weekend blogger

hi there.  weekend blogger, here.  the boys went camping... so savannah and i went shopping with my mother in law.  of course, they will be back by the time you read this.  announcing the the world wide web that it's just the girls at home doesn't seem too smart, now does it?  :) 

silly faces.  she really missed her brother.  and bed time was tricky.

this week past week was our "transition" week.  transitioning from school to summer.  we had no schedule.  well, except for our weekly free stretch and grow class at central market.  i wish it had been around all along.  like, since ethan was a toddler.  excellent free fun.  and free is very good.

so beyond that, we played.  lincoln logs.  tinker toys.  blocks.  books.

we went to the colonial.  dinner in the corkroom.  my children ate chicken fingers... i can't even imagine how many chicken fingers i consumed during my year at colonial.  it was funny for me to watch my children sit there eating them.  while we were in the a/c.  and while i watched other people scurry around.  a teensy part of me missed that excitement.

just a teensy part.  for a fraction of a second.  and then i remembered that it was a pretty damn miserable job.  the end.  :) 

i had another slightly wistful colonial moment a couple of weeks ago, driving away from the kids school when i was at the stoplight by the zoo -- all the carts were being delivered.

that moment passed, too. 

and the kids had fun.  i think ethan riding in the shuttle car sans carseat was his favorite part.  figures.

and that night, i had a migraine.  like, the barfing kind.  fun times.  perhaps brought on by colonial??  hmmm....

and the next day, just a headache.  and a visit from my mother.  and a t-ball game.  and ice cream celebration.

ethan asked a thousand times when would nana come.  and a thousand more, when would it be time to go camping.  i hope i can keep him as entertained for the rest of the summer :)

still working on a daily schedule.  soooo hard.  i am an unstructured person who wants to be intentional with my time.  who isn't a fan of early mornings, but feel as if i have no choice.

in other news, faustino's garden of wonders has been plagued with some sort of horrifying spider mite infestation.  please send your good, green, garden rebound vibes our way.  our poor tomatoes could use it.  so sad i am hesitant to even photograph it.  here's to hoping the neem oil does the trick.

and lastly, i have been working on a post about my lessons from living in our little house.  it is my 8th anniversary here and i have many things to say.  lessons learned that should be documented.  but that also have a tendency to sound whiny and ungrateful.  i mean, i feel horrible complaining about the slugs or the foundation issues that cause doors not the close, or the random folks that walk down the street.  but i have to put it all in there or the good things don't seem as authentic.  like the fact that my kids still enjoy "cooking things" and playing trains and cars, without kitchens or special tables.  and that them sharing a room has been one of the sweetest blessings.  they are close.  most of my friends don't have their little ones sharing rooms when they are tiny.  i would have never have done it.  but we did out of necessity.

some really beautiful lessons that whisper to me, "trust His plan.  His plan is beautiful.  His provision is perfect.  His timing is without error." do not stress.

have a happy, stress-free, and safe holiday weekend.

xoxo, s



  

hello, monday.

did you have a nice weekend?  

we stayed busy.  this weekend was ethan's first t-ball game.   

isn't he cute??  doesn't he look so big and so little at the same time?  do you know he hasn't once complained or said he doesn't want to play?  he has had a great attitude.  at times, when the team was in the outfield, they had some funny moments.  it looked like a soccer game with the kids chasing after the ball in a mob.  he has had some totally spacey moments.  and he hasn't quite mastered any sort of hustle.  and i think my husband can now empathize with me on some of my "c'mon, ethan!" moments.  we have a dawdler on our hands.  my mother in law let me in on a little secret and now i think it might be genetic :)

savannah has been enjoying her role as supporting sister.  and she's been taking time to flirt with her brother's friends... this cute little boy in particular.  i kid you not.  she turns on the charm and says, "come and catch me!"  his name is william and he is a cutie.  and he flirts back.  oh boy.

and by the way, amy, i totally got the stain out of this one!  it took a little soaking and then some drying in the sunshine.  total stain fighting win!  

and today was the last day of school.  i took my camera so that the kids could have a photo with their teachers (even though savannah's last day was friday.  i forgot my camera.)

ethan's teachers could not have been more perfect for him.  they were so laid back and enjoyed him.  i loved leaving him in their care; i knew he was loved on while i was away.  his teachers understood his silly little antics.  and enjoyed them.  isn't it apparent in the "silly" photo?  love.

and savvy has loved mrs. melissa.  me too.  sweet, and patient.  reassuring.  savannah was too young for mrs. tracy's class, but all was okay.  melissa was awesome.  and savannah's little class was sweet.  no hitters or biters.  that's always a major bonus.  and melissa used washable paint.  another total bonus since i have a very messy little grub on my hands.

this week kicks off summer and i don't quite have my summer organized yet.  i feel like i need a plan.  except right now i think about it and it feels like paddling across the ocean in a rowboat.  completely overwhelming.  suggestions???

and *i think, but am pretty sure* my new birthcontrol pill has made me extra emotional.  extra sensitive.  and bitchy at times.  and i would like to say its made me gain a pound or so, but honestly, that's probably due to some food indulgences.  like stress eating a can of almond roca last week.  

so hopefully i can get my hormones straightened out and be a nicer person.  and hopefully i can get my act together and plan an intentional very fun summer for my children.  and hopefully i can keep it together and not get emotional as my sweet boy finishes his time in the 3 year old class when i go pick him up in a bit.

