Popsicle

Warm weather means one thing around here.... Popsicle time!!!! Olivia didn't really like popsicles last summer but has discovered a new passion for them...luckily, a couple years ago I got a popsicle maker from Crate and Barrel... it is the best!

xoxo

Quote of the day

I tend to rotate Olivia and Finn's toys so they don't get bored with them.. it also keeps a bulk of them out of the house and in the garage at any given time. Olivia came across her My First Leapster beginner computer this morning and boy-oh-boy was she excited. :-)

Olivia: " MOM, i found my 'puter!"

Me: (Doing dishes.. and admittedly not really paying attention) " That's great sweetie!"

Olivia: " I'm going to go to work now... so please don't bother me!"

...youv'e got to be kidding.. did she really just say that?

And just when I thought I'd heard everything..

Olivia: ( running in from the other room) " I did work on my 'puter, and I'm so tired, can I have a snack now? "

*sigh*

xoxoxo

Faces

Here's a good one...

xoxo

The Eye of Sauron

Ok.. this one is for all you "Lord of the Rings" fans...


This is what happens when mommy gets to play with the blocks for 5 minutes....



The great eye sees all!!! hahahahaha!

xoxo

Finn Month 9

Finn is 9 months old! It's simply amazing that he could possibly be that old already...but here are some of the fun new things that he can do!

Finn can:

1. Army crawl all around the house!

2. Chew on all sorts of things with all SIX of his teeth! ( He decided to cut 4 of those teeth all within 6 weeks..good times. )

3. Take toys away from Olivia. ( You can just imagine Olivia's response to that)

4. Pull Olivia's hair. ( Another fun pastime..)

5. Scream REALLY loud when Olivia takes a toy away from him. (*sigh*)

6. Sleep most of the way through the night....Hurray!

7. Laugh at just about anything... he is such a jolly baby!

8. Melt mommy's heart with his cuddles and snuggles...:-)

It is so amazing to see the differences and similarities between Olivia and Finn...Olivia now includes her brother in most conversations and will make an effort to play with him on a daily basis...I love to see the two of them interact. To Finn, Olivia is "the light" . When she walks into the room, he laughs. When she is in time-outs , he laughs. The only thing he doesn't like about his big sister is her loud voice... he has proven himself to be a very sensitive little fellow who doesn't care for loud sounds ( just like daddy...BTW). We look forward to all the things Finn has to say to us when he finally decides to talk... :-)

xoxoxoxo

A couple good quotes..

Here are a couple good ones...she never ceases to amaze us!


Olivia: "Mom! I hear something!"

Me : " What do you hear?"

Olivia: "The sun is coming down!"


or there's always this little gem..


Olivia: "Mom, I need my hood pulled up."

Me: "Ok, come over here and I will pull it up for you...( pulling up her hood)".

Olivia: " I need my hood pulled up so my hair doesn't fly away. Oh, hanks Mom!"


BTW: "Hanks" is how she says "Thanks".

xoxoxoxo

Father Daughter Dance 2009

Last Saturday night Chad took Olivia to her 2nd Father Daughter dance at Bel Air Prestbyterian. They had a great time dancing, doing crafts, and eating treats! Olivia came home and told me that they did the "chicken dance"...then she proceed to wiggle her tush and flap her arms like a chicken.. pretty funny. Here are some pics from the dance and one from last year to compare...my , how she has grown!

xoxox







Here is the pic from last year.... what a little peanut!!!

Calling all Moms!!!

Ok, ladies.. I need advice and help.

1. Sleeping problems:
I have been struggling with Finn's sleeping issues for months now...about a month ago I attempted to "Ferberize" him ( let him cry , go in and comfort every 5, then 10 , then 15 minutes...) He sort of got it, slept throught the night for 3 days then reverted back ( mostly because I "caved" and brought hime back to bed with us). I am EXHAUSTED and I know that one of the main issues for "me" is hearing him cry so horribly. Olivia went through this but not nearly as hard and long..it maybe only took her 3-4 days to get it down. She has been sleeping through the night since she was 6 months old.. no problem.

I think that I have become "soft" in my old age...but I am so tired. Bringing him into bed with us is no longer an option because he wants to nurse every 2 hours and then I am up all night anyway. I know the ultimate solution is to just let him cry and work it out but I am so weary... any suggestions to make this easier would be greatly appreciated.

2. Eating problems

Finn is a horrible "solid food" eater!! He inconsistently eats from a spoon and throws an absolute fit when I try and feed him. "Some" times he will gobble his food up but more often then not he purses his lips and thrashes around to get away from the spoon. *sigh*. When he was 6 months old doing this I just let it go a couple of weeks and just nursed him.. but now he is 8 months old and needs his solids. Suggestions? Part of me thinks it is because he is teething ( 3 teeth at one time!) but he really isn't fussy at all and nurses with no problems.. sooooo...I can only chalk it up to him feeling "pressured" by the spoon.. hahahahaha! I don't know what to do....

