saying goodbye to the world's best nanny

don't cry because it's over. smile because it happened.

- dr. seuss

though i tried not to think about it too much, the day came anyway -
- christi's last day with our family.

i will miss her big smile and the daily updates she never failed to give me on the boys,
even when i arrived home a few minutes late and she needed to get going to school.

 i'll miss the cute 'dos and occasional trims she'd give the boys,
the video and pictures she'd send me of the boys during the day
(the one of finn riding in the basket of her beach cruiser is a classic).

i'll miss the help she gave with the boys's b-day preparations,
the swapping of movies, and the cds she'd make me introducing me to her favorite artists.

there are so many little things that i will miss - i couldn't possible name them all.
they all add up to much.

the boys will miss her too - - her zest of life, her creativity
and all those fun day trips all over san diego.
they will miss her adventurous spirit, her kindness and laughter,
the too often 'vanilla milks' she'd get them during her am coffee run (among other treats).

mostly, i think they will miss her love.
they were visibly happy when they were with her - we could see it in their faces.

although scoutie will probably not remember specifics about his almost 2 years with christi,
he will look back at all the pictures taken with her and will know she was his second mommy
during his first few years of his life and know she was special to him.
finn will be able to remember specifics i'm sure, and can fill in his little brother in.

though christi will always remain a part of our lives (i am sure of this),
this part of our lives has ended.
it's a little sad, but i will remember to smile because we were blessed to
have met her and have her in our lives.

we miss you already christi and look forward to seeing you again.
here are a few photos i took at the base of the presidio hill a few weeks back.
i will post photos of our backyard bbq soon.

for the love of chocolate

all i really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!

~ lucy van pelt in peanuts by charles m. schulz

finn and scout enjoy baking with me - well mostly they enjoy the end results,
but it's nice when i can get them to do something with me that requires them to stay relatively still.

this past sunday we whipped up a chocolate fudge cake.
we had a good reason for baking too.
christi and several of her family members were coming over for a casual farewell dinner
the following evening and i'm a believer in dessert after dinner for any social gathering.

the boys pulled chairs up to the kitchen counter to stand on and helped to crack eggs and
pour in the oil and water. getting them to take turns was the toughest part.
scoutie feared he wasn't going to get to help equally and was constantly saying "i try too".

we all had a great time but the best part for them - licking the spoons and beaters!
and who said just little girls like to bake?  these little boys had a blast,
and they seem to love chocolate just like their mom and dad






cheers - a ritual they do with everything (drinks, popsicles, lollipops, etc.)

   

cutie pie chloe

last weekend, the boys and i roadtripped 5 hours north to hanford,
a little town located somewhere in california's central valley.
don't ask me how to get there because i honestly couldn't tell you.
c did all the driving and i had my head in a book most of the time.

we drove through lots of farmland which sparked c to share interesting tidbits about our fertile valleys.
i learned that california's farms supply a quarter of all the food for americans.
just to be sure, i confirmed this at this npr link. how he knew this random bit of information is beyond me.
 the little boys got to see lots of 'choo choo's" and for scout, this was the highlight of his trip.
everyday since we've returned, he's said numerous times, "go back momma, see choo choo track".

the purpose of the trip was to meet our newest niece, chloe!
her daddy is a pilot in the navy and away for a few months and my s-i-l is home alone with her new baby girl. c and i we wanted to not only meet this beautiful baby girl, but to help mom out in any way we can. having a newborn is demanding enough and to not have your spouse there, well i can't imagine how difficult it must. anissa is staying strong and managing just fine.

little chloe is an absolute angel!
she is 6 weeks old and such a good-natured baby.
anissa was kind enough to let me hold her as often as i wanted and i couldn't get enough.
i even volunteered to do 'night duty' two nights in a row so my s-i-l could get some much needed rest.
i felt like it was the least i could do and honestly, i enjoyed it.

