submarine sandwhich

work has been CRAZY and with finney's birthday
celebration this past weekend, i'm tired.
so tired i'm going to bed early...before 9pm.

i have downloaded birthday photos,
but i haven't gone through them all yet.
my goal is to get to later this week or
this weekend at the very latest.

in the meanwhile, i thought i'd post this cute submarine sandwhich.
i re-created it using a football shaped cookie cutter and put in finn's
lunchbox last week on his birthday as a little surprise. 

absolutely adorable yes? {or rather 'cool' as the boys would say}

to bed i go. i'm getting up earlier than usual tomorrow
to look at a home our realtor friend emailed us tonight.
i'm not holding my breath but we'll see...

submarine birthday

after much anticipation,
finn's submarine birthday party day finally arrived,
and lucky for the birthday boy, he was able to tour (2) real submarines
that were sitting in san diego's harbor as part of the maritime museum.

since the tour was the main part of his birthday,
we tried to keep the guest list down and to do this,
we asked parents to drop off and pick up their children at our home.
they all seemed happy about this arrangement.
i've learned at their ages, parents have gone to enough parties
and often welcome a break from weekend birthday parties.

aunt jen had just picked up her new car the day before the party,
so she was able to drive which allowed me to drop off my carload
at the museum and head to spanish landing park to set up for the birthday.
{i did tour the museum a year ago when my girlfriend amira visited - loved it}

here are some highlights of finn's special day:



cupcake toppers {fresh chick designs}

favors: a paperback of  20,000 leagues under the sea
and a chocolate submarine pop i made from this mold

 party table

cute bottle wraps {fresh chick designs}

unable to find a cool sub pinata on-line, daddy made this one





it was a fun filled day and extra special because grammy was with us.

like last year, i missed not having a backyard.

dragging everything to the park wasn't easy
{although i did have pizza delivered directly to us}

also i wasn't able to reserve tables at this park,

so there was a chance one wouldn't be available.

lucky for us, two were available by the playground

{and close to a bathroom}

despite the the work to get set up,
the park did provide a beautiful backdrop to the day  - it overlooked the harbor,

and the weather, unlike last year, was perfect.  it was sunny and in the high 70s.

it's great to be eight

finn oliver gerber is 8 today,
and as my little tradition goes,
i do a tribute post on the boys' birthdays.

so tonight, i am listing 8 things that i want to remember
about our first born at this time of his life.




























1. he is a cuddle bug 
even though he is a big 2nd grader,
he still loves to hold my hand and kiss me goodbye before i leave for work.
nights are when he turns into a real cuddler,
asking for a backrub and song before bed.
you are my sunshine is still his favorite.

2. he loves science
if you are a follower of my blog, you know this already.
he often reminds us that science is his "passion".
his preference to watch nova science now over cartoons says it all.

3. he is a rule follower
he not only follows rules but he understands why there are rules in place.
whether it's deep understanding - way beyond his years, i'm just not sure.
i can just say that it's made things easier for his parents, nannies and babysitters.

he won't hesitate to call out kids {or adults} who aren't following rules.
example: he recently told a mom, who was driving him somewhere on a class field trip,
that she was going over the speed limit.  she told me laughing but admittingly said
"i was, and finn kept me in line".  this is something i love about finn.
he keeps c and i on our toes and reminds us that little eyes are always watching.

4. he loves movie nights
friday nights are typically our family 'movie nights'.
finn loves these gatherings and no matter how large of a dinner we eat,
finn always insists we have popcorn
{without it, he says it's not just a 'real' movie night}

5. he enjoys playing the piano
he's been in lessons for 4 months now and has performed in his first recital.
so far, he seems to enjoy playing and only groans on occasion about practicing.
the rest of the household is enjoying the music he brings into our home.

6. he is outgoing
finn loves life and loves people.  after having a long talk with grammy barby,
he started upstairs for bed and stopped and said "i love to talk. i'm not sure why.
i think it's because there are SO many interesting things to talk about."

7. he reads for pleasure
it took until this past year, but now he enjoys reading for fun!  
for c and i, it's been a joy to see him reach this milestone.
he loves to visit his school and community libraries.
beyond science-related books, he is especially into the magic treehouse series.

