scout's first play

today my youngest got his first introduction to theater.

he joined auntie jen, finn and i to see you're a good man charlie brown 

at san diego city college's saville theater.

i'm happy to report that it was a success. 

scoutie sat still thanks to the music and dancing
{and the m and m's that we purchased before the show}

it was a nice surprise when they recognized two of the songs.

i check out the broadway kids cd series from our our local library

sometimes so they are familiar with all types of showtunes.   

{happiness is was the finale song, their favorite and mine too}

tonight as i put them to bed, i hummed this song 

{because i couldn't remember the words}

and then i asked them to tell me what happiness was to them.

scoutie said reading, his sock dog 'patches' and playing.

finn said learning about science and his family.

next it was my turn. 

i told them SO many things make me happy.

music, going to the theater, beach days with the family
and doing exactly what i was doing,

putting them to bed every night.

that's what happiness is to this mom.

2012 promises

i had so much fun with last year's promise me list,
i chose to do it again and convinced two others to do it too.
i'm a little late in posting, but here they are,
my promises for 2012:

1.  picnic with the family {use our straw basket and all}
2.  climb a tree with the boys {completed just before we moved into our new 'old' home, 11/12}
3.  try stand up paddleboarding also known as SUPing {completed 5/13,  mother's day}
4.  discover 3 new music artists {completed - the plain tees, adele and bruno mars} 
5.  read 15 new books {one must include gone with the wind} - 
     - the hobbit - completed {listened to on roadtrip to utah|. finn enjoyed more than me...for kids}
     - the celestine prophesy - gave up {this may be the worse book i've ever read...horrible writing}
     - gone with the wind - 5 stars {completed jan. 2013 {thoroughly enjoyed this book...the characters were so real, i didn't want it to end}    
     - fight club - 2.5 stars {completed.. but it was painful - not my favorite book}
     - the geeks shall inherit the earth - never finished
     - in the woods - 4 stars
     - a brave new world, 3 stars
     - cleopatra 3 stars
     - the book of mormon girl, 4 stars
     - survival in auschwitz, 4 stars 
     - sarah's key - 4 stars
     - the happiness project, 3.5 stars
     - the round house - 3.5 stars
6.  cook 7 new healthy dishes - in progress
     - coconut curry tofu - 5/18/12
     - curried peach and shrimp salad - 9/30/12
     - zucchini ribbon salad - 9/16/12
     - sugar snap peas and shrimp curry - 10/12
     - asparagus soup - 3/13

7.  annual st. paddy's day run with finn and scout {scheduled for 2/13/13}- completed

8.  print my blog - still hope to do this
9.  fly kites with the family - still need to
10. spend a day doing Random Acts of Kindness - ugh - still need to do
11. check 3 movies off in 501 must see movies book {i promised my mom one would be camelot}
      - one will be camelot {i promised my  mom}
      - carousel {my sis bought me a 3 pack of old musical from the 1950s}- completed
      - showboat - {included in the 3-pk - i think this is my mom's favorite musical ever}
12. do a split {completely random, but it's something i want to do again}- in progress 
13. camping trip with boys {does moving into an old home and sleeping on mattresses on the floor count?} - we still need to try to do this in 2013
14. do something that scares me {signed up for this half marathon with a mom friend} it's been over 2 years since i ran one so i think this qualifies. - ;(  i paid $85 for this race but couldn't run it because it took place during our purchase and demo of new 'old house. will try again in 2013.
15. daily, think of things to be grateful for- ongoing {i pull out this book book when i remember to record} -
16. learn a new piano song - in progress {decided on this song by eric clapton. the sheet music arrived today}
17. getaway with just c {we didn't do this in 2012 - so sad}.  we WILL do this in 2013.
18. find a more permanent home - COMPLETE {although it will take until the boys go off to college for it to be what we want}
19. beach clean up  - scheduled for november - this took place the weekend in was in phoenix on a business trip.  need to sign up for another one.
20. try a new kind of dance class {thinking some type of latin dance}-

so that's my list this year.
i combined some personal goals with some fun activities to do with the boys,
as well as some ways to contribute to our community.

future husbands and fathers

my job is to raise a good husband and father.
- aleyda h.

