2012 olympics

are you watching the olympic games every chance you can get?
me and my crew are.

the olympic games are a pretty big deal in our family.
{c and i even held olympic parties in our pre-kid days}.
i love how they celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship,
inspire children watching all over the world while
spreading the message of unity and peace.

any other week of the year, you could take away our single
television and chances are, i wouldn't even notice for a few
weeks until i wanted to watch a movie.

but

since the opening ceremonies in london,
our television has been on for a few hours every evening.
it's been especially fun this year since the boys are old enough to sit and watch.
they understand what it's about and we all get into cheering athletes from the u.s.
we all enjoyed the swimming events the other night, but scout announced that
skeet shooting was his favorite. {it involves a gun, enough said} *sigh*

during the games, there's alot of talking.
we talk about where the athletes are from, whether these are their first games,
their outfis and of course about how dedicated all the athletes are.
seeing them so physically strong and at the peek of their game is inspiring and motivating.
so tonight as finn was running around at soccer practice,
i decided i wouldn't just sit and chat with the mommas on the grass.
i brought my running shoes and decided to get a few miles in along the bay.
{i made sure his coach was ok with me leaving him for an hour plus}

i made a promise to myself to start exercising more,
and running during soccer practices is an easy thing to do.
and though i'll never be able to move or sculpt my body to look like
an olympic athlete with their perfectly toned muscular bodies,
i'll do what i can do to take care of myself, and set a good example for the boys.
the games reminded me that i only have one body - i better take care of it.  

happy olympic watching!

~ finn's kindergartner reading buddy, sydney is actually IN LONDON
at the olympics with her family.  so exciting!

life's a beach

before too much times passes,
{and this old brain forgets},
i wanted to share a couple of pictures from
the petersen's visit to san diego.

after the fun photo shoot under the pier,
we spent the rest of the day playing in the surf,
building sandcastles and soaking up the sunshine.
{and eating pringles too}

a few photos from our fun day together.



salty sisters: jen, leslie + angela

 

things i ♥ thursdays

happy thursday!

i never got around to sharing photos of our mexico trip,
and when i had a window of time a few weekends ago,
i learned our fancy home server {which has a mirror back up} wasn't working.
i'm staying positive about being able to retrieve our files.

i'm itching for a little vacation, but the next one is a ways away
{october we're heading to utah to visit trevor, shannon and the kids}
in the meantime, the boys have been quietly talking about going back to mexico
amongs themselves.  i remind them we are supposed to be saving for a home
i admit it, i do miss mexico, so today,
i am resurrecting things i love thursday to allow me a chance to
think dream about what i miss  *grin*

i ♥ guacamole and chips
i ate alot of it during our last visit to mexico.
the boys ate it even more - several times a day.
{we convinced ourselves it was ok because avocados are healthy}

i ♥ pico del gallo
i ate this everyday during our last trip

i ♥ margaritas
enough said

i ♥ mexico's traditional clothing
during our last trip there, we noticed a group of people gathering on the street.
we learned a parade was going to begin. {i can't remember the occasion}
we parked ourselves along the narrow cobblestoned streets and watched.
it was such a treat. we saw everything from local school children performing,
to dancing horses, and many in their country's traditional clothing.
it was one of the highlights of that day.

i ♥ drinking soda out of glass bottles
in real mexico {where there are more locals than tourists},
this is the norm and it's really cool to me because it's different
than here at home. the boys had their very first sodas in mexico -
orange fantas. {scout will occasionally still ask for when he sees one}

moonrise kingdom







via

happy tuesday to you!

i hope you had a fantastic weekend.

mine was productive and that's always a good thing.

i got a good run in on mission bay saturday morning
while the boys rode their bikes ahead of me.
every so often they get the reminder "i need to see you with my eyes"
{my rule now that i gave them a pretty long leash}.

and the fun didn't stop there.
i washed four loads of laundry,

tidied the house {so that it was presentable to anna, our summer sitter} monday am.

last, i got all of scoutie's birthday thank yous cards in the mail.

he had so much fun writing in each of them - a dozen! 

since saturday was mostly taken up with chores/errands,

i tried to squeeze in some fun on sunday.
c spent a chunk of the day at the beach with three little guys {finn's buddy josh in tow},
jen and i snuck away to play.

we went to the cineapolis,  a new luxurious movie theater here in san diego. 

we went before noon and tickets were still almost $20 {ouch}.
the good news is, we didn't have to pay a dime for them.

we used the giftcard i received from my breakfast club girls for my birthday!

so what does one get for an almost $20 a seat?

well, probably the most comfortable chair i've sat in...EVER!!

it was super thick, wide, reclined all the way back and even had a footrest.

seriously, if the movie wasn't interesting, i would have fallen asleep.

there were two deep cupholders on each chair, and a little tray that swings out 

for your food/snacks and then tucks away neatly when you don't need it. 

the theater sells more than typical movie snacks - they have coffee {gourmet too},

alcohol, and hot and cold appetizers. WOW!!

so on to the movie.


of everything that was playing, the wes anderson's moonrise kingdom was the only

movie that sounded interesting and jen was up for seeing it.