it reminded me of those days i had newborns. somehow, even though i was exhausted and half asleep,
i'd manage to feed them without falling out of the rocker. oh those days go by in the blink of an eye...

thank you for anissa, chloe and pups (roxy, baxter and gus) for sharing your home with us.
we look forward to seeing you all again!

a few photos of this past weekend.



new mommy anissa and chloe





pretty little nursery





auntie a with chloe





aboys visiting gus in his 4-poster bed



boys loved playing wi

  

feelings of awe

when i approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments;
tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become.
- louis pasteur

finn oliver, 5 yrs.

i can't think of more appropriate words to describe how i am feeling about finn right now.
he is still my little boy in so many ways - crawling up in my lap to snuggle on occasion and
still asking for back rubs and a song before bed.
in these moments, i'm reminded of my baby boy.

when i watch him play with scoutie,
my heart is full of joy as he can be the sweetest big brother in the world.
he speaks calmly and respectfully to him (most of the time at least),
enouraging him along as he plays and discovers.
in these moments he is much older.

though there are remnants of my baby boy left,
there is a big boy surfacing now and today was a reminder of this.
christopher and i joined him for kindergarten orientation today at explorer elementary.
it finally hit me that i have a child starting school. i wasn't overwhelmed with sadness,
as i am really excited about this next step, but i have been reflective all day...
on these past 5 years of his life and my life as his mother.

at the school, we were introduced to the director (explorer doesn't use the term principal),
as well as the 3 kindergarten teachers and their partner teachers.
they were all so warm and seemed to truly enjoy teaching and children. it felt good.

although we won't find out for another few days what teacher finn will be assigned to,
i mentioned to c that i don't think we could go wrong with any of them. he agreed.
finn (and parents) left excited as ever and ready to start this new adventure.

august 31st is the big day!!

i truly am in awe of this beautiful little boy who is growing up so fast.

love is in the air

i've blogged about my brother todd recently getting engaged in paris.
 the proposal took place under the eiffel tower and sounded beautiful.
i never knew my brother to be a romantic, but little did i know, he is!

i won't even attempt to re-tell todd and heather's engagement story,
just visit their website and read for yourself. the stars are out and shining bright!
wedding plans are in full swing and excitement is in the air.

i've yet to meet heather, my future s-i-l, but i already adore her.
she is thoughtful, seems to be lots of fun, and she's good at keeping
me in the loop with everything via email/text.

most important, she makes my brother happy.
i can hardly wait for october 17th - their wedding day!

hip and hidden hotel in sd

to celebrate jen getting her very own place,
tina and i took her out for a girl's night out at the pearl,

i'll try to describe this place the best i can. it's a 1960s hotel
that has been renovated to a 23 room mid-century modern hotel/lounge.
it's a hip and happenin' little place truly something right out of dwell magazine.

it's full of cool architectural details and decor: little round niches to hold beach towels,
tall bamboo for privacy, butterfly chairs, low profile couches, flat screen tvs,
funky beach balls floating in the pool, stainless steel numbers on each door.
and this is just what i could see from the bar and lounge area.
i've heard the guest rooms are just as interesting and even house a beta fish in each room.

i've included a few pictures, but they don't do it justice. it's super groovy.
jen pointed out that i used that word several times to describe it, but i can't help it - it's fitting.
small cafe tables and vip lounge areas are tucked away in niches that surround a small organic shaped pool.
a large outdoor screen overlooks it all.

every wednesday the hotel hosts 'dive-in movies' and last night's features was my big fat greek wedding.
we laughed outloud and stayed until the credits rolled. i almost forgot to mention the the fully retractable wall which blends the indoor and outdoor spaces perectly.
where else in the country can designers do this and not even think twice about bugs and weather?
this is a big reason we all live here - me and 3 million others. 

the pearl is definitely a place we all agreed we want to go back to.
i'd like to go with my bookclub girls and i must take christopher here on a future date night too.
he will absolutely LOVE this place! it's rare that lil ol' me gets to introduce him to cool architectural.

