father's day 2016: part 2

the boys and spent a long weekend in sunny and hot arizona
over father's day weekend!  c needed to be there to check on one of
his projects that had just finished construction, and since the hotel was covered
by his company, and we have lovely family members in phoenix and were long
over due in seeing them, the boys and i tagged along with c.



it was HOT...118 degrees to be exact!


still we had a wonderful visit...some much needed downtime for me.
we stayed at the hilton squaw peak hotel, our regular place....because it caters to families
so well.  we've been coming here with the boys since they were toddlers and they know the
property well....very well and we let them run around on their own now they're older. 


to beat the heat, we went to the pool early to find the chairs with the best shade,
then we'd play a competitive game of miniature golf {c and s were the reigning champs}.
afterwards, we'd float along the lazy river,  staying together as a family by linking our feet
around each other. i remember looking at my boys from underneath my giant floppy hat
thinking there was no where else i'd rather be. we were all so relaxed and happy.


after our floating morning, we swam in the pool and waterfalls and the boys went down the
water slides for hours....until they complained of hunger. we drank smoothies and had a snack,
and were back in our air-conditioned room by noon. 

c went to his jobsite and the boys and i snuggled into the comfy king-sized bed and read
peter pan.  scout thoroughly enjoyed it, but finn found it difficult to relate to. perhaps it's for
children who aren't tweens, then again, this is finn oliver.  the thought of living in
neverland forever, just having fun and never growing up sounded awful to him. "who would
want that" he asked?  {i think scout however, would love to be a little boy forever}.


on father's day, we met grammy gerber {GG}, heidi and her sweet family.  oh how i've missed
them!  we got to see their beautiful home, and spend some time with anoka, who is almost 2. 
what a beautiful child she is!  she is deliberate with what she does and says and i was amazed
how clearly she spoke. i could understand every word she said. 
{i know 3+ year olds that aren't as clear.}

i was in awe watching heidi and gregor in the role of parents....they are so good at it.


they introduced us to one of their favorite casual restaurants, hopdoddys which offered
a dozen different types of burgers AND a variety of amazing fries.  it was delicious!
we ate, drank, and caught up with each other. our time together was much too short.
we parted with me wanting more of them.  oh how i love and miss my phoenix family.


the boys and i look forward to going back to AZ to meet duke sometime this fall.
{it will be much more tolerable}. *wink*

father's day 2016: part 1

the boys and i spent this father's day in phoenix with my lovely sister heidi
and her family. there will be more to come on our time together, but until then,
i wanted to post the boy's responses  to the father's day questions i asked them.
{i considered introducing new questions, then decided against it as i thought it
would be more fun to see how their responses vary from the previous years} 

Scout Gerber, age 8  

1. What is something dad always says to you?  he says i love you
2. What makes dad happy?  playing tennis and surfing
3. What makes dad sad?  finn and me fighting
4. How does your dad make you laugh?  he tells jokes
5. What was your dad like as a child?  He was a big reader like me (he even won an award in kindergarten for it).  he also had lots of brothers.
6. How old is your dad? 46
7. How tall is your dad?  5’8
8. What is his favorite thing to do?  play tennis
9. What does your dad do when you’re not around? work
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?  for being the world’s best dad
11. What is your dad really good at?  building and designing all kinds of things: like treehouse, ziplines, soccer goals, secret doors in the library, and other stuff.
12. What is your dad not very good at?  can’t cook so well
13. What does your dad do for a job?  he’s a Senior Project Manager and works for CBRE
14. What is your dad’s favorite food?  breakfast burrito from taco surf
15. What makes your dad proud?  when I score a goal in soccer
16. If your dad were a character who would he be?  Captain Picard from Star Trek
17. What do you and your dad do together? Play soccer together
18. How are you and your dad the same? We are both very active and we are focused on whatever we do.
19. How are you and your dad different?  He is more of a builder and designer and I'm more of a reader.
20. How do you know your dad loves you? He says I love you and hugs and kisses me all the time
21. What does your mom love most about your dad?  That he takes care of our family, is very good at fixing thing and he takes her on dates.
22. What is your dad’s favorite place to go?  Mexico or the ocean
23. How old was your Dad when you were born?  37