{she's a fan of the director's artistic films}

and YES, this film is artsy - in a good way. 

if you are familiar with wes anderson's other films, you will recognize his style.
i think more than anything, i loved the costumes and music.

the story is about two awkward 12 year olds who fall in love and run away together.

i won't say more about it, as I don't want to spoil it for those who might see it.

watch the trailer at this link to learn more.

as for the fancy theater, it was nice, but i certainly won't be going back

regularly or i won't be able to feed my three, but someday i do hope to go back

for a special date night with c or to celebrate a birthday with a girlfriend.

petersens play under the pier

i've been SO anxious to share these photos
of my sister and her two sweet boys,
but as a courtesy, i wanted her to receive all of them
before i posted anything. after waiting patiently for me,
i finally got them all off to her tonight. {danka leslie}

so before leslie and the boys arrived in san diego,
we talked about doing a little family photo shoot.
she wanted some current photos of her bunch
{and grandma has been asking for one too}.

she knows i love to play photographer and need to practice,
so it was a win/win for the both of us.

we chose to shoot beneath crystal pier in pacific beach because
1. it's pretty and shady {which means less squinting from sun} and
2. we wanted to spend a few hours at the beach the day anyway

so without further ado, here are just a handful of my favorites.

this sweet family was a JOY to photograph.

they had fun with it, which made my job easy.
{soren was very patient to put up with all the kelp and little critters

that like to hang out in and around it}

eventually i'll get to the sister pixs.

~ tonight the boys and i are off to our second point loma's summer concert.
we look forward to these every summer and will be sprawled out on a blanket
and lawn chairs for the next several weekends. 

boys will be boys

soren (5 1/2), finn (8), christopher, ander (3) and scout (5)

my sweet sister leslie shared this photo with me today and it made me smile.
it was taken during her recent visit - she and the boys spent an afternoon playing
at a park while this momma was missing out on all the fun {i was working}

anyway, the picture made me smile and reminded me that BOYS will be BOYS.  
{no matter what age}.


oh how i wish my sister and nephews lived closer.
we'd share holidays, birthday parties, special events
and LOTS of together time at the park and beach i'm sure. 
though they are here in california, they are a good 8 hours drive away -
a tough drive even without kiddos. *sigh*


we have been able to get together annually, which is better than nothing,
so i feel fortunate at least for that.  we are hopeful someday we can get within
a few hours drive of each other.

i'll share more photos of cousins in a future post.
for now, this picture is the best i can do.  

~ tonight after work, i babysat for my friend Melissa so she could get the
ever important 'date night' in with her hubby. it was tiring after a long day at work,
but i had fun too.  scout and her son, logan {4} spent a chunk of the evening wrestling
and i carried his sweet sister, kennedy {8 months} around when she'd let me.
finn was such a big help - keeping her entertained and feeding her bottles.

i could tell he was really enjoying himself, so i wasn't surprised when he asked
me for a baby sister at bedtime!  we've had that discussion a few times already.
he knows a female puppy is the closest he is going to get to a baby sister. *grin*
first, we need to find our next home, and it's not been easy. {that's for another post} 

arrrr: it's a pirate party!

hey mateys!
i've been out to sea the past week or so
as i was playing catch up after having visitors,
birthday parties {c celebrated his too}, 
and making sure our new crew member,
anna {our summer sitter) was settled in and comfortable.
she came on board last monday and so far so good!

so on to the pirate party.
we had tons of pirate fun,
and it almost felt like we were ON a ship when the wind kicked up.
it blew our sails all over the place, 
including the tablecloth into the cake and cupcakes. *arrh*
luckily, i snapped a few pictures before it happened.
{c worked hard on the pirate ship cake}

despite the wind, one thing was perfect - the location!

a few weeks before invites went out,
i drove around mission bay and found a palm tree covered cove,
that had a small island that could be accessed by foot during low tide. 
this island is where a dozen lil' pirates, followed the map auntie jen created,
and found their treasure chest full of loot at the red X.
finn had secretly buried it before the guests arrived to the island.

now for some party pictures, below is the cute invite.
all the pirate printables were created by jessica at the paper plume.

lil pirates from top: lucas, finn, ander, brooke, daniel
bottom: soren, logan, scout, chloe, sydney, brooke, mylie,
kaitlyn and sabrina

the highlights: the treasure hunt, wading through the water 
to get to the island {the tide had risen} to find the loot,
walking the plank in pirate rainboots, whacking the pinata,
firing cannonballs {black water balloons}
and sword fights {party favors from target}.