8. he is a great big brother 
sure he fights with scout from time to time, but more often than not,
he is sitting right next to his little brother playing with him.
{i used to think this was normal for brothers at this age,
but i've since learned that it isn't always the case}.
it makes my heart happy they are besties...for now at least.

a thing for miley

i think my youngest has a thing for miley,
a sweet little girl who's been in his class for the past 2 years,
if he has his pick of playing with the boys or miley,
it's always miley.

i don't know if i could call it a crush,
but, i can say these two little ones share a very special friendship.

whenever i get to do 'drop offs' in the mornings,
miss miley is already there at school
{her mom teaches 2nd grade at the rock}.
she comes running up to scout and gives him a big hug.

he grins shyly, hugs her back, and off they go together to play.
a few months ago, he was invited to her princess themed 4th bday party.
other than her cousin, scout was the only boy invited.
and he was so happy to go,
and happy to have gotten a sword to play with instead of a tiara.

he asked me to be sure to invite miley to HIS superhero or pirate party this summer.
when i reminded him it's a long long time away yet {6 months}, he didn't seem to care.
he just wants miley there, oh and aunt jen too he said.

here's a photo i snapped of the two at her 4th birthday party.
{doesn't she look like she could be finn's little sister?}

i cheated again! this post was a draft i started a few weeks ago.
i just inserted the photo.
{i wanted to be sure i captured the friendship between these two}

submarine ♥

my first born is just days away from his 8th birthday!

his actual b-day is this friday, 1/27, but the party will be held on sunday.

this one will be extra special as grandma barby is flying in from arizona.

finn will get to celebrate two special occasions with her -
grandparents day at his school this friday and his birthday.
he's never had a grandparent able to attend in the past,
so this is really special for him.

as for his birthday, every year he chooses a theme,
and it's always something he is passionate about.
this year he chose SUBMARINES.

this doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who

has spent more than 30 minutes with him over the last 6 months. 

if he gets your ear, he will weave in talk about submarines and 

discuss in detail how they are designed and how ballast tanks work 

{i didn't even know what they were} shhh

he will also talk about taking an entire crew down with him

on his mission to search for the lost city of atlantis.
{which is made up of some friends and family members}

i'll just let him tell you all about it:

so there you have it.
he really does plan on going to atlantis someday
{when he's older and done with college he tells me} *wink*
he's even convinced half of his classmates to be part of his crew.

since subs are his theme,
i showed finn some adorable yellow submarine invites i found at target way back when.
and he was adamant that we not send them.
apparently, yellow submarines that have a single porthole are for "preschoolers."
REAL subs are gray or black.*sigh* {yet another reminder he is growing up}

i jumped on etsy in search of a more grown up invitation.
there were few to chose from that weren't the traditional yellow,
but i did find a design and a few coordinating printables
that i thought would work from fresh chick designs.

when i showed him this submarine invite, he approved. *whew*
he liked that the sub had his name incorporated into it,
and i liked the simple color scheme. it also had a bit of whimsy to it.

for finn, this weekend can't come fast enough.
i wish it were here too.

back from africa

oh it's been wonderful having c back home with us.

everything is better when he's home!
{he didn't pay me to type that}

the gerblets and i made it through his absence with just a minor mishap.
i got a call from the director of scout's preschool  

letting me know me that he didn't have a lunch one day last week.

OOPS! i had packed it, but somehow we left in my car.
he didn't starve. he enjoyed his first hot lunch from the school's cafeteria.
the irony to this is we actually arrived early that day - the first all week!
{even stopped at starbucks for a vanilla milk and coffee}.  

when c caught up on sleep, he took some time to share his photos with us.
the majority are architectural photos, rather pictures of buildings and not pretty at all}
but most structures in ghana aren't.

the very basics that we take for granted,like running water, are rare for the
average ghanaian.  yet, c tells me they are the most hard-working and appreciative
people he has met in all his travels. ok, now on to some photos.

c took this for the boys. shows his flight over the atlantic ocean

the accra airport

the hotel c stayed at 

it even had a pool {he said he enjoyed in late afternoons}

his comfy hotel room 

c worked closely with gentlemen, joshua + godwin from ghana

a typical school {piled up for cleaning}

bricks made out of of concrete are made directly on the site

a typical 'current' classroom

christopher spent lots of time with chris, the cfo of edify 

all private schools require uniforms {i love them all}

many babies cry seeing 'ubrinis' {white people} for the first time

the modern accra airport 

my favorite pictures are of the children

i hope you enjoyed those as much as  did and they give you a
teensy glimpse into what c's trip there was like.

c told the boys and i he may get the opportunity to go back in the spring
when the prototype schools he designed will start to be built. so exciting!

oh and he shared some interesting tidbits about ghana:

