a tough day for the tooth fairy

an incident occured a few months ago that i wanted to post on.
finn lost his 2nd tooth (bottom - front and center),
and tried calling to tell me and i missed his call.
he left the cutest message EVER on my cell.
i can't bring myself to erase it.

he was so excited he could barely contain himself.
he shared he had lost a tooth and that there was lots of blood.
the good news - much to his surprise, it didn't hurt when it came out.

that night he put the tooth in a ziplock bag
under his pillow for the tooth fairy.
would you believe she forgot to come by and get it?!! *oops*

my explanation to finn?
she was simply overbooked and couldn't get to all the kids' homes that night.
there must have been SO many teeth to collect she just couldn't get to all the homes.
he concurred and said "her wings are small mom so she can't fly very fast.
we can leave it again for her tonight."

he tried again that night and sure enough,
the tooth fairy stopped by.
she even left him a $5 bill instead of the usual $1. *grin*
i can bet she will remember the next time...

tantrums

i can throw a fit. i'm a master of it.

- madonna

scoutie isn't unlike most toddlers
they are masters at throwing tantrums.
i've been pretty lucky with him i guess.
don't get me wrong.
he throws them but his aren't the kicking and screaming tantrums.

instead, scoutie will just lay himself down
whenever or wherever, when he is upset.
he's been doing this for about a year now.
i will stress the wherever part. it happens at the
grocery store, at the beach, on the sidewalk and even a parking lot.

along with his dropping in place,
he has also perfected the pout.
he sticks out that beautiful full bottom lip of his and scowls.
sometimes, he'll give an emphatic "umh" to whomever he is upset with.

depending on the situation and my schedule,
i'll either get frustrated or i'll chuckle (to myself)
trying not to laugh out loud
because his little face can be so darn cute when he pouts.

i realize his tantrums could be 100x worse
so if this is the extent of them,
i'd say christopher and i have been pretty lucky.

my little guy officially turns 3 on july 6th
and the toddlers years are coming to an end.
in a few short days, i'll officially have a preschooler
and one that's very close to being potty-trained.
a good thing as i'm very close to being done with diapers.
*grin*

here is his perfect little pout.

and below is an example of his 'stop and drop' antic
this day he chose to lay himself down (head and all) into the sand.

fabulous feel good movie

i've been meaning to post on this for so long.

a few years ago during one of mom's visits,
she brought the movie my dog skip
and said "angie, you must see this.
it's the sweetest movie about a young boy and his best friend, his dog. 

i didn't think much of it at the time,
but one weekend, i took the time to watch it.
and was SO surprised by this movie.
it's become a favorite of mine and the boys!

i watched it tonight with mom and enjoyed it just as much as i did the first time.

it's based on a true story of willie morris.
it's narrated in first person as he looks back on his childhood.
it's set in the early 1940s in a small town called yazoo, mississippi.
willie is shy and lonely (an only child in a time when big families were the norm)

he gets a dog for his 9th birthday, and his life changes forever.

the movie gives a glimpse into this time,
made me nostalgic for my childhood,
and warmed my heart as i remembered my childhood dogs
and how much fun i had with them and the role they played in my life.

if you aren't a dog lover, this movie could make you one easy. *wink*
i will keep in our family library forever and watch again and again i'm sure
(with a box of tissues close by).

it's made me a little excited about getting a dog for the boys in a few years.
i've promised them and so look forward to it!

friends - if you haven't seen this movie, you are missing out.
i promise, you won't be disappointed.

things i ♥ thursdays

i ♥ these fish goggles
i was shopping at von's last week and wandered past them.
i wasn't even looking for party favors yet for scoutie's 'frog' themed b-day
but there they were - the perfect little gift for the kiddos.
that was easy.  love when things are easy!

i ♥ being barefoot
if i'm home and not going anywhere, i am barefoot.
i wear heels to work everyday so it just feels good.
i keep a big basket by the front door and we all kick our shoes
off when we walk in the front door and toss them here.
it's an attempt to keep our wood floors from becoming a sandy beach
but with the sandbox out back for the boys, it doesn't really work.
on occasion, i'll forget to take my shoes off when i come home
and scout will immediately ask if i'm leaving. i respond with a no
and he quickly says "then take your shoes off mommy."
he never has to ask me twice.
i love being barefoot.

