birthday wishes

the secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.
- lucille ball

oh this quote made me laugh outloud so i had to use in this post to honor my dear s-i-l who is celebrating a BIG birthday today. 
happy birthday sherry!
hugs, ang

cold weather - here we come

the boys, jen and i will be heading to st. george, utah tomorrow through new years to spend a few days with my b-i-l trevor and his lovely family. we are all super excited but are a little anxious about the cold weather (temps are in the 30s during the day).  we are taking all the winter clothes we own in hopes to do a little playing in the snow - tubing is first on finn's list and c and i would like to hit the slopes one day. oh how i've missed snowboarding!  i'm crossing my fingers what we have will be enough to keep us warm. if not, we'll raid trev and shannon's closets!!

i won't be posting until next year as i've decided not to bring my laptop and spend any free time i get with family and catching up on some reading.  we head out at dark o'thirty for this roadtrip so i must run - i worked the last two days and still need to pack!!

a happy new year to you all!

the egg chair

for months i've been meaning to finish a draft i started about the ikea egg chair because it's been a big part of the boys' lives over the past few years.  it seemed worthy of a post.  

the boys absolutely LOVE the egg chair and play in it almost daily. we purchased it in 2006 - when finn was 2. it instantly became one of his favorites, and now scouts, ever since it was set in the corner of their bedroom. it's been through alot over the last few years - thousands of spins, a few falls, dragging across the room, and kids and adults squeezing into it (me included). somehow it's still holding up. with any luck it will last until scoutie is in kindergarten.

cool tidbits about the egg chair: 
- it swivels all the way around - 360 degrees
- it has a nylon pull-down shade that provides privacy (a fav of kids) yet it is translucent enough to let light in
- fun color (ours is red with an orange shade but the newest model at ikea is blue with a white shade)
- it's an excellent 'space pod', playhouse or hiding place.

gosh, i wish this chair was around when i was a kid!

here's a clip of the boys playing in their favorite chair.

the morning of...

our day began at 6:15am as there were two very excited little boys in the house who just HAD to open presents! c, auntie jen and i dragged ourselves out of bed and into the living room to watch the christmas morning chaos commence.

finn was an expert opener and was right there to lend a hand to scoutie if he struggled with packages and bows. scout would cry out "i need help" and big brother came to the rescue.  the boys must have been pretty good this year as santa brought them*most* of what they wanted. finn was slightly disappointed he didn't receive the lego mindstorm kit he wanted, but he did get the legos inventor kit that he had been wanting since last year (santa remembered).

finn's new robot 'roborover' is already like another family member. he rolls all over the house and always has a witty comment. with his cheery yellow body, big grin and baseball cap, he's easy to like and the best thing about him, he's not annoying loud like finn's snapcircuit rover! (christi knows what i'm talking about). i'm not constantly asking finn to take his robot to the cottage. *grin*

scout stayed busy with his remote control car and trains, but spent more hours at the kitchen table coloring with crayons, washable markers and with his train sticker books. he will literally spend hours at the table - so different than his big brother. at the same age, if it didn't have a motor or wheels, forget it. finn had no interest. these little people are so different.

since our group was so small, we chose not to do a big lunch or dinner and ate leftover chili from the night before instead (our christmas eve tradition handed down from mom). throughout the day, we sipped a glogg mixture - a traditional holiday swedish drink given to us from my coworker tina (SO good). jen and i also exercised to a new jillian michaels dvd and videochatted with some of our family in florida via skype - something we should have been doing a long time ago. it was a nice day.

ps. oh and santa was good to me too. i received that new couch i was so hoping for. *big smile* the boys did a pretty good job with this surprise with just one hint from finn telling me the day before christmas "don't go in the cottage mommy because it's a mess from my legos." later he whispered in my ear "it's not really a mess, your present is in there." *laugh* i hope our family and our guests will enjoy this couch for years to come. (thx mr. c)

here are some photos/video highlights of our day:

finn lost his FIRST tooth on christmas day!





finn sharing his lego invention

in the eyes of children

never worry about the size of your christmas tree.
in the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.

