Ode to a Dad

I think that this was the best Father's Day that Chad has had to date....and I must admit that the day was really one, big, huge blessing. We started the day by me and kids bringing a "lite" breakfast in bed ( because we were heading for brunch later) , watching a bit of soccer, and presenting Dada with his gifts, a leaf blower ( yes, he really wanted that ) and a pair of camo colored shorts.  Then we leisurely got ready and made our way to Malibu for brunch at Dukes!  It was so much fun...lots of good food and after a few pep talks even Finn enjoyed himself ( he's not much for restaurants these days...).  After stuffing ourselves at brunch we headed to Zuma Beach and played for a couple of hours in the surf and sand...the kids slept soundly on the way home and we ended the day with beers,home-made fries, and veggie burgers in our backyard...

It was a really good day.  :-)

Tired ( actually more like exhausted...)

This morning ( for some reason), i woke up feeling very tired.  Not i went to bed too late tired, but honestly and truly TIRED.  Physically, emotionally, and spiritually...all wrapped up in one neat little package. 

I thought the coffee might help. 

It didn't.  ( well, maybe just a little bit).  I try very hard to wake up in the mornings and be present for my family.  I am admittedly not an "early" morning person which generally does not mesh well with having two children under the age of 4.  Try as I might, i will NEVER be a wake-up-at-5-am-exercise-then-read-the-paper-before-the-rest-of-the-house-wakes kind of gal.  I am very jealous of people ( or moms for that matter) who can do this.  But I digress.....

So, the coffee didn't work.  The cold water splashed repeatedly on my face didn't work. I think i maybe I'm just TIRED.....

I am so grateful for all things in my life...wonderful husband, healthy children , great family...but i wonder sometimes where "I" went in the process. 

Maybe I just need a nice, long, nap....or maybe I am just anticipating my 2 week vacation with my husband and kids...the good parts of that , and the bad ( uhhhhh...come on, who doesn't like riding in an airplane with a screeching 2 year old.?).  OR, maybe it's packing for 4 people that's got me feeling "tired". Or maybe it's the MOUNDS of laundry waiting for me...did I mention that they were MOUNDS?  *sigh*.

I'm not complaining...really i'm not...( ok maybe just a little). 

How do you ( doesn't matter if you have kids or not) ladies deal with feeling "tired"?  I KNOW you all know what I mean...

xoxoxoxoxo

ice-cream

Joy.

Sweetness.

Laughter.

Family.

xoxoxo

Pic of the week

Most of you know our dog Cassie....she has been a part of our family for almost 10 years...she is a mutt and I'm convinced that the best part of every dog must have gone into her...

She loves the kids.  She loves to cuddle.  She is a dear companion..

I feel guilty sometimes , honestly, she gets the shaft when it comes to attention around here...

So here's to you Cassie!!  We love you!!!

Heartstrings

He knows

the way to

his mama's heart.

Give a look 

that means

business , and

do it while 

only.

wearing.

a.

Diaper.  

Like Son, Like Father...

We recently took a crack at making home-made ice-cream....with a real ice-cream maker..not a wonderful, automatic, plug-in kind but a back breaking, ice and salt, turn-it-for-an-hour kind.

There were three emotions:

1. Joy!! "Hurray we're making ice-cream!"...that lasted about 2 minutes..

2. Impatience:  " Why is it taking so long?"  " Can't we just buy some from the store?"

3. Frustration: "I want a turn to turn the crank!" " Is is done yet???  ( insert whining)"

All in all...it was a positive experience...and the end result was well worth it...Chocolate with different mix-in's ( toasted almonds, marshmallow, etc..)

I'm not sure we're ready to tackle it again any time soon but it was definitely an experience...

xoxo

Goofy to an extreme...

i love my daughter.

and not just because she is my daughter.

but because.

she has a great sense of humor.

she embodies the word "funny".

and she

embraces every moment of her life.

( this one is for you aunti sarah...xoxoxo )

Baby in a Bucket

Well....i turned my back for a moment ( which i should just know by now...you just can't do...), and this is where I found him...

Seriously..like 2 minutes earlier, i had just changed him into dry clothes..

You would think I would have learned these things by now....*sigh*..

xoxox

Jabber, Jabber..

In the last few weeks Finn has REALLY started talking a lot more...it is so nice that he can actually tell us what he needs now...his new favorite phrase is " I want."...

We're working on that one...

Nothing really exciting in the video...just lots of jabbering...:-)

xoxoxo

The Walk n' Slide

Alright...so I finally dragged out the kids Slip n Slide that was graciously given to them by their Grammy and Papa at Easter...I figured that pretty much it was a no brainer given the water, sliding factor, etc..etc..

Well....

They didn't really know what to do with it.  They looked at it, pondered for a minute or two , then decided that walking/sliding/landing on their knees was appropriate.

I just watched and laughed, pointed a camera and laughed, and decided that I can NEVER predict what my children will do at ANY given moment...


ps...oh , and don't worry ..that slip at the end ended up in laughter..not tears..:-)

xoxoxox

 

Quote of the day

...Driving Olivia to preschool the other day ( she goes to school in Malibu so it is a bit of a drive and we often go from sunny weather to foggy weather very quickly through the canyon)...we are chatting about this or that when all of the sudden she says...

Olivia:" Mom, look at the fog!"

Me:" I know, isn't it nice?"

Olivia:" Mommy, a big frog opened his mouth and bweeved it out!"


So , now i know where fog comes from.....:-)

xoxoxoxo

another month , really?

wow, i'm seriously the worst blogger EVER!!  I just can't get my act together enough to just post a picture...ok so here's one or two...

Can you guess which one is which?

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic tonight....xoxoxoxoxo