(mom mentioned my dad is the same way - he even walks
their dog around the block without shoes. this embaresses her
a little but i find it adorable).

i ♥ playing tennis
it's a great game and one i'm hoping to play past retirement.
christopher grew up playing competitively and turned me on to it,
but i didn't start playing until about 6 years ago.
i started with lessons from coach joe (pb recreation center)
and was hooked ever since. it's addicting!
i'm not a 'tennis player' by any means,
but i have such fun out there on the courts.
it's great exercise and it's social - the perfect combination for me.
i played last night for over an hour with my girlfriend mags
and we made a pact to start playing again weekly.
we have been slacking and we've got the bug again!
with wimbledon is in full force right now - it's motiviating me even more.
i love love tennis!!


i ♥ jamba juice
these cool drinks are the perfect summer treat
and i feel less bad drinking one of these than a starbucks drink.
we're lucky to have one within walking distance from the house.
will be visiting frequently over the next few months.
yum!

in love with italy

this is the beautiful city of san margherita ligure located in northern, italy.

my girlfriend charlotte is heading here tomorrow. 

oh how i envy her. 

i LOOOOVE italy - everything about it!!!

c and i went years ago - 1999 and i still have vivid images of the places we visited. 

they are imprinted in my memory. forever.

i hope to go back again someday...

i asked char if she'd let me hitch a ride in her large suitcase

but she didn't think she'd make it through customs.

she did however promise to meet me for breakfast

when she returns to share stories and lots of photos.

caio and happy travels sweet girl.

xo

happy birthday sis

stacey - wishing you a birthday that is as special as you are!
if i lived closer, i'd make you a strawberry cake like this one.
i'd try to make it look as pretty too.  enjoy your special day.
hugs!

things i ♥ thursdays

i ♥ crepes
i made them for my first time ever recently
and they were a pale comparison to my moms.
i must learn her secret while she's here.
we can make a few 'test' batches until we get it right.
*grin*

i ♥ the book eat, love and pray
it's been my favorite read of the year (so far)
and i am excited to see the movie which will be out soon.
im hoping it's half as good as the book!

i ♥ coming home
especially after a long day at work.
i'm greeted with big hugs and voices shouting "mommy, i missed you!"
one would think my boys haven't seen me in a week.
finn's latest thing is going to the very back of the yard and
and running at me full force and jumping into my arms to greet me.
i remind him to please let mommy take off her heels first
or we'll both end up on the ground.
finn is getting so big - guessing about 44lbs now? (i must weigh him soon)
YES, i love coming home.
i don't think there's anything better.

oh boy!

boys are taking over the world.
- finn gerber, age 6

a few weeks back i shared that several girlfriends, as well
as my brother and s-i-l were expecting babies this fall.

well over the past few weeks, i have learned every single one
of these babies are going to be BOYS!!!

finn heard me talking to my girlfriend karen
about her 2nd boy on the way. i mentioned to her
that when todd and heather's little boy arrives, 
our family will have 6 boys all ages 6 and under.

finn overheard this and said "boys are taking over the world." 
i responded lord help us if this is true. *laugh*

seriously, i adore little boys, i really do!
i always have. i always felt i would be a better 'boy mom' once i took that step.  
i wrote this as one of my first entries in my pregnancy journal pre-finn
i was convinced i was having a boy, but if i was wrong, 
i was sure she'd be climbing trees, digging in dirt and collecting frogs
instead of playing with dolls and experimenting with makeup. *grin* 

sure boys are extremely loud, rambunctious and messy
but
if you can handle
their energy level,
you'll get through it.

so on the days when i feel like i need a sedative,
i just remember it will get easier
and it will get quieter...someday.
until then i keep ear plugs in and my running shoes on.

congrats to all those mommas-to-be.
auntie a can hardly wait to hold your bouncing baby boys this fall!