oh, and one more great thing, the pearl is only 15 minutes away from my house!
and to think i never knew this place existed. *sigh*

when i play tour guide to out of town visitors, i'm most certainly taking them here.

more of maddy

i have been seeing *lots* more of my sweet niece maddy (madison) lately.
technically she's a second cousin, as her dad barry is christopher's first cousin,
but i've always felt like an auntie to her so i call her my niece.
she calls me auntie angie.

i first met maddy back in the late 90s when christopher and i were 20-somethings
and just moved to san diego from arizona. she was a little girl then (maybe 3 or 4).
i fell in love with her instantly.


when she was a little older, her parents would allow her to stay overnight with us and we'd do all kind of fun activities: drive-in movies were one of her favorite things. since i didn't have my sisters with me in san diego, i was drawn to her. christopher and i weren't parents then and had lots more free time to spend with her and do fun things. then our family grew and for several years we didn't see much of maddy. a few months ago, we chatted on-line and since then, she's back in my (our) lives. she's by far my best text messaging buddy!

the timing is perfect too. she's wanting to spend more time with family and we are at the point in our lives where we don't have infants anymore and our options for activities is a little bit larger for weekend play. she's is a huge help when we go anywhere the the little guys and it's very appreciated. she babysits from time to time too and the boys just adore her.

maddy is an amazing girl with a heart of gold.
we love her, are happy to have her around more,
and look forward to spending lots more time with her.
here are a few pictures i've taken from her over the summer.

.

finn, amber, madison and scoutie

a lost art

letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.
~johann wolfgang von goethe





a few days ago, just before i started to write 'thank you' notes
to guests who attended scout's birthday party,
i received an email from evite asking if i wanted to send electronic thank yous.
unlike the boys' past birthdays, this year's invitations were not paper.
with so much going on,
i decided to forgo the paper invitations and sent evite invitations.

sending electronic thank you cards however,
was not something i could bring myself to do.
 even though life moves at 100 mph,
and with all the technology available at my fingertips,
handwritten thank you cards are non-negotiable for me.


maybe it's because they have become more rare,
that when someone takes the time to actually sit down
 and write a heartfelt note and put a stamp on a card, it's special.

i treasure the ones i receive - posting them on our family magnet
board or on my piano for days - sometimes weeks.
if the message resonates with me or the card is super cute/unique,
i might even tuck away in a box somewhere to look back on.

my parents were big believers of handwritten letters.
as children, my siblings and i were encouraged to write our grandparents once a month -
usually on sundays after church. both sets of my grandparents lived in indiana and since we rarely had the opportunity to visit them, this was our way of staying in touch.

i think this is when my love affair of the handwritten letter began - not just writing them,
but receiving them too. i'd anxiously await a letter in the mail from grandma shappard.
i still remember her handwriting today and hope that i have a letter of two of hers saved in my keepsake box, which my mother is still holding on to.

yes, i'm a lover of handwritten notes.
i have saved notes with the 'pull here' tab that i passed back and forth with my girlfriends,
letters from boys i had crushes on in middle school, every note/card christopher gave me when we were dating, as well as every anniversary card to date.

call me strange or old-fashioned, but i hope the handwritten letter never fully goes away.
i appreciate the gift of effiency and accuracy the computer allows us, but it doesn't provide a truly personal touch. as long as i can write, this tradition is one that will continue for me and my family.

paws without pads - a success

the big day finally arrived. after hundreds of hours of work over several months, my friend charlotte's efforts were made real this past saturday. with the help of dozens of local businesses and volunteers, about 20 dogs were helped today.