1. anything that can be carried will be  carried on the HEAD.
2. goats are plentiful and walk the streets
3. trash is also plentiful
4. like the locals, it's appropriate to shake with your right hand only
5. religious tolerance is high. christianity is dominant, and muslim and traditional religion is also practiced
6. most stores names have god in the title
7. everyone cooks from scratch
8. dancing is a big part of the culture
9. the people are exceptionally kind and gracious
10. the children's smiles are contagious

beautiful brussels

i don't know alot about brussels,
other than it's in belgium and it's in europe somewhere,
and it was where my hubby said he was today
{during a 7 hr layover}before a flight to DC and then home.

i was driving home from a breakfast/playdate at a girlfriends
with the boys in the backseat,
wound as tight as watches from all the fun they had.
when i heard the little beep announcing i had an email,
i peeked at my phone and saw an email from my honey.

i asked finn to read daddy's email outloud and as he read,
brussels sounded magical and made me wish i was there with him.
not to take anything away from the emails about africa.
brussels just sounded a little more romantic is all.

he said he was walking down cobblestone streets,
in this old city full of gorgeous architecture.
he said it reminded him alot of paris,
it made me smile and remember our time there together.
gosh, it was such a long time ago. *sigh*

when finn finished reading the email,
he said "daddy took a picture of a beautiful castle too".
i reached my arm back and asked for the phone because i
knew i wouldn't be able to make it home without at least peeking
at the picture he sent.  and oh, was it was lovely.

we sure miss christopher, and can't wait to have him home.
{and not because he said he picked up some belgium chocolate for us}

we'll see him tomorrow! *yay*

getting by

most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.
- aldous huxley

it's been 5 days now since c left on his trip
and though it has been a little crazier than normal here
we are getting by. {i haven't even made finn late for school...yet}.

i've received a few sweet texts this week asking how we are getting along.
pretty good i say, but yesterday, in response to maddy's text,
i texted that "i take christopher for granted"

her response:
"why is it when someone is gone, we appreciate them more?"

that's the million dollar question. why is this?
well, i don't think it is intentional that we forget to appreciate.
i think we get busy with life, and if things are going smoothly, we just don't think about it.

so maddy's response was a reminder for me to tell c 
just how much i appreciate all he does for our family and for me.
{i just sent him an email expressing this}

i would have preferred to tell him in person or via skype in this case,
but because of the time difference between us {ghana is 8 hours ahead},
we haven't been able to video chat or talk on the phone. *sniff*
when we get home in the evenings, it's the middle of the night there.
when it's morning here, c is already up and out working.

so we just been emailing.

like the days when internet was new,
i get excited when i open my inbox and there's an email from him.
he seems to really be enjoying his trip so far.
the people are warm and friendly {have even given him a nickname}.

best of all, he feels he is really making a contribution in terms
of helping come up with ways to build better schools for the children there.
this made me smile as this was the main purpose for being there.
{before he left, he spent many evenings reviewing the type of schools they
currently have and researching building and construction methods for that region}

on another note, i engaged in a little tv time tonight after the boys went down.
{not true tv time, but a movie}.
a friend recommended crazy, stupid, love, a few weeks ago
and i rented it from redbox and just watched it..

i thoroughly enjoyed it!

it was touching, as opposed to crazy
and funny, as opposed to stupid.
and yes, about love. 

it's definitely a movie worth making the time for.
and reminds us not to take what/who we have for granted.
{a theme lately}

it doesn't hurt that beautiful emma stone and ryan gosling are in it either. *wink*

little mr. roo

little mr. roo
let the stars shine over you.
don't grow up too fast, too soon
save some time for dreaming
- carly simon, winnie the pooh's heffalump movie

a few days ago,
after homework, piano practice and dinner was out of the way,
the boys and i sat down to watch a movie together.

we dug through our drawer of dvds,
and i came across winnie the pooh's heffalump movie.
it had been a few years since any of us had seen it,
it had been a favorite of ours when finn was a preschooler.

we were all quick to agree that this would be our movie.
scoutie was especially excited to see it,
as he wasn't old enough to remember watching it.

the movie is wonderful on so many levels.
it's about friendship and tolerance and love,
and the lesson learned is taught by the youngest characters in the story -
roo (the kangaroo) and his new friend lumpy (a purple elephant).

not only is the story-line great,
the soundtrack is wonderful as well.
it's full of music by carly simon.
do you remember her from the 1970s?
{i vaguely do, but i know my older sister valerie was a big fan}

there is one song that never fails to make me teary-eyed.
it's called little mr. roo 
the first time c and i watched this,
it reminded us of our finn.

roo is young, full of life and wants so badly to be big.
his mother, kanga, {like me}, knows it comes too quick already,
and urges him to take his time.

if you have just 2 minutes today,
watch this clip and listen.

if you are a mother to a child of any age,
it will probably strike a chord with you
{if your eyes get moist, you've been warned}

if you are looking for a sweet and fun family movie,
i can't recommend this one enough.
it will fill your home with laughter and warmth.