Finn Oliver Gerber, age 12 

1. What is something dad always says to you?  Good morning
2. What makes dad happy? when we do what we are supposed to do without him reminding us
3. What makes dad sad?  when scout and I are fighting
4. How does your dad make you laugh? Mmm, I have to think about this one
5. What was your dad like as a child? he was a Minnesota kid who ran around the neighborhood with his brothers and friends and he played hockey.
6. How old is your dad?  45
7. How tall is your dad?  6’?  honesty, i don’t know
8. What is his favorite thing to do?  surf
9. What does your dad do when you’re not around?  works
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?  Best architect
11. What is your dad really good at?  surfing
12. What is your dad not very good at?  strong paddling {when he surfs...i'm a faster paddler}
13. What does your dad do for a job?  he manages lots of projects
14. What is your dad’s favorite food?  he loves breakfast burritos
15. What makes your dad proud?
16. If your dad were a character who would he be? dad is unique, he doesn’t fit into any box of a single character
17. What do you and your dad do together?  he watches star trek: the next generation with me
18. How are you and your dad the same? dad can be quiet like me, and we both have strong legs
19. How are you and your dad different?  i have blonde hair, he doesn’t.  i love space and he loves tennis.
20. How do you know your dad loves you?  he tells me and he encourages me with everything i do.
21. What does your mom love most about your dad?  that he is a great scrabble player
22. What is your dad’s favorite place to go?  the ocean
23. How old was your Dad when you were born? 33

billy elliot

a few months back, i saw rent with my theater loving girlfriend aleyda.
on the program, i saw billy elliot would be the next show and i was SO excited!
i had heard this  musical was phenomenal and with elton john having composed
the music, i knew i had to see it.


aleyda too wanted to see it, so tickets were purchased for us mom and our boys.
we made a day of it, meeting for a delicious lunch and then seeing the show
at the lyceum downtown.

the young boy that played billy elliot was 12 and had an amazing voice.
he's still refining his ballet and tap skills. my favorite song in the show is
electricity. it simply won't leave my head. {and that's not a bad thing}.


here's sir elton john performing electricity with professional dancers
in the background.  ahhh...i get goose bumps every time i watch this.

~ one of the MANY things on my bucket list is to see this show on stage in
london someday.

spring piano recital: 2016

today the boys played in their spring recital! 


after months of practicing, they finally had a chance to perform in front
of an audience other than their parents. both boys did well and felt good
about their performance.

here is finn oliver (age 12) performing The Tango Dramatico by catherine rollin.
he has come a long way in 5 years.

though finn's piece was more dramatic, scout's piece was actually the tougher
piece for his skill level. when i tried playing the sheet music scout was given,
i could hardly believe it.  it was full of sharps and flats and tough reaches for
an 8 year old kid who's only been playing for 2.5 years. 


he by far had the biggest challenge this time around.  his teacher, mr. patrick,
acknowledged this publicly at the end of the recital when he gave scout a
little certificate for his dedication and perseverance.  no  matter what challenge
is thrown at this kid, scout gives it his all.


i'm one proud momma!

here is scout benjamin (age 8) performing Valse Semplice by dennis alexander.

southern shindig with my sis

my little sis flew out to san diego for a little rest and relaxation and to celebrate
our birthdays together. i missed her rollerskating party in oakland
and well, we were due for some sista fun.


we got pedis one afternoon and because Girl's Nights are always fun and needed
....especially when one is surrounded by men and boys at home and at work,
i hosted a 'southern shindig' the weekend leslie was in town for some close friends.


we ate fried chicken, cornbread and apple pie, and someone even brought bacon
wrapped sweet pickles {i couldn't muster up the courage to try one even though i
love bacon}.  we ate, laughed and played in the photo booth like teenage girls for
hours and ended the night watching sweet home alabama outside under the stars. 


it was seriously a fun night!


i didn't take a single photo with my camera or phone
{a sign i was having so much fun}, but here are a couple
from the photo booth. disclaimer: i had nothing to do with the confederate
flag. the owner added that without my consent, not understanding the negative
connotation that it has. these cali girls didn't get offended at all...they simply laughed.

~ and where were my boys during all the fun? they ran off to the movies for a few hours.

gladly i'm sure...especially after i dragged finn and scout into the photo booth to pose with

me. they firmly believe those are "for girls". since they read my blog, i spared them any

embarrassment and aren't sharing our photos here, but the photo strips of me and my boys
are safely tucked away.

i must also share that c spent hours cleaning and setting up the backyard

{and training me on the use of our new projector} so that everything would run smoothly

for the night.  he puts up with my bossiness and impatience extremely well i must say.

he loves me an awful lot and well, i am truly grateful. 

you have been my friends

i am taking a minute today to share this quote that i found when i was

looking for the right words to share to some special ladies in my life.

because i married young and moved far from my childhood home,

c and i ended end up choosing friends who became our second family.  

a few we met in tucson during our early 20s and we moved to san diego

within a year of each other.  others we met shortly after we moved here.

we shared so much with this group.

like most 20 year olds, we loved to have fun. we spent holidays together,

camped, travelled, threw lavish new years parties, snowboarded, surfed,

learned to swing dance together, had regular game nights, ran in races,
went to concerts, etc.  for a decade of our lives, the majority of our free time
was spent with these friends.


when c and i decided to start a family of our own, things changed.
our lives slowed down. our weekends were spent at home or the beach with
our new family.  our disposable income went to daycare and later to piano and
to sports. am i complaining? not at all. this is the life we were ready for and we chose.
it was very much on purpose.
though i miss these friends, i am savoring the stage of life i'm in right now...
content seeing this 'family of friends' whenever i can.  these days, it is usually
for special occasions like birthdays and the annual 'holiday head' party.

i got together with several of these ladies recently and they presented me with a token

of our friendship. the gift was not just unexpected, but it was beautiful and meaningful,

and yes, it brought tears (to all of us).  this simple quote above from author, e.b. white

captures the essence of friendship so perfectly.   

my life is better and brighter because of dear friends.

and this is truly a tremendous thing.

sweet mornings

one of my mom/son traditions is sneaking out to krispy kreme
a few times a year on weekend mornings.  a few weeks ago,
the boys and i got up before the sun to make a kk run before
finn needed to be dropped off at the beach for surf practice.
as i put together this little photo collage, it reminded me of the days
when the boys were little and would stand behind the glass watching
the donuts on the conveyer belt....they were far more interested in that
than eating donuts. they still do this....but now they don't stay riveted quite so long.
with all the different kinds of donuts to chose from, they still,
want the simple glazed donut {my favorite too}. 

oh how I love our sweet mornings together. 

scout's spring soccer season 2016: warriors

soccer has filled our lives over the past several months.
with scout playing on both a recreation and competitive soccer team,
he is on the field practicing field 3x a week with games and or
competitions on the weekends {the games are my favorite part}.
with all the running scout does, he has grown lean and strong.
my 8 year old reports he has a 'six pack'.  this is apparently something
the boys talk about on his team}. seriously??  *sigh*
i am quite certain scout could beat me in a long distance run now too. 
in addition to becoming more fit, soccer has given scout so many other
intangibles: more focus, discipline, confidence, courage, patience and resilience,
and something to call his own.  it is truly one of scout's greatest passions,
and has been for well over a year now.

he is borderline obsessed.


with all the field time he's getting, he still wishes for 2 hour practices every day,
and he religiously follows the sport professionally. he prefers the european leagues,
specifically bayern munich and germany's national team. here's an example of his
dedication: because of the time difference between europe and the US,
the games are often in the early hours here on the west coast.
scout will set his alarm clock to wake him at the crack of dawn
{and often before dawn}, so he can watch his favorite teams play.


he gets upset when finn has surf practice/competitions and he has to miss some of
the game because he has to ride in the car with me to drop his brother off at the beach.
he'd love to stay home alone, but our rule {for now} is he has to be 12 years old.
if scout were our 3rd kid, maybe by 8 years we might be just fine leaving him.
as it stands, he's our second child. the magic number might shift to 11 in a few years,
but for now it stands as 12. {honestly, i'd have left finn at home alone for short windows
at 10 but c felt 12 was more appropriate}.i think it depends on the child...some 12 year
olds might not be ready. 
i digress, i jumped on to my blog tonight so i could record some memories of
my youngest's spring 2016 soccer season. his team name was warriors,
and sunday was his last game was this afternoon.  they lost, but it was to the best team
in the rec league in his division. it was expected.  the boys played hard and scout
only shed a 'few' tears after the loss.
i think he remembered that coach o'shea was handing out trophies after the game.
the frozen treat from yogurtland took a far second to that.