I know that there are lots of mommies who read this blog so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave any comments you can about things you do with your kids to help with these problems....you will not offend me and I really do need the encouragement and wisdom of those around me!!!!

THANKS!!!!

Ah....the fun old pastime of...

Basting the dog!
I know Olivia knows we are vegetarian... maybe she thinks the dog looks like a vegetable. Anyway, she decided to "baste" the dog while I was making dinner. *sigh*

xoxo

The Land where apes,inchworms,dinosaurs,and panda bears live together..

The Subjects!
Their Queen!

Bathin' Beauties!!!

Bath time is the most favorite time of day!! Now that Finn can sit in the tub with Olivia it is even more fun... Olivia loves to wash his back and Finn's new favorite thing to do is splash as much as he can and then laugh and laugh... :-)

xoxoxo

What I like about you.

I'm not typically a sappy person.. but since it is V-day, I thought I would write a few reasons why I love my husband and why he is my best friend.

1. He always comes home with a smile on his face.

2. He doesn't watch a lot of TV and is not obsessed with video games.

3. He has a brilliant mind and is consistently challenging me intellectually.

4. He is serious when he needs to be and silly when he needs to be.

5. He is hot.

6. After 17 years he still makes my heart thump when he walks into a room.

7. Some of my best memories with him are just us sitting around in our pajamas talking and laughing.

8. He is NOT sports obsessed.

9. He LOVES his children and will drop anything to play with them or read them a book.

10. He always asks how my day was...

11. He loves his mother.

12. He has manners.. not your run-of-the-mill manners, but true gentleman-like manners.

13. He is VERY handy and is not afraid to get dirty.

14. He does the laundry and dishes without asking.

15. He shares his white tube socks with me.

16. He holds my hand in public.

17. He makes the best scrambled eggs EVER!!

and

18. He choose me to be his partner. xoxoxoxo

Happy Valentine's Day baby!!

First Haircut!

Well, the time finally came for Olivia to have a little trim on her hair. This last weekend I was giving Chad his monthly trim and we both decided ( while watching olivia bound around the backyard) that her curls were looking a little snaggly. So , we bribed her with a cookie and had her sit for her first haircut/trim. I decided to layer it a little bit so that her curls would bounce a little more.. it worked great! Deep down I was VERY afraid that I would cut her hair and the curls would disappear but that DEFINITELY did not happen. She sat very still and was very patient with me.. (even when I came at her later with the scissors cuz I saw some spots I had missed).

Enjoy!

xoxo

A song in her heart...

Olivia's new favorite pastime in entertaining us with a song or two, or three, or as many as she feels like. Here she is singing her current favorites " Jingle Bells", and "Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer". ( She is still stuck on Christmas..I think it will be a while before she forgets... :-)

xoxo

Finn 7 months!

Finn is 7 months old! We can hardly believe it.. the time is going by twice as fast as it has with Olivia...He is a delightful baby in every way EXCEPT ... night time sleeping!! Ahhh!G!! But, we are working on that and I suspect soon we may have a breakthru..:-) At 7 months Finn can:

1. Sit up by himelf

2. Eat cereal, pureed peas, sweet potatoes, avocado, applesauce, and he LOVES his teething biscuits. And by eat I mean, I distract him with a toy and shovel in the food when he isn't looking. Otherwise, he just purses his little lips and gives me the stink-eye.

3. He is "just" starting to try and army crawl.

4. He can laugh, and laugh, and laugh when tickled.

5. He can take a bath in the big tub with his sister.

6. He can pet and laugh at the dog.

Everyday and I mean every-day he is doing something new. It is so fun to watch him learn and grow.

Enjoy the pics!

xoxo

Playtime with Daddy

This and That...

Ok, ok... I've been HORRIBLE about posting lately but I've truly never been busier in my whole life up until this point!! By the time the end of the day arrives and I actually have time to post..I just want to drink a beer and play Guitar Hero III with my hubby.. Can you blame me? Anyway, here are some recent pics of life around the house... Christmas day, smoothie-making with dad, Finn at six months old, our day visiting the Rose Parade floats , and some more pics for free! Enjoy!!

xoxoxoxoxo

Quote of the day

Ok...folks, here is the latest from Olivia's lips!

Olivia: "Mom, my arm is hurting"

Me: " Oh, why is your arm hurting"

Olivia: " I did color this picture too fast....I'm so tