
I’ve always been like this. My feet are pretty tough (and ugly) and when I was a kid I used to run around outside barefoot and I remember my brother not being able to keep up because my feet were used to being stabbed by rocks and weeds but his weren’t. Another time I was riding my bike home from my friend’s place, which I did all the time as a kid, but usually wearing shoes. This time I was in flip-flops though, and the heel of one hung off the pedal and caught on the ground and caused me to crash. I was pretty much hauling ass and fell on my knee real hard. It swelled up and got scarred pretty bad. I couldn’t walk much for a few weeks.

5. I can pound away ice cream. I know everybody loves ice cream, but there’s something in my blood that gives me a little bit extra. I believe it is hereditary because I have it, my father has it, and… my daughter has it. Good thing we’re all thin! I don’t much like dessert unless it’s ice cream or has ice cream in/on it. A gallon will go in a couple days unless I try real hard to take small portions. I’ll eat a bowl of ice cream and need more right after I’ve finished it. In my father’s words, ice cream is the perfect “pick-me-up, cool-me-down.”

I think I have an idea!

2008-11-26T01:26:00.000-08:00

Yeah! Today it rained, or more like tonight. Here's the story. The kids are begging to go outside though it really is time for bed and it's pouring outside.

Sophie: Outside Daddy.

Ethan: I want to go outside.

Dad: Do you guys want to get the mail?

By the way the mail was brought in at lunch time, by Daddy.

Kids: Yeah!

Dad opens the door to show them the rain.

Dad: You can't look it's raining outside. See.

Ethan: I think... I have an idea. I have an idea. How about... how about an umbrella? Yeah.

So because Ethan's idea was so cute Dad gave in. The end.

Okay Dad did take the kids on a short walk outside in the rain, while using the umbrella. Ethan's idea came to him without us even mentioning about the umbrella in the closet. Funny little guy. After their short walk it was off to bed.

Today the kid's drove me nuts! But the little things Sophie and Ethan say make the hard times disappear. Another funny thing Ethan said today was, "watch me Mom, look my pogo stick." As he jumped around the room with the vacuum extension. Where does he come up with these things? I didn't know he knew what a pogo stick was. Crazy.

Lovely, Love My Family

2008-11-18T13:07:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RxlJSvk_6I This song we first heard on Yo Gabba, Gabba, a Noggin show. We all love this song. If I knew how to put it on our blog as music in the background I would. The kids love dancing to this song and they'll stop what they're doing to go dance and listen to it. We now listen to a cd in the car that Brandon made for the kids that has this song on it. Great song. If any of you have watched Noggin I'm sure you've heard this song. The quality is not great but I think it's because it was recorded from the tv.

Bath Time and Pajama Time

2008-11-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

Ethan still likes to take pictures by squinting his eyes. But take a look at those curls. He needs a hair cut but I'll be sad when all the curls are gone.
Brandon was only able to get this shot of Sophie taking a bath with her doll becasue our camera's memory was full. I guess she got out of the tub, got her baby, and threw her in thinking she needed a bath too.

Babysitting

2008-11-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

We went on a date on Saturday night. Which is rare and was really nice. We had a young women who we really trust named Isadora watch the kids. She's watched our kids once before so the kids know her. Ethan was sleeping when we left and Sophie was upset but only for a little while we were told. Isadora told me that as Ethan was waking up he looked at her and said "Mommy you kind of look weird." He also calls her Dora. They really like her. All the nursery kids do. She's the daughter of the nursery leader and all the Mom's really like her and trust her as well. We are glad to have someone to watch our kids that we trust.

IN-N-OUT

2008-11-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had IN-N-OUT for dinner since I really didn't feel like cooking. We actually were going to just pick something up from the nearest fast food to eat at home. Weinerchnitzel was close so we decided to go there but as we pulled up Ethan let us know that it wasn't where he wanted to get fries. He wanted "IN-N-OUT daddy." So we ended up eating there (no surprise there:) which is on the other side of town but well worth the drive. While we were eating Brandon asked Ethan if he liked his burger and he replied with "it's not a burger, it's a crabby patty." Maybe he's watching too much Sponge Bob. So we ate our crabby patties and fries. Yum.

Sophie's Potty Training

2008-11-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

We want to say that Sophie is potty trained except she's not completely. She has been doing great and I kind of have done the same method that I did with Ethan. The only problem is that: 1. Finding underwear in her size.
2. She'll go and not always tell us if she needs to go if she has a diaper on. She'll let us know after she's already gone.
3. She'll sometimes have a wet diaper when she wakes up in the morning. Though during naps she is always dry.
I think she'll get it soon. She's been doing it all on her own. We have even stopped clapping and she still wants to do it. She also is starting to dress herself though she'll put on whoever's clothes and they're always put on wrong. It's too funny when she's wearing Ethan's underwear and her pajama shorts, all through one leg hole. But then she also likes to undress which is a pain when we are trying to get ready to leave. She acts so independent yet she still is so clingy. Which isn't a bad thing. She's a Mama's girl.