the best part of the season for scout was simply getting more time on the field AND
meeting a new friend, patrick. with scout's best friend moving to barcelona for a year,
scout is making a conscientious effort to make more friends...specifically one good friend.
he identified this boy halfway through the season as a kid he would like to be friends with
{he's very selective}. if i had to handpick one of the boys from the team, he was it. 
so when scout asked if he could come over for to play, i reached out to the mom the same day,
and we had a play date set for the next day. {i don't use this term 'play date' in front of the boys anymore}.
apparently, they are WAY too old for that. they prefer i use 'hang out'. 
*sigh*

patrick is the oldest of 3, a full year older than scout and is very mature, which is
probably why he gravitated towards him. patrick's mother, who i had only met a handful of
times on the soccer field, had no qualms at all about dropping him off at our home.
when i offered her a cup of coffee and invited her to stay and see the home environment,
she said "oh, that's not necessary angela, i've met you and your husband and your kids.
i trust your family".   oh how i loved hearing this and i love mothers who go with their gut,
don't helicopter and aren't anxious. their kids are more confident and simply easier to host for
playdates or sleepover.  anxious parents make anxious kids.
some highlights of scout's days with the warriors...































mother's day: 2016 [part 1]

my mother's day started with two boys in the kitchen
making some ruckus...and me patiently waiting for them
to bring me breakfast in bed. 15+ minutes later, they tiptoed
into our bedroom and finn, seeing me awake and c asleep,
whispering "happy mother's day" and then telling me he needs
help making breakfast because he's never made french toast before.

i followed him into the kitchen and gave him a quick cooking lesson
{he had the eggs cracked and bread out} and i showed scout how to make
coffee so he felt useful.c staggered into the kitchen half asleep and helped the
boys finish up.{unlike me he isn't a morning person}


the breakfast they cooked turned out to be delicious.


the boys presented me with sweet cards and small gifts.
csout's 'Appreciation Book' got the tears flowing,
and a chuckled came with i heard finn whisper "you did well scout".
he sure did.  {i'll share in another post}.


he boys also filled out these cute forms and presented the to me
and they gave me a smile. scout's guessing of my age and weight
made me smile...he made me younger and 10 lbs heavier. *grin*

after my tears and my meal, we dressed and headed towards

the soccer field. scout had a huge competitive soccer weekend...

2 games each day and an additional game with his rec soccer league

on sunday.  

i spent my mother's day biting my tongue and cheering from the sidelines.

c and i get SO into his games {yes, we are those parents}.

when finn played, that side just didn't come out since he wasn't competitive.

with a kid who LOVES the game and is pretty good, it's a whole different us.

it was a weekend full of soccer and smiles. scout's blast team took 2nd place in

the copa del rey tournament.

i ended the night meeting my girlfriend at the mall to see mother's day the movie.

{we knew our husband's wouldn't be interested}.  it turned out to be everything

we thought and hoped it would be, heartwarming and funny, and yes, we pulled
out tissues from our purses a few times.

what a beautiful thing to be a mother. it's exhausting and sometimes even a little

scary, but it's also the most beautiful, important and rewarding job i will ever have.

i am blessed to not only be a mother of two great kids, but to have so many positive
and hardworking moms as role models in my life. they've spent hours sharing,

listening and helping me navigate motherhood and i thank and celebrate them today.

it takes a village to raise a child...and it's also true with mothers.   

cinco de mayo 2016

be sure to tell christopher how much fun you had and everything

he missed out on tonight.

- chuck a

i just returned home from a cinco de mayo party that

was AMAZING, as always.  every year, dpr construction

hosts a huge party and it's the one event that anyone who
wants to see and be seen in san diego's AEC industry

architecture/engineering/construction) attends. 

everyone's there!

san diego has learned this general contractor knows how to party.

it was fully catered, with servers around every corner,

an open bar, a tequila tasting room, and excellent live music.

i literally could have stayed and closed it down but

i have to work tomorrow morning and more importantly,

drive home.

my darling c was home with the boys as scout had his bestie

spending the night. it's a thursday night but tomorrow is not a

school day.  the high tech community has a 'snow day'. 

ridiculous right?  why don't they just call it a 'beach day' or a

'may holiday'?

anyway, i made it home safely, got a quick update on how the

boys' evening was {finn cooked a spaghetti dinner for all}, and

they enjoyed an episode of star trek: the next generation.

as i promised chuck, i was sure to tell c that i was partying with his

tennis partner and wife for the last few hours. he smiled and said,

i'll beat him on the courts this weekend. *grin*

~ i ate a churro cupcake tonight - possibly one of the most

delectable cupcakes i've ever had!