my wonderful girlfriend said this a few years ago
and i have never forgotten it. it's always in the back of my mind.

i met up with this momma a few weekends ago for coffee and
a long walk around beautiful balboa park.
since we are both moms of boys, our conversation turned to them.
i told her i hadn't forgotten what she said that day,
and that i share the same sense of duty she does.

we joked that we wish there was a manual that came with our kids.
oh wouldn't that be nice - something that told us exactly what to do
to ensure our kids grow up happy, healthy and productive adults.
it's not that easy though.

i just know that the first place we learn to be spouses and parents is our home.
without even knowing it, that's where we learn how to be a partner,
how to speak to each other, the value of work, to problem solve and
to set boundaries and priorities.

home is basically a big bootcamp for life.
this is where the basics get taught.
our kids get their scripts from us.

it's a little scary to think about sometimes.
if only life were a big tape and i could rewind some parts.
unfortunately, that's not the way it works.
the best i can do is to learn from the mistakes i've made
hope i haven't screwed up too much.

as my wise friend aleyda said,
i just have to remember what my most important job is.
always.

and here are our future husbands and fathers
{scoutie looks so serious}

scout {4), finn{8}and daniel {6}

mr mraz's new cd arrived in my mailbox yesterday!
as soon as finney was done practicing piano
{he's got a recital coming up next month}
we popped it into the player.

we've been listening to it non-stop....
even had a dance party in the living room last night. *grin*

it's packed full of dreamy ballads and upbeat songs to sing outloud too.
i am especially enjoying the tribute song to his grandpa frank.
it's called frank d. fixer. i just ♥ it.

welcome sidney shire

my girlfriend shannon and her hubby vay
welcomed a baby boy in their lives
this past monday, 4/16.

the boys and i went over this morning
to congratulate the happy parents and to
meet their new bundle, sidney raymond.

he is so tiny and oh so sweet!
what a treat for for us to hold a newborn.
we were lucky he stayed wide awake for our entire visit.

i can't think of anything sweeter than seeing first time parents
with their precious baby.  i get little goosebumps every time.
babies represent all the best things in life: love, hope and happiness.

the shire family: vay, shannon + sidney
dachshunds: ellie + howie

congratulations to the shire family. xo

~ scoutie wasn't quite ready to hold baby sidney,

but he did read this little book that he brought him.

scout about

i was peeking through all the photos that mrs wonders took of the family

for our christmas card last year and came two of scoutie i wanted to get but didn't.

because jackie has fined-tuned her skills over the last few years,
she has built a very successful photography business and her prices reflect this.
i could only purchased 3 family images at christmas,
but i really wanted one or two of just scout since we have so few.

so today i looked at the all our photos online and
was torn between these two because they both reflect
his personality perfectly - super silly or a little shy. 

can you guess which one i picked?

i decided on this last one.
now just anxiously awaiting this image
without jackie's {feather} watermark.

~ i'm off to bed now. it's been a very long week 

and will be a long weekend.  i have a big proposal due tuesday

and will be eating, drinking and breathing it until it goes out the door.
*sigh*.

if i'm lucky, my b-day gift {new jason mraz love cd}might arrive in the
mail so i can listen to while i work.  i'm keeping fingers crossed...

let 'em play...

cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up 
is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. 
- phyllis diller

invention room

i snapped this photo of the boys' invention room a few weeks ago.
this is more or less what the room looks like day to day.

we clean it up when company comes,
but most days, you can barely see the carpet and the boys are
happily squeezed in among all the legos, knex, cars and trains.

to keep myself from worrying about it,  i just try to keep the door shut.

~ renae, the boys' sitter from last summer stopped by last night.
she is on spring break this week and in san diego visiting her boyfriend.
we all enjoyed seeing her and catching up.

the boys insisted on showing her their newly developed skills.
finn played the piano for her, and scoutie read a few pages from his latest chapter book.
he's literally had his head in a book the entire weekend - finished 2 chapter books.
{i quizzed him to make sure he was understanding what he was reading}. he was.

i got him on video a few nights ago. post coming...

robert doisneau

i jumped on google earlier today and

immediately recognized the images that were weaved

into the google doodle.

they were by robert doisneau,

a french photographer who i discovered in the early 1990s.
i completely fell in love with his work
{or rather became obsessed with}

so when i saw several of his photos in the doodle

i typed in his name to see why he was being recognized.