- larry wilde

i receive a weekly quote via email from compendium
and it was if yesterday's quote was meant just for ME.

you see, i was a little disappointed in this year's tree choice. 
to save time and get in and out, c and i chose a fully wrapped tree
and when we got it home and pulled the net off,
it was a little small and needed a bit of love - lots of shaping.

i made a comment that i wished it was another foot taller but
finn quickly said "mom it's a great tree and big too".
his eyes were full of excitement and wonder and with those simple words,
i realized how ridiculous i was being. 
he was right - our little tree was great.

i am amazed how my boys (and all children) seem to find beauty in everything.
their little hearts are so pure. if only i could be more like them.
finn and scout inspire me to be better and to look for beauty in everything.  

here is our 'perfect' little tree on christmas eve.
i love everything about it - even the paper star that we just threw on the top
since we didn't have a lighted star. 

tonight, my wish is for everyone to find beauty in this holiday season.
goodnight and merry christmas.

holiday cards

some love 'em, some think they are a waste of paper. 
as for me? well, i enjoy receiving paper cards ALOT,
but i admit, i thought seriously about doing away with
sending them next year because of the work, time and money that go into them.

in the end, we decided not to do away with them altogether since it's a tradition
we've been doing since we were newlyweds.  instead, we'll just reduce the number
of cards we send out and send ecards to others.

what i enjoy most from the cards we receive are the photos and updates filling us in
on our friends and families.  both the shappard and gerber families are *very* large
and we don't get enough vacation to see everyone as often as we'd like, so those
updates are so appreciated and lots of fun to read.

not only do we get great updates, the cards bring a little decorative touch to our
home as i have them hanging on the wall frame between our living and dining room.
the cards are are reminders of our dear friends we've made over the years and our
families we love that are far away and we can't be with.

this is just one image of many cute christmas cards we received so far. 
this was from christopher's cousin, jodi, in minneapolis. 

their family 'pose' was uttery adorable.  i just had to share.






















note: our families cards just went out in the mail yesterday, so most won't arrive before christmas.
since they are 'holiday cards', i still say we made our window. *smile*

as finn reminded me today, just 1 more day until christmas!

sweet christmas surprise

there is no distinction in love between a child born of or for a mother and father because parenting is rooted in the heart, not the womb.

what a surprise it was to find an email in my in-box from my coworker last week.  it read:

angela, we are going to see what will hope to be our new baby girl tonight – yes, life can be unexpected, but exciting. don’t know how deep I will have to dig to find the energy.

i was shocked and just thrilled for him and his family. 
i'm guessing my coworker is probably 50 and his wife in her mid 40s.
they adopted their son michael about 8 years ago and and i had no idea they were looking to adopt again.

i found out later they weren't even looking.
they just received a call from the agency informing them they had a 5 month old baby girl who needed a home.  WOW!!  i can't even imagine all the emotions they felt.

after discussing as a family, they decided to welcome this baby girl into their home. 
her name is nicole and she is joining their family tonight!
i am so excited for them and am sure this will be a christmas they will *never* forgot! 

congrats to the 'S' family.

scout meets santa

saturday morning was pb recreational center's annual 'breakfast with santa'.
c and i have been attending this event since finn was just a toddler. 

every year, local high school students serve a simple pancake breakfast
(adult volunteers do the cooking), and the money made helps fund our center.

our lil' rec. center isn't very pretty. 
the building is pretty old and could use a facelift (new sign and paint among other things),
but it offers alot to our lil' community and to our family.  it's just 2 blocks from our home and has a playground for the kids, a gym, tennis courts and lessons from kids to seniors
(c and i have been taking lessons here on and off for years from 'coach joe).

during breakfast, santa popped it to say hello to the kids and then he planted himself in a chair for a few hours while kids sat on his lap and told him what they wanted for christmas. finn was SUPER excited.
he literally jumped into santa's lap and started talking 100 miles a minute.
he told santa exactly what he wanted - being very specific.

scout, on the otherhand, wanted nothing to do with santa.
i saw this coming because earlier finn shared that he couldn't wait to see santa
and scout responded with a "not me. i don't want to."