xoxo, s

a little confession

i still haven't gotten the hang of the new blogger yet.  which, isn't a good thing, because it makes me blog less.  it's much harder to hammer out a quick blog post when the buttons aren't in their normal spots.  and when ethan never naps.  and when i hear my house scream my name to clean, cook, iron.

i want to blog about things that are heavy on my heart.  and then i sit down in front of the computer and the words don't flow out very well.  i don't do my thoughts justice.  i want to talk about things that make me feel vulnerable, but i am hesitant to share them.  i don't feel like everything i think is very mainstream anymore.  and that makes me steer away from sharing.  i don't want to be judged. 


but when i think of it that way, it is very convicting.  if there is anything i have learned about myself lately, it is that seeking validation from anything but the lord will leave me feeling disappointed and will not satisfy me.  no matter how much or little outside validation i receive.  so truthfully, i should just put it all out there.  i'm not trying to earn affection from anyone.

and really, when i read blogs where friends share their hearts, i feel like they speak to me.  and your feedback has continually been positive when i open up... so i can't quite figure out my problem.  :)  maybe i would feel better if all the people that sitemeter tell me come here would click on the follow my blog button on right hand column... :)  i know you are out there, people.  i just don't know who you are!

okay.  whew.  confession off my chest.

we had a nice, very relaxed mother's day.  my sister in law hosted us for lunch and these were on the menu.  have you seen them on pinterest?  maybe you should pin them and make them because i could have eaten way more than the 3 or 4 that i did.  i held back.  who would have thought that the recipe would have been from sam's club?  i thought it was way more sophisticated than that!  don't be surprised if i end up making them just for our family this week... i think i will add the optional bacon in, too.  you know, just to be healthy.

the entire day was very relaxed.  i stayed in bed and drank coffee.  we skipped church.  i read frommers on san diego and simultaneously was excited and a nervous.

ethan gave me his gift on friday.  he was so proud of it.  i cried.  there are no words that describe how sweet it is to see my little baby giving something to me.  his excitement.  truly priceless.

i cleared out costco's potted plants for mother's day gifts and teacher gifts.  if you aren't buying your plants at costco, you should be.  wow.  the value. is. unbelievable.

and my mom is coming tomorrow.  :) she gets to spend time with the kids; i get to go to the dentist.  not quite a win/win, but close, right?  ethan has been asking me every morning, "is it thursday yet??"  this makes me fearful of how they will cope with living halfway across the country.  oh my.

in fact, i am a bit on the totally freaked out side of moving to la jolla.  i mean, on one hand, wow.  such a cool, vacation destination.  on the other hand, i can not wrap my mind around how pricey that part of the world is.  i keep telling myself it will work out.  but i tune myself out sometimes...  i think if i didn't have to worry about preschool waitlists, i might be a little more chill.  who knows.  i seem to always find something to obsess over.  its my negative nature.  

in the meantime, i am trying to enjoy now.  focus on my kids in the now.  we had a pretty good day last week:  perfect trip to the zoo, fantastic day, everyone was in the best moods.

the now is pretty wonderful.

xoxo, s

my little chickadee is two

my little savannah.  she is such a big girl.  and somehow, on her second birthday, she internalized her self turning into a big girl - because i see a "big girl" difference in her.

i'm just going to preface this post with a disclaimer:  i am going to be a braggy mom.  i really hate braggy moms, but hey, its my daughter's birthday and i feel like being braggy.  :)

she is so smart.  i mean, i can't get over her vocabulary.  unprompted.  sometimes it catches me off guard - i will think. "you said, what??"  and the comprehension.  amazing.  like, she knew if she gave up her paci, she got to ride forward in the car.  it was the only thing that got us through that first paci-free night!

and she is delightful.  she makes me laugh.  she loves me and wants to be with me.  it. is. so. sweet.  and her little giggle just melts me.  and her dancing.  and flirting.  she is a ham.  and she loves her brother.  to hear them play and laugh together is the sweetest song.

and she really is a cutie.  {i know, i am totally that mom, right now}  but i just love having a girl.  i can dress her up.  and it is like having this adorable little doll!  we have been the recipients of much clothing generosity... i feel blessed to indulge in dressing her up everyday...  finding a bow that coordinates and putting it in her glossy blond hair {my dad was blond as a baby, and so was my SIL.  i secretly always wanted blond hair...}

she is social... likes having friends.  and she likes brother's friends, too.  oh, boy.   she is clever... and brave.  and she is proud of ethan and misses him when they are apart. 

she is the sweetest little gift.

her stats:  she's 30 lbs. and she is 34.5 inches tall.  she is in a size 2T, although i can make the 18 month clothes stretch a little further with leggings.  and she's big enough that sometimes a larger size will work, too.  she is in her last pack of size 4 diapers.  they are getting too snug.  we will try to potty train this summer... but i won't push.  {i've learned my lesson}

we had a very tiny family celebration for her, on her actual birthday, the 28th, and she loved it.   she looked forward to her party and soaked up every minute of it.  we were blessed with nice weather, and it was really sweet for everyone to make the trip.  it was perfect.  and let me tell you, there were no decorations, or special plates, or favors or games.  and that was perfect, too.  because there is truth and beauty in simplicity.  my focus was on savannah.  and not spending unnecessary money :)

i don't know what our lives would be like without her and i am so thankful for my sweet daughter.  my little chickadee.  she is perfect for our family.  we are blessed, indeed.  happy birthday, savannah.

xoxo, s