~ oh, i must share that our family all put in our guesses
as to whether todd and heather would have a girl or boy.
most of us guessed a GIRL
figuring we were due for one. 

we all guessed wrong.

finn however, guessed a BOY. 
he was sure to let me know he guessed correctly.
he was so proud.
*grin*

counting down to summer vacation

this was the last full week of school for the boys.
their last official day is tuesday, and that's just a half day.
grandma flies in that afternoon and will help care for them
until brooke (new nanny) starts after the 4th of july holiday.

to celebrate kindergarten graduation, i attended a luau on thursday.
here are some photos of the afternoon.

on our drive home finn told me how much he was going to miss
his teacher and all his friends.  i reassured him we'd have playdates
with his best friend drew and that he'd see all the kids and the teachers
next year as they are all 'looping' to 1st grade together. 
i love this whole concept and this class/teachers is a great fit for finn.

here's to a SENSATIONAL summer!!

friday funny

i've had a VERY long day
left work to attend finn's end of the year luau celebration
worked from home and then
went to scoutie's western bbq celebration.

so it's late and i'm posting for tomorrow.
i just had to share something scoutie said a few days ago.
it makes for the perfect 'friday funny'.

as i was gathering my computer and purse and heading out the door to work
scoutie called me and i turned to him.
he looked at me with those big blue inquiring eyes and says
"you look like a chicken mommy."

i stopped, looked down at my ruffled shirt (i'm wearing it in this post) and smiled. 
christopher turned to me and said "that was really funny".
i laughed outloud knowing 2.5 year olds simply call it like they see it.  
my shirt did have a thick array of small ruffles in the chest
they do resemble chicken feathers a little bit. *grin*

if you were wondering if i changed my blouse 

absolutely NOT.

i smiled and walked right out the door.
i chuckled throughout the day everytime i looked down at my shirt.
i couldn't resist sharing the story with my coworker over coffee that morning. 
she laughed outloud too. 

you better believe i'm going to record this in my quotable kid book.

have a FABULOUS friday!
xoxo

~ oh i must share that today is a very special day for our family.
my brother todd and his wife are finding out the sex of their baby.
i'm guessing a girl as our family is due.  finn is hoping for a boy cousin.
we'll find out soon enough.  drumroll....

things i ♥ thursdays

i ♥ target
but it's a love/hate relationship.
i can't leave that store without spending too much.
it's dangerous for me.
some call costco the $100 store but since i don't shop there,
target is my $100 store. 
they've got so many great things - in every department.
i've had to limit myself to only going once every 2 weeks.
if not, my family might have to start eating ramen noddles.
love love love target!

i ♥ planning the boys' birthday parties
i know there will be a time when they won't want backyard parties
with mom and dad around organizing games and taking photos so
while they are little i'm taking advantage of it and enjoying it.
since the boys have been able to talk, they select the theme and i come
up with games and decor and christopher bakes and decorates the cake.
this year scoutie has chosen a 'frog' themed birthday' - so cute!
something he's recently taken an interest in.  the super talented jessica has
designed the cutest invitation for the party and i had to share.
i can't wait for the party - his cousins maya and isaac will be visiting
which will make it ever more memorable.

i secretly ♥ when scout tries to tip toe into our bedroom
and tries to whisper "good morning"  before dawn.
(it's impossible for him to whisper)
he waits for christopher and i to say it back to him
and if we both don't respond, he'll call us out individually.
it usually takes c 2 'good mornings from scoutie to respond *smile*
it doesn't matter how little sleep i've had,
when i hear these words from my sweet baby boy,
i smile, wish him a good morning too and
offer him a warm place in bed between c and i.
he usually takes me up on it. 

i ♥ embellished tops right now
i'm usually not an embellished type' girl
but i'm really liking the simple tees and tanks with ruffles and flowers right now.
i can dress them up with a cardigan and wear to work, or
dress down with jeans, capris or even shorts. so versatile!!
i just ordered this tee from fossil,
and would like the one below from old navy.
it's cute and inexpensive.
unfortunately, they are sold out on-line. *sniff*
i'm hoping i might be able to find one in a store this weekend.

have a terrific thursday folks!

fun-filled weekend

leslie was in town and we were able to gets some sister time together which was really nice.
we enjoyed the soaking in the sun, dancing at bar west until the wee hours of the morning -
something i can honestly say i'm much too old for anymore.

it was crazy fun but i'm exhausted and still feeling the pain from saturday night.
i joked i could have been the mother to some of those boys in the club. *grin* 

other fun things included getting pedicures with jen and leslie, lounging at the hilton,
shopping at the boutiques along garnet, eating out and celebrating tina's birthday,
watching a chick flick and yes, a few GLEE episodes too!
leslie's officially a GLEEK too.

very few pictures were taken because i was well, busy busy and it's hard to do both.
here's one i snapped of my sis enjoying the sunshine.
can you believe she's the mom of a 16 month old? 
she looks FAB!!