a groomer, located downtown loaned both her shop and her services for the entire day and a business next door opened their doors as well to allow a staging area for the visitors to pick up a variety of items for their furry friends. every owner was given a large bag which they could fill up with a new collar, leash, food, treats, shampoo, flea treatment, and even toys. the animals left clean and their owners left with a smile on their face. the volunteers well, we left exhausted, but with the knowledge that we made a difference today. this was so gratifying.

our local channel 6 news came by and interviewed charlotte (she did amazing). take a few minutes to watch this newsclip and it will be sure to bring a smile to your face. i'm thankful for charlotte and for all her hard work and her vision. she turned her idea into a reality. she is an inspiration to us all. thank you charlotte on behalf of so many!! xo

a local woman and her adorable pooch

vay washed several dogs shannon working wonders with shears

charlotte (in the middle - pink hat) and several volunteers

chloe's announcement

this is the beautiful announcement that arrived in the mail this past week.
the boys and i are driving up to meet her next weekend. we are excited!
the quote that anissa used in her announcement is so fitting - what a happy happy time!

surfer girls

surfer girls are cool. not only do they spend alot of time at the beach, but they are generally athletic, have a healthy respect for the ocean/environment and aren't intimidated by what is still, a male-dominated sport. in high school, the coolest girl (to me at least) was a surfer girl named claudia. she had that sunkissed look, wore mimimal makeup, and had the laid back style that made her irresistable to guys and girls alike. she actually made her way to san diego with her clan a few years ago and she continues to surf when she has time. i no longer surf enough to classify myself as a 'surfer girl', although at one time i could legitimately say i was one. i did get back out there two weeks ago with my niece madison, who i recently discovered loves to surf (she's fearless this girl). the water was unusually warm - about 72 degrees - the warmest it will get, and it was heaven! i can't even begin to describe what it felt like to paddle out past the whitewater and just sit on my board watching the waves on the horizon. we didn't catch alot of waves (i was riding big blue - this boat of a board which i could barely maneuver) but i did manage to catch a wave and that was enough. it reminded me how much i love it and to get back out there more - while it's warm! i'm really rusty and would love to find a girlfriend to do this girl's surf camp with. a day camp would be alot of fun, but that week long trip to brazil sounds even better. i can dream right?!

as the boys get older, i see our family taking some surf/vacations together - all of us catching waves and having friendly competitions in the water. i get excited just thinking about it. when this day comes, sometime in the future, i just might be able to call myself a 'surfer girl' again. here's to all you surfer girls out there - of all ages!

neckties

if men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties?
how intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck?
~linda ellerbee




 

i had to post this today. i came across the quote from a book about men (written for woman) and it made me laugh outloud because this necktie thing was a contentious issue for c and i years back. you see, c won't wear neckties. he thinks they are uncomfortable and a ridiculous fashion trend that's held on for far too long.

i had never thought about them, but one evening when we were going to one of my work parties a few years back, i discovered c's feelings about them. we were heading out the door and i asked where his tie was and he said, i'm not wearing one. i could see that and questioned why. i feared he would be underdressed or the only one at the dinner party without one. he went on to tell me he stopped wearing them and how he was going to donate every one in his closet the next day since they were just collecting dust. he was wearing a nice sweater and a jacket and said he looked just fine - dressy enough and professional. i pushed a bit, but he didn't budge and since he did look good, i really didn't have a case.

from that day forward, he never wore a tie again. i think part of it is the southern california culture. people are less formal here. in the seven years i've worked at my current company, there's only been a handful of times i've seen the principals/executives wear ties. they'll consider wearing one if the owners or potential clients they are meeting with are older andor traditional. they will even discuss what part of the country they are from. if it's northeast, they will say "we better wear a tie".

so i no longer push my man to wear a necktie. i've accepted the fact that this trend is one he's over - completely, and one that seems to be heading on it's way out (at least here in ca). as long as he throws on a blazer/jacket for formal occasions, i don't mind if he skips the noose - i mean necktie.