Halloween Fun

2008-11-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

You can see they had a lot of fun trick or treating and eating their candy. We went to a few haunted houses with the kids and I thought they were scary but the kids didn't. Anything for candy I guess. One house had a couple of people dressed up as scary clowns that stood there as you came up to the porch. There whole yard was spooky. But before we even got to the house Sophie was waving and saying Hi to one of the clowns that had scary teeth and face make-up. I thought it was too funny. We also went into another haunted house where a fraternity lived. They had a bunch of kids popping out at you as you walked through the house. Ethan got scared when a fake skeleton dropped down in his face as we went up the stairs but that was it. Sophie could of cared less since she was eating a sucker. I thought it was pretty scary. But the kids got candy and a balloon after and were as happy as could be. They loved trick or treating and everyone was so nice. Ethan's costume got a lot of attention everyone seemed to love it. They got a ton of candy. Sophie did have face make up on but she wiped it all off. Now she gets into my make-up and says "nose." Since I painted her nose black and gave her whiskers. Sophie also wanted to give candy to whoever gave her candy. Too funny.

My Quirks

2008-10-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

Okay I have some quirks, I come to find out. I've done 7 instead of 6 just because one came to me so I had to write it down. I know others that have similar quirks so I don't feel so bad. One big quirk is I'm a perfectionist. Except I feel I adjust easily to not having it perfect. So maybe I'm really not, or I've just learned that everyone's not like me and their way is right too. Except I think my way is better and smarter. lol. Honey:)

1. I LOVE lemons, especially with salt, not so much with sugar. Since this really isn't good for your teeth I didn't eat them much as a kid. Every now and then I'll have a craving for one. I've loved lemons since I was really little and it might be because my birth Grandparents had a lemon tree. But then Ethan loves them naturally. I thought I was the only weird one who like lemons with salt until I met other birth family members who all like it as well. Now that we live in a place with a Meyer lemon tree out front I'll eat one maybe once every two months. When we get a house I'm definitely going to grow a lemon tree in my yard.

2. I guess I have a lot of food quirks. But I also love pickles. But I'm picky about which ones I like. My great grandma who lived to be over 100 made the best pickles ever. Someday I'll get a hold of her recipe and make them like she did. This pickle craving is like my lemon one. A pickle was my first strong craving while being pregnant with Ethan. It was late at night and I would of gone anywhere to get a pickle. Even a movie theatre (which I suggested to Brandon) just to buy a pickle. Never got my pickle with that craving but guess who loves pickles. He will wake up in the morning pull out the pickle jar and ask for one. That's right, Ethan loves pickles and will eat them for breakfast if he could. I think that is yucky. I guess I crave salty savory foods.

3. I fold my towels, and pants in thirds. They just fit better in the drawers and cupboards that way. But my favorite number has always been 3.

4. I love the smell of matches and fireworks.

5. One of Brandon's biggest pet peeves is that I'll leave the vacuum out. I do this when I haven't finished vacuuming a room. When I'm cleaning one room at a time if I haven't finished the room I haven't vacuumed it either because I always work from top to bottom when I clean. I do understand that tripping on a vacuum is no good.

6. I have a hard time killing (certain) bugs. I hate them so bad but can't make myself kill them. I just yell for Brandon and watch them to see where they go. Like a pointer dog. I also will vacuum everywhere just to make sure I suck up all of the spiders. Meaning at least once a week I'll move the couch and the other furniture to vacuum under and all around the baseboards and window seals of the whole house. I'm crazy but maybe it's normal. I hope I'm not the only one.

7. When I cut my nails I can't touch carpet or yarn or anything with that type of texture like sweaters. It makes me have the chills. To me it's the same feeling as when someone scratches the chalk board. It gives me the chills just thinking about it.

I tag Ricki and Brandon. It's 6 quirks, I just did 7 but one is a pet peeve of Brandon's:) Thanks for tagging me Sherece that was fun.

Halloween Party

2008-10-27T00:17:00.000-07:00

We went to the church's Halloween party the other day. It was nice. They had a chili cook off and I wished I would of known earlier because I would of made the white chicken chili. Yummy. It was fun. We sat with Alexandra and her family who are the sweetest people ever. They have watched our kids a couple times.
Sophie was a cute little kitty, since she loves meowing and acting like a cat all the time. I thought it would be perfect for her, but she hated wearing her ears and tail. They also did a Halloween costume contest with a 0-5 years of the scariest costume, the cutest, and the most original. Yeah, Ethan won most original. No one wants to be an octagon for Halloween or a stop sign for that matter. No one except Ethan.