if he were were still living, he would be 100 years old today!

if you don't recognize his name or think you know his work,

you might be surprised.  

remember this famous photo?

v-j day in time square, 1945

if you are older than 30, you probably do.

his photos are timeless.
they are all black and whites {35mm}
he is known for capturing every day life in paris.

a few more of my favorites:

le remorqueur du champ de mars, 1950

le baiser {the kiss}, 1950

i'm so glad i took a few minutes to browse through mr. doisneau's
beautiful photos and remember him.  so thankful for his contribution.

i pray my youth i'll always keep...

happy {almost} friday friends!

it's been a full week and somewhere in between
all that stuff associated with work, school, and family,
i celebrated a birthday!
the boys wouldn't let me forget even if i wanted to *wink*

on my actual b-day, i was greeted with homemade birthday cards
and flowers by my gerblets, breakfast {cereal) poured and set out by finn,
and lots and lots of kisses.

finn was so excited and screamed Happy Birthday Mom!

{scout however looked concerned}

this conversation followed:

scout: it's not your birthday mom

finn: yes, it is mom's birthday

scout: no it's not!

me: i was born on april 10th buddy, and today is april 10th.
today actually is my birthday.

scout: well, is it a school day?

me: yes, it is.

scout: {tears started to form} then i'm going to miss your birthday!

{the 'light bulb' turned on}

i had completely forgotten that to a 4 year old child, 

the word birthday means PARTY.  they are one and the same.

scout was worried he was going to miss my birthday celebration. 

i smiled, scooped him up, lavished him with kisses and

promised him he wouldn't miss a thing.
mom and dad were going to work and he and finn were going to school, 

and the party would be that night after we got home.

we had a little family celebration with cake and candles,

and c and i celebrated together over a  nice dinner the next night. 

my homemade cards from the boys were very sweet,
but i received a funny one from a dear friend that i had to share:

inside: at least i'll have my birthday cake!


so cute yes?
{the card reminded me of my younger sisters and all their dolls}

now i really will lay myself down to sleep.
nite.

~ scoutie has pre-k graduation photos tomorrow.
i still can't believe my 4 year old will be starting kindergarten this fall!

easter 2012

happy easter everyone
and
happy birthday to my brother todd!

before i hit the sack,
i promised myself i'd organize the photos i took this weekend,
send off to our friend jay {who just left an hour ago}, and do a quick post.

it's been a very long day - started at 6:15 am
the boys woke up even before the planes started taking off. 

one would have thought it was christmas morning around here.
*grumbling*

as our little tradition goes,
the boys found their easter baskets sitting on the dining table.

they picked through them quickly and were off to hunt eggs through the house.
finding the golden egg is one of the highlights in their day because
this egg is always hidden so well.  the easter bunny always hides 2 eggs
{she knows the importance of not creating even more competition}

somehow our guest jay slept through all the commotion
he said he didn't hear a word.

by 8:30am, we were at our neighborhood cafe for a yummy breakfast.
from there we headed to the hilton for their annual egg hunt.
boys need to run and outdoor hunts allow for this
{auntie j even stopped by to say hi which was a treat}

the rest of the day was a bunch of random fun:
skateboarding {j can still pull off an ollie},
bottle rocket launching, piano playing, competitive checkers,
a big turkey dinner, and finn showing and sharing with jay,
every page in his submarine journal...i mean every page.
{jay was so patient..and even genuinely interested}

so that was our easter in a nutshell.  a few photos:

jay brockman, angela, christopher
finn and scout {easter 2012}

prettiest party ever

it's early and before easter weekend festivities begin,
i wanted to share a link to the prettiest little girls party
i have ever seen - srsly EVER!

penn paper flowers

now jessica of pen n paper flowers is queen Party Girl.
i don't mean the type of girl that likes to go out clubbing all night long.
i mean the party girl that dreams, designs, coordinates, and styles
amazing celebrations. it's her passion.

this lady isn't just creative in her designs and styling,
she also bakes like no body's business, guest blogs for famous
hostess with the mostess and has a patented-pending product,
called the pastry pedestal that she is selling all over the world.
she could go head to head with martha stewart and hold her own.
the woman is this tremendously talented.