i just remembered, c has worn a tie since that day he gave them up. three years ago he was a groomsmen in our friend michael and jen's wedding and he wore one. we flew all the way to maine for this special occasion and he wasn't about to alter the look of their wedding photos to prove a point. *smile*

i wonder when and if neckties will go away, like the men's dress hats did years ago. time will tell i guess... here's a funny website for other necktie haters like my hubby.

i love google

i came across this image on google and had to post.
{i have a feeling if i had a girl, she would be a bit of a rebel/tomboy like i was as a kid}.
have a terrific tuesday.

weekend warrior

i feel like this is my mantra anymore because my weekends have been insane. 
since the week days are already so full, i try to cram as much as i possibly can into my weekends. 

christopher tells me to just let go of some of things, and on occasion, i will.
i will dedicate an entire day for the 'family day' and just play/relax with the boys, 
BUT i can't do that every weekend or i'll pay for it the next week and be up till midnight every night. 
if only i were wealthy and could hire a personal assistant, a maid, etc. 
they could do all the these extra things to free up more time.
{i imagine this is the wish of every mother of young children}

below is a synopsis of this past weekend: 
saturday - 
- up at 6:30am, fed and dressed boys 
- ran 3 miles with jen (in training for a half marathon) 
- drove by a garage sale 
- stopped b/c jen saw a couch she wanted
- drove to bank to get $ to pay for couch
- back to garage sale, dropped $ off with a promise we'd be back for it the same day with a truck to pick it up
- trip to bruegger's bagels 
- brunch with pb pals 
- borrowed a truck to move couch to jen's apt 
- jen and i moved the couches (0ld and new) ourselves!  
- dropped off truck - went home (exhausted) and showered
- maddy and her girlfriend came over to babysit boys and spend the pm
- c and i went on a date (dinner and play)
- home at 11pm 
- quick chat with maddy and amber to get update on the boys 
- bed by 11:30 pm

Sunday
- up at 6:30am
- started scout's birthday thank yous
- ran 7 miles with jen
- drove directly to target (smelly and sweaty) to pick up slipcover and accessories for her apt
- home to shower
- drove to the hilton with maddy and amber to meet the boys to hang by pool
- swam with the boys and visited with family (grandpa john &sheila are in town)
- watched a movie with maddy while boys napped (my only downtime all day)
- laundry
- made dinner
- checked work email  
- got boys fed, bathed, read stories to and put down for bed
- finished thank you cards 
- 15 min blog post/checked personal email 
- bed by 11:00pm

with all this, i still had more to do. 

this is what i did not get done this weekend that i meant to: 
drop off a breast pump to my girlfriend, return library books, pick up dry cleaning, shoes from repair shop, finn fitted for tux, more grocery shopping, and clean the house. cleaning is the lowest on my priority list. when i was sitting at the pool chatting with the teenage girls today, they mentioned their summer and some are BORED.

i can't remember the last time i used that word in my vocabulary - maybe as a teenager? 
oh to be 'bored' again - those are the days. they realize how nice they have it.

madison gerber, her friend amber and jordan gerber

high heels

i don't know who invented the high heel,
but all men owe him a lot.
~marilyn monroe
 
 
 

though i am a natural girl -
wearing jeans and sundresses on weekends
i also love wearing heels.
at 5'-3 "well, i kinda need 'em.

they help with the practical stuff like reaching up to high cabinets,
but i won't lie, i love the feeling of having longer legs too.
i prefer 3" heels and wear them almost every day to work.

i was the crazy woman who wore high heels up until the day i gave birth.
i couldn't take them off very well at the end of the day (i relied on c to help during ths time),
yet still i wore them.  i was actualy more comfortable in them then i was wearing flats because
fo the way they distributed my weight when i walked.  there seemed to be less pressure on
my back when i was in heels.

yes, i love heels and am extremely grateful to the man (or woman) who invited them.
someday when i'm older an if arthritis kicks in, i realize i might not feel the same way.
for now, i'll just enjoy them.