Sophie eating her candy.
Brandon wore his AC/DC shirt and because he did we found out that Alexandra and her family are fans as well. Pretty cool.

I look sleepy here. Bad picture but Sophie looks so cute.

Ethan with his award.
Here he is doing his one eyed look.
And again the one eyed, eating candy look. Ethan dug right into his candy. Sophie liked it as well but once she had a piece of candy in her bucket she didn't want to get more. She just wanted to eat it right then. I think all kids that age are that way. She now wakes up in the morning and that's the first thing she asks for besides "Where's Daddy?"
Ethan's stop sign is pretty cool. Made with cardboard, paint and paper. It's a cool "going green" costume. I did make it like a sandwich board like Ricki suggested, so the back side is the same as the front. Now all it needs is reflecting tape and he is good to go. I'll take better pictures on Halloween. I think his costume is pretty ironic for him since he is always go, go, go.

Funny Face

2008-10-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Sophie started making faces on the glass door when we were barbecuing outside the other day. I thought it was hilarious and Sophie loves to make us laugh. Ethan got in on the fun too. The last picture of Ethan reminds me of my brother Josh's one-eyed Willy from the Goonies.

Cute Little Kittens

2008-10-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

We had 4 kittens and their mama living on our porch for over a week. Our neighbor found a home for one of the kittens and the others I gave to a lady who does cat adoptions at Petsmart yesterday. She said she doesn't just take anyone's cats, but I told her their situation and that they are all really sweet, especially the Mama so she said she would. I called animal control and they said they'll just get put to sleep in 6 days. I also asked the neighbors around our block, but no one knew who's cat she was. My upstairs neighbor and I kept them well fed and I made a cardboard box home for them. We didn't do much but they stayed around all day and night. Ethan wanted the mama cat and would let it in the house when we weren't looking.

The Mom's Beach at Marina Del Rey

2008-10-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Brandon needed to work at a festival in Marina Del Rey. The kids and I went along and walked to the Mom's Beach. (Which wasn't that great.) Ethan took someone's beach ball and threw it in the water so they were unable to get it. (Since you can't swim in the water at this beach.) He then later took a volleyball, where a group of people were playing with a bunch of them. He ran and kicked the ball towards the water again luckily one of the ladies playing, sprinted and caught it just in time. So Ethan rode in the stroller the rest of the time we were there. Now when I take pictures of him he squint with one eye. The last one of him I tricked him into looking at me by telling him I already took his pictures. Sophie loved playing in the sand. We then headed back and Ethan got to play on all the blow up jumpers at the festival the rest of the time Brandon worked.

Sophie's Shoe Fetish

2008-10-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Sophie loves shoes and I think it has a lot to do with her age. Ethan liked shoes at her age too. She loves my heels and any shoes lying around, she'll put them on shuffling along to keep them on. Sometimes she'll even put on Brandon's sandals which are really big on my feet. When ever I'm about to get her dressed she makes sure to give me her shoes first. She'll even get Ethan's and my shoes, for us. She is such a good little helper.

Cody

2008-10-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

One night out of the blue my brother Andrew drives down from Colorado with his family to visit my parents for a few hours before heading back home. This was the first time we got to see Cody who is now two and a half. So at 8:30 at night I took Ethan and Sophie to my Mom's to see them. April came over as well with her boys Tristan and Hayden. A quick family reunion except Rose was missing. Andrew's wife Lindsey is in Germany right now for the Army. Hopefully Andrew and Cody will head over there soon with her. He is such a cute kid. Looks just like Andrew except he has big brown eyes instead of blue. Ethan really enjoyed playing with him. Ethan also loved running around on Grand-dad's shoulder's.

Brandon's Buzz

2008-10-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Brandon decided to buzz his head one morning. I begged him to keep his hair the way it was since his curls were starting to come back from the last buzz. But he wanted it all off.

He likes the finished look but I don't. I'm starting to get use to it, now that it's been about two weeks. Maybe he should of kept it the way it was in the pictures and we both would of gotten what we wanted;) Long with curls and buzzed.

2008-10-11T23:51:00.000-07:00

I have so much to post so now that the vacation posts are done I can post about what's new with us. Like how Sophie calls Ethan "sissee" since Ethan calls her sister. She might actually be saying Ethan and it just comes out that way too. They also were really sweet the other day that I need to mention what happened. Ethan was sitting on the coffee table watching cartoons and Sophie comes up to him and says "Sissee, hold me Sissee." She then she put her head in his lap and Ethan held her head as he watched cartoons. I thought it was the sweetest thing. They love each other so much. A lot of things have been happening and I can't wait to post about them but scroll down and enjoy all of the new vacation posts.