i knew the ONLY chance i'd have of getting him on santa's lap for a picture
was if big brother was right there. so while finn was on santa's knee,
i explained that santa was s a nice man, what his job was and why most children like him.

of course it didn't make him feel any better but I slowly sat scout on his lap and even asked finn to hold his hand as scout looked like he was about to cry.  he never cried but he literally didn't move a muscle as he sat there frozen and looking down the entire time.  he refused to even glance at santa.

next year he'll probably have a big smile as he sits on his lap, but not at age 2.
here's the photo i snapped to remember scout's first sitting with santa.
it's not as dramatic as others i've seen, but it shows how he feels about santa. *laugh*

finn (5) and scout (2)

what's on your christmas list?

finn and i sat down and wrote a letter to santa a few weeks ago.
well i actually wrote the letter, but he dictated to me and did write the three items
he would like the guy in the red suit to leave under the tree this year.

here is finn's list:

- lego mindstorm

- remote control car (with tracks)

- roborover 

so last week during my lunch hour, i googled lego mindstorm since i had absolutely
no idea what this was.  THIS is what i found.  there's no doubt little boys think this is
*really* cool but oh my goodness, it's not cheap! i didn't think finn was at the age yet where his
toys would be more than $50!  little did i know...

c and i don't believe in going overboard at christmas for a million reasons.
since they were old enough to point to things, they wanted, we haven't indulged.
in our home, santa brings three (just 3) gifts to each them on christmas day.

for now, they are absolutely happy with this. with a few gifts from mom and dad,
grandparents and often aunties and uncles, they get more than enough. i've always
felt there is such a thing as too many gifts and when the happens, it's not always easy
to be grateful. to me, being grateful is one of the most important lessons i can teach
my children.

i found this lil' guy 'Roborover' at target.com
(he's kind of cute)

the pricetag isn't too cute though.  i see what's going on here.
finn is making his '3 gifts limit' from santa really count!!  *grin*
i'm not sure what remote control vehicle he has in mind but i am starting to see a pattern here.

he told me "three gifts isn't much mom, so santa should be able to get me EVERYTHING on my list."
i responded that sometimes santa makes substitutions if he thinks he has something a child might like even better! he looked a little skeptical and replied "well these are what i really want".  *sigh*

thankfully scoutie is still young and doesn't get the gift thing. 
he hasn't asked for anything so there is no pressure there. 
he loves anything and everything to do with trains so he is easy.
he also enjoys anything that big brother has so i'm thinking i'll ask
santa to bring him a remote control car too so the boys can play side by side.
this could save my sanity post christmas.

santa visited christopher early this year. 
he received a ball machine.
yes, you read correctly. 
he got a machine that spits out tennis balls at varying speeds! 

he's been wanting one for well over a year and since he's been playing lots of tennis,
i gave my approval. he reassured me that this will improve his game and mine too
if i use it (key word 'IF').

he also wants the boys to develop a love of tennis and thinks this will help.
finn is already a big fan.
here he is with his very excited friend jacob retrieving balls after dad hits them back.
this weekend i'm going to get out there and give it a go myself.




so what's on my list?  well my dream wish list would include a new higher end camera
with several fancy lenses, an exotic vacation, a new front porch, a walk-in closet,
and a second bathroom.   but those are just 'wishes'.
reality is we need a new roof and a couch for the cottage so i'm hoping that's what
santa can do for me this year.  if he throws a starbucks, movie or spa giftcard in my stocking,
that would be a bonus. *grin*

it's hard to believe christmas is just around the corner - 8 days and counting, and finn IS counting.
the first thing he does when he wakes is draws a diagonal slash through the date on his calender.