~ more photos will be shared with birthday guests and family/friends on shutterfly or facebook. 
oh and scoutie's grump face' was due to his inability to get to the loot after the chest was dug up.
finn had run ahead with the kids and i didn't have the opportunity to manage them. *sigh*.
in the end, scout's matey's shared their gold and jewels.    

rediscovering shel silverstein

if you are a dreamer, come in,
if you are a dreamer,
a wisher, a liar,
a hope-er, a pray-er,
a magic bean buyer . . .

come in . . . for where the sidewalk ends, shel silverstein's world begins.
you'll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale.
the unicorn and the bloath live there, and so does sarah cynthia sylvia stout
who will not take the garbage out.

it is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens,
a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

{the above taken directly from the inside jacket of this 30th anniversary special edition}

i rediscovered this fantastical book last night,
while finn and scoutie were discovering it their first time.

auntie jen gave scout a hard copy of this 30th anniversary special edition
for his recent 5th birthday. she included a handwritten heartfelt note in it too.
it's a book we have all been enjoying. so much in fact,
we're having a hard time putting it down.
story time lasted a full hour tonight {and this was our only book}

if you are like me, and had almost forgotten about silverstein,
it's time to refamiliarize yourself with him again.
{he is the author of the giving tree},

pick up a copy of this book at your local library or purchase a copy at target
for yourself, your child or your grandchild and get ready to smile and to be
transported to a magical place through words and illustrations.
if you never considered poetry FuN, 
you'll think differently after reading this book.  


it took me back to elementary school.
i remember sitting on the carpet with all my classmates listening to our school
librarian read this book out loud. i was captivated - such wonderful memories!

~ i'm anxious to share scoutie's pirate party pictures,
but i haven't viewed or even downloaded them yet. *sigh*
{it's been an very full week at home and at work}.
my goal is to try to get to them this weekend,
as well as the photos i took of my sis and nephews.
i'm crossing my fingers i captured at least 2/3 good ones from each event.
sit tight...

scoutabout is 5

today is sweet scout's 5th birthday,
and although his birthday party won't take place until sunday,
he did get the 'fancy breakfast' he requested, a waffle with a fruit face.
{i put a pack of 5 gum on his breakfast tray too, as a special treat}.

and because i love traditions that are meaningful and want to remember
exactly what my youngest was like at this age,


i'm continuing the tradition of posting 5 things that describe scout:

1. he loves to read
      about 5 months ago, something clicked and a whole world opened up to him as
      he began to read most anything put in front of him.  the magic treehouse series are his
      favorites and we often find him reading by the nightlight in the mornings before the sunrises.

2. he is rough and tumble
       this boy can sit quietly and read or do educational workbooks for hours, but he can be ALL boy too! he loves to swim, dive, run, climb, ride his bike, play soccer, have foot races, play pirates and wrestle. 

3. he is cuddle bug
      even though he asks us to 'wrestle him' almost daily, he also asks for me to rub his back
      and sing to him every night at bedtime. it's a special time for him {and for me}.

4.  he loves peanut butter and jelly
       scout prefers this classic sandwich over any other type of lunch food right now.
      {we've been substituting with sunbutter in his lunch box the last 2 years because a 
       child in his class has peanut allergies}. REAL peanut butter is a little bit of heaven to him.

5.  he looks up to his big brother
        even though the boys have started to fight a little bit more than in year's past, they are
        devoted to each other and the best of friends.  under finn's care, scout is protected from
        danger, has a perfect playmate for building, playing war, being spy agents, building forts and
        just being silly {remember the necked post}. 

        he is also has a quick learner. 
        last weekend i woke to piano music and knew it wasn't finn playing.
        i listened from my room and scoutie was getting a lesson from finn.  SO cute!
        an hour later, scout knew how to find middle c, what a quarter, half and whole note was.  
        he could also play 3 simple songs. 

i could list many more things about our sweet scout benjamin, but for now, these 5 will do.
as i sit here after the end of our long day, i count my blessings, and he is a BIG one in my life.
he brings so much joy to our family.

happy birthday to our Birthday Boy! 


~ at breakfast, he requested we call him 'Birthday Boy' all day. 
{when we would forget, he'd quickly reminded us how to address him} *grin*

cousin chloe comes to visit

i hope you had a wonderful weekend!

mine was extra special because my sweet niece chloe,
and her parents, chad and anissa, were in town from california's central valley. 
it was SUCH a treat...i was long overdue to see them.

the cousins got lots of quality time together.
they spent thursday at sea world and spent friday at the san diego zoo.
{i took a vacation day to play}.

we all enjoyed the sunshine and spending the day catching up.
i especially enjoyed getting to know chloe better.
she is a doll. she has big hazel eyes, adorable gerber cheeks and is easy going.

for whatever reasons, 
she really took to finn and held his hand alot throughout the day.  
it was SUPER cute and i think he enjoyed every minute of it.

it was hard to say goodbye, and my hope is we will get together again soon.
we are are blessed to live in the same state and have an opportunity to visit each other a
few times a year. 

~ miss chloe will be turning 3 on july 7th! {just one day after scoutie's b-day}.
where oh where does time go?