~ i cheated tonight.
this post was a draft i had saved and forgot to post.
it's been a long day and i'm tired.

i spent the afternoon at bonnie's baby shower while the
boys spent time with maddy. i think we all had an equally
good time. {a big thx to m}

i need to be up early tomorrow morning and ready to fill
c's morning routine, so on to bed i go.  goodnite.

leaving on a jet plane

c is in full swing preparing for his trip to ghana tomorrow.
he has his passport, visa, shots and is almost packed
{after one more load of laundry tonight}.
he is pretty excited and we are excited for him.

i've reminded him numerous times to take LOTS of pictures,
so we can really get a feel for what his experience there was like.
i'll be sure to share a few here when he returns.

in the meantime, i'll be juggling life as a single mom,
something i never look forward to.
i sometimes take for granted how much c does around here,
and when he's away {especially midweek}, i'm always reminded.

after we see off c, i have a few fun things planned for the weekend.
i'm taking the boys to sea world {we're hoping scout is tall enough to ride journey to atlantis}.
tomorrow night, finn has a sleepover at his buddy's home which means scoutie and i will have
an evening all alone. last, bonnie's baby shower is on sunday afternoon.
{i also need to clean my home, grocery shop and dig out our mexico pixs and post}

since i'm a believer that every post needs a photo...or two
i thought i'd share a couple i took of miss madison last weekend.
the shoot was probably my favorite of all shoots to date.
we walked all over downtown, stopping at extraordinary desserts
so i could photograph the girls in front of the shop's funky metal facade with holes in it.
{we couldn't resist grabbing a coffee and hot chocolate too while we were there}.

~ the holiday season is officially over at the gerber casa.
our tree went to a recycle center today and our christmas bins have been
put in storage for next year. i pulled off all the holiday cards that were pinned
all over the family room and tucked away a few of my favorite photo cards.

oh i almost forgot. we even got all our thank you notes sent out.
finn was happy his younger brother took the lead on them this year.
scoutie wanted to write in each of the cards.{such a contrast to finn}
i just had to call out the letters to him so he knew how to spell the words.
he enjoyed it so much, he asked if there were more to do.

have i mentioned how much i love that kid?

somewhere out there

this has been a little mantra that i say to myself when
i start feeling discouraged about finding our next home.

ever since the sell of our little diamond street cottage,

i have been casually looking at homes that get emailed to me
based on certain criteria i've selected (community, price, size, etc.) 

in an entire year, there has only been one home that i've actually

driven to see, and that home didn't warrant a second trip back with c.

part of the difficulty is, we are being selective
but 
not in a traditional way

we aren't looking for the big house in suburbia with all the latest appliances,
granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a 3 car garage and sprawling backyard.
there are plenty of communities with homes like this in the greater san diego area {and for less money}.
but we are trying to avoid moving to suburbia with the masses.

we really want a home in a community that is in central san diego,

{so we spend less time in our cars every day and more time enjoying life}
one within walking distance to cafes/shops and to recreation,
at least 1,500 square feet, and one that has a yard, even a small one.
seems easy enough right? oddly, it isn't unless money is no obstacle. *wink*

i thought i found a home that might work for us 2 nights ago.  

a property popped up on my phone and immediately i was interested. 

the home was 1,900 sf {plenty big for our family}and in point loma,
the community we currently live in {but not in the flight path}.

it was nothing spectacular from the outside - circa 1960s,
but inside it had some pretty cool architectural features -
high ceilings, lots of windows and almost every room had a loft space

{something i knew the little boys would love}.

here are a few pictures:

we walked through it and YES it was very cool,
but it had been a rental to college students for years and needed alot of work
{about $50,000+ we estimated to be where we would want it to be}.

we considered making a low offer,
but because the property backed up to a pretty steep slope,
it didn't have a usable yard at all {not even a little one}.
it only had a deck. it was nice, but with two young boys,
it didn't make sense for this time in our lives.

we've promised the boys a treehouse when we get our next home,
and this wouldn't allow for one, so the search continues.

somewhere out there is our next home
{c is hoping that home will be closer to the beach} *wink*