oh and i can't forget waking up at 6:30am on sunday
(after being out till almost 2am) to cheer on jen and tina.
the girls ran the san diego 2010 rock n roll marathon
that's 13.1 miles for you non-runners. 
what an accomplishment ladies!!

despite finn and i having a cheer made up for jen,
we somehow missed seeing her (next time she must wear a giant neon wig).
we did see my coworker tina at mile 9 which was nice. 
here's a picture of the girls with their beautiful medals. *CHEER*
so proud of you both! 

i admit - being a spectator was fun but also tough for me. 
i SO wanted to be out there running with them.
i've committed to running the carlsbad half marathon in january.

the story behind this: runners can have anything printed on

their race bibs they want. jen's said "i'd rather eat donuts"

so as a little congrats, we gave her a box of donuts and i wrote

this on the box. *laugh*. 

sisters

a sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and
very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.
- toni morrison

leslie will be here VERY soon and
i'm so excited i can hardly stand it.

i have some fun things planned for us
but most of it will be low-key.
with the exception of one night -
we (she) will be tearing it up on the dance floor. *grin*

she sent me a birthday card a few days ago
she had been saving it - hoping to give to me in person,
but decided she couldn't wait any longer.

along with the sweetest card, there was a gift that made me scream with delight -
the glee season one dvd which we are DEFINITELY
going to enjoy together when she's here!
that was so very thoughtful - she knows me well.

i scanned the front of the card because it was pretty
and because she included one of my favorite photos of us.

the photo is special to me for two reasons:
- it was taken at c and i's 10 year wedding vow renewal in mexico and
- leslie made the day more special with her beautiful gift of music.
she sang this song as a duet with my father-in-law.

i miss her voice.
i miss our conversations.
i miss her laughter.
i miss her smile.

i miss my sister.

exhibition night at explorer

i attended explorer's exhibition night with finn last night and i'll be honest.
it was a bit overwhelming for me.
there were so many kids, too much noise and no place to escape.*grin*

i tolerated it all because this is a very special night for the children of the school.

parents and extended family are invited to the child's classroom

and the kids share projects they've done throughout the year.

christopher had a critique session at the new school of architecture 

so auntie jen was my date which was kind of fun.
i hadn't seen her in a bit so it was nice.

finn showed me lots of fun projects he's done all year long

his georgia o'keefe painting was my favorite of the night.
i snapped a few photos.

it had been a very long day for me,
but i'm glad i went.
finn's excitement was palpable.

he's worked very hard this year and
and i am proud mom indeed!

here's finn and his bestie, drew

a self portrait

on the way home we stopped at yogurtland.

christi introduced us to this place last summer.

the yogurt is just as delicious as the shoppe is beautiful
i was drooling over the green glass tile - LOVE it!

some stuff about scoutie

i haven't shared much about our rambunctious scoutie so today i am.

with so many activities/events that surround kindergarten,
finn has been in the spotlight in my blog,
but scoutie certainly isn't lacking attention at home.
he gets just as much (actually more) since he's the youngest
and naturally demands more attention.

he's at the age where so much of what he says is funny
sometimes laugh out loud hilarious
that makes me grab a pen and post-it to jot his words down so i don't forget.
sometimes what he says is simply embarressing.

last week when i asked him to say hello to a potential nanny who was at the house.
he looked right into her eyes and said "hi poop" *ugh*
what can we do?
he's 2 and he knows it's not a 'nice word'.

we know the more we make a big deal of it
the more he will use it.
this is the way it works with toddlers and preschoolers
this we know - one of those benefits of being a 2nd time parents.

this book was given to me by a girlfriend as a 'thank you'
for photographing her family a few weeks ago.
now i have the perfect place to document ALL of
scoutie's silly AND embarrassing sayings.

it wasn't necessary but it was such a thoughtful gift,
one i will use alot!
 






















oh and despite scout calling every nanny candidate 'poopy' something (pants, head, etc.)
we found a student that didn't seem to mind at all. *BIG cheer*
though she doesn't speak spanish fluently (something c and i were hoping for),
we think she'll be a good fit for the boys this summer.
(so glad to be done with this - i can enjoy the month of june now). 

here's a clip of scoutie at our local beach on memorial day.
he's enjoying himself and entertaining me. only a toddler
(or drunk college student) would do somersaults in the sand. *grin*