i think about all the work that we goes into the boys' birthdays.
and though we strive for simple, they still require a good amount of work
and leave us exhausted. two parties a year and we're done.
it's hard to imagine the amount of passion she has to do it all year long.

so i was visiting jess' blog to see if she was embarking on another
promise me journey for this year, and i got sidetracked when i came
across her pocket full of posies party post.

this is the party she styled for her 3 year old daughter ella's birthday.
Oh. My. Goodness!!  i was picking my jaw off the floor.
it's truly the prettiest party i've EVER seen.

beautiful, simple and vintage are 3 words that come to mind.
it's not over the top or too matchy matchy with paper products,
everything seems perfectly balanced.
i have no doubt this little party will be posted and re-posted
all over the party blogging world...and maybe even beyond.

and as for the promise me list that i originally was looking for.
i never did find a post on her blog for 2012,
but i've decided to do it again this year even if jess doesn't
officially lead it.  i'll gather up some friends who participated
last year and we can cheer each other along as we check things off.

~ Easter is just around the corner!!
i found these adorable cupcakes on-line using peeps as toppers.
i baked cupcakes last night with the boys and thought it would be
fun to do but



via

the boys wanted nothing to do with peeps.
they don't like 'em...at all.
they will eat plain marshmallows. *sigh*

so
colored frosting and sprinkles will be as fancy we can go.

love is a four letter word

jason mraz' new album

comes out april 17th.
it's titled love is a four letter word.
i'm SERIOUSLY excited!

google

until i find another musician {in this decade}
as talented as mr. mraz,
he will continue to be my numero uno 

{what can i say, i'm a loyal girl}

my brother sent me a link to this song last week,
when i finally got to listen to it on a real stereo,
wow - i was hooked.  ♥ it!

and since i'm on the subject of love,
i'm going to share something that my littlest love said to me tonight.
{and i will later write in my quotable kids book}

as many might know, scoutie is fully reading now.
it's a huge leap for him and now he can't get enough of it.
he proudly read for grandma and grandpa
during our skype session on sunday night.

tonight he came downstairs after i put him down for bed,
and told me that i forgot to rub his back.
i didn't forget {i never forget because its part of our bedtime routine}
this is his way to get more momma time or
to simply stall going to sleep.

tonight i wasn't sure what his motive was,
but i had the time {and patience}
to walk him back upstairs
and give him a little more lovin'.

once he got under his covers,
he whispered to me that he loves to read SO much.
then he tells me to come closer.
i do.
he whispers that he sometimes reads after i leave the
room when he is supposed to be going to sleep.

{and what came next was even cuter}
he unzipped his cute baby gap striped footed pjs and took out
a magic treehouse paper book he had been hiding.

how could i get upset at that?
well, i couldn't.
i smiled and reminded him his eyes and brain need rest
so he can do even more reading tomorrow.

this is my sweet 4 year old.
and no offense to mr. mraz,
but love is not just a four letter word,
it's also a five letter word.... scout ♥

at the barn

my niece maddy rae is a BIG horse lover.

she's been taking riding lessons on and off for years.
i think she would tell you horses are her passion.

i've been wanting to see her ride for so long,
and i finally set aside time to do it this past sunday.
i headed over to the concord equestrian center
to watch her do her stuff.

after seeing her with her beautiful horse, 

i got a sense of why she enjoys it so much.

majestic is the world that came to my mind as i watched her ride.

maddy riding faye

hunger games

after a week of patiently waiting to see the hunger games film,
i said goodbye to the boys for a few hours and headed to the
theater with a girlfriend.

i thoroughly enjoyed reading the book series last year,

and my hope was the movie would be just half as good.

i was happily surprised.

the film followed the book so well,
and overall, the casting was fantastic!

jennifer lawrence as heroine katniss everdeen was spot on,

the same character i stayed up late into the night reading about.

she's strong, resilient and a survivor.

i walked out of the theater with a smile on my face
{salt on my cheeks from a few tears}

and anxious for the next film, catching fire.

~ i was anxious to hear what my s-i-l thought about this movie
since she was a fan too after reading the book.  she approved. *woo hoo*
so far, it seems the book fans are giving the movie approval.