*************************

i'm so glad this week is almost over. it's been a whirlwind!! 
we had our company holiday party tonight and it was a blast - street tacos,
margaritas, music and someone even brought wii's rock band game. i missed tina.
she is still in orlando, but she's heading home tomorrow. yay!

i must share that my brother todd and new s-i-l heather spent 2 evenings with
her while she was visiting.  they had sushi one evening and then had her over to
their home for dinner the following night. 
tina now has spent more time with heather than i have!

it's now after 10pm and i'm baking 4 dozen cookies for finn's class cookie exchange tomorrow.
i'm asking myself why the heck am i baking when i could have picked up 2 packages of oreos on my way home?!!   i guarantee most kindergarteners prefer oreos over baked chocolate chips and lemon cookies. i'm kicking myself right now.

maybe the teachers and kid's families will appreciate this effort!
{but next time, it's OREOS}

think, play and create

think, play and create is the tagline for the san diego's new children's museum and they couldn't have possibly come up with a better one.  the boys and i spent a good chunk of sunday in this magical place. after a disastrous mini photo session trying to get a picture for our christmas card, i gave up and we all needed to do something fun.

this museum is amazing!! it took several years to become realized, but it was well worth the wait - san diego families are lovin' it!  seriously, it's stunning - both the exterior and the interior.  it's a gigantic space with TONS of natural light and interesting shapes throughout.  the team that did the interiors was just as talented.  the signage, exhibits and furniture are bright and whimsical.  the place just screams 'kids welcome' which is exactly what you want in a children's museum.  they even have a cafe that serves soups and sandwiches and yummy coffee drinks.

the boys spent time bouncing in a giant rainbow tunnel, climbing rock walls, working on a huge puzzle (pieces were as big as them - made out of foam), building with blocks, playing with clay, and riding chariots that move using a piece you move up and down with your hands. i've posted a picture below so you can see for yourself.  finn just loved these.  here are a few photos from our day of play!

wedding photos are here

todd and heather shared a 'sneak peak' of their wedding photos this past week and i had to share. 
they are beautiful!!  i can hardly wait to see the rest. 

i miss these two newlyweds. sure wish they lived on this coast.

feel good movie

i snuck off to the movies today after work with a coworker to see the blind side. 























i will admit, when i first heard sandra bullock was in it,
i thought 'b movie', and didn't expect much.  i was wrong.
this is by far the best acting i've seen from her yet!
{i couldn't imagine another person playing the part}

the story is based on the real life story of a woman who helps
out a young man in need and their close relationship they build.
sandra plays this sassy and strong southern woman so well.
{she reminds me of one of my dearest childhood friends, robin -
strong physically and emotionally, loves football, and has a heart of gold}

if you are a fan of inspirational, pull at your heart strings type movies,
this is a good one.  heck, eve if you aren't, it's worth seeing.

you can watch the trailer here.

i'm a GLEE geek

after one episode of the new television series GLEE, i am hooked.
i'm officially a gleek!!

jen knows me well so when i mentioned i wanted to have a 'sister night'
once a week to watch a show and eat yummy food, she suggested glee. 
i went over to her adorable and quiet apartment (so nice) and watched
and watched and watched some more.

thanks to her dvr we watched 3 episodes back to back.
even though we both had to work in the morning, i simply couldn't stop.
jen was kind enough not to kick me out until i got my fill. *smile* 

between the annoying, overachiever rachel,
the dorky but adorable football player turned singer, finn,
and the hot teacher, will schuester, i now officially have a show!
oh, i have to comment that not one of my high school teachers looked like this:

at first i wondered if they could pull off a musical television series,
but as soon as the glee cast broke into song, i was hooked.
these actors have amazing voices and if i'm not getting chills then
i'm dancing in place to their little dance numbers.

sure glee is campy but it's FABULOUS too,
 and i'm guessing there are lots of musical geeks out there
just like me who are lovin' this show right now.
(im crossing my fingers it doesn't get cancelled)

i can hardly wait until the finale this thursday.

i'm officially a glee geek (GLEEK) - a BIG one!

in the christmas spirit

it took me a while to get into the christmas spirit this season but it finally happened. *yay* i was under the weather for most of last week, but started feeling better on saturday so the boys and i went to the neighborhood tree lot and picked up our tree.

finn was really into decorating this year which surprised me as he's never shown much interest in year's past.  i enjoyed watching his wonder and excitement.  it's almost as if i was a kid experiencing it all myself again.  finn insisted on putting ALL the ornaments on by himself and lucky for him, scout was content to have the job of 'handing' big brother the ornaments. *laugh*  I must note that most all the glass bulbs are put away for another year.  finn did a terrific job and c and i only had 'minor' adjustments to make, moving ornaments around to fill in any of the bare spots.

as christopher hung the stockings, we listened to christmas music via pandora and i had my own version of 'holiday simmer' on the stove which was inspired by jessica's blog entry.  it really did fill our home with yummy smells and helped create a festive mood. thx j.

our home is decorated, the outdoor lights are hung (thx c), and i am very close to being done with my holiday shopping.  between target and amazon, i'm about 95% there!  i'm keeping things very simple this year. life moves at such a fast pace all year long, i am making an effort to put the brakes on the craziness that sometimes accompanies this holiday, and to just sit back and enjoy the little things that make christmas special for our family.

to end this post, i must share something beautiful i just heard this evening. the boys were watching the movie, the polar express and i just heard THIS SONG.  it caused me to stop typing and walk into the tv room and just listen.  it's sung by children and so beautiful.  take a few minutes to listen to as well and enjoy.

any resemblance

i had almost forgotten that a few of my girlfriends commented on a picture of finn recently.  they thought finn resembled a young anderson cooper. i didn't think much of it at the time, but a few nights before thanksgiving there was a preview advertising cnn's 'thanksgiving hero' special hosted by anderson and i DID see a little resemblance.

'mini' cooper happened to be in the room and i asked him if he thought he looked like the man on tv and he replied "yes mommy, i do". *laugh*  so grandma(s), i have to ask, do you see any resemblance?

at some point in our life, i imagine we've all been told we resemble someone - maybe even someone famous. years ago i remember a boy in my high school telling me i looked like kelly mcgills (charlie from top gun). i was 17 and seriously the only thing on my body that showed any resemblance to her was her was my wavy thick hair. (i think he was just trying to flatter me so i'd date him - hehe).  and when the movie cocktail was popular, i was told i looked like elizabeth shue once or twice. now that was a little more plausible. at least we are similar heights. my sister leslie has been told a few times she looks like hillary swank and i can see why. they are both small framed, have a similar facial structure and brown eyes and hair.  she's a pretty lady and at least she's an actress that's had more than one hit movie *grin*. if you've been told you resemble someone famous, i wanna hear who. you must share.

sunday morning: hamilton children's garden

this past sunday, i woke early, made lunches, picked up jen and headed off with the little guys to spend a half day at san diego's botanical gardens. these gardens have been there for years, but somehow i just hadn't made a visit.  when the hamilton children's garden won an orchid award at the recent orchids and onions event i had even more reason to go.

the highlight for the boys (and me) was toni's treehouse, a giant faux ficus climbable tree that looks REAL.  i believe it's actually made out of concrete but because it has live plants growing all over it, you'd never know at a glance.  kids can crawl and hide in the roots and in little coves and tunnels, climb a rope ladder and take a rope walkway to a crow's nest about 20' off the ground.  i went up there for the view - i could see the entire garden.  it's beautiful.  there's also a music area, a creative play area with chalkboards and paint, a building area with balsa wood for kids to build a small house.  it offers so much - i understand why it received an award.

beginning december 10th, they will be open from 5-9pm to show off all the lights they have strung throughout the garden.  i can imagine it's magical out there at night.  i'm hoping to go back with all the boys to see it (and maybe auntie j too). 

i was just thinking how i've lived in sd now for more than 10 years and i think i'm still just scratching the surface of what this city has out there. this park was a sweet surprise.

scout recognizes letters in his name now and points them out wherever he goes. he says "mommy that's my name" anytime he sees an 's'.

side note: while the boys played, i met one of the jurors on the orchids and onions event this year.  go figure!  her name is laura gates, she is a city planner for the city of san diego. she is also a mom to 3 year old twin girls.  she was so interesting to talk too and i come to find out we have mutual friends. it really is a small world.

going to the chapel...

this arrived in my in-box last week and i can't tell you how excited i am!

i just had to post this adorable 'save the date' card which is SO them.
marty and bonnie are dear friends of ours who have been dating well,
for as long as i've known them.

they are one of those couples who are just meant to be together and
i'm thrilled they are tying the knot. i can hardly wait until april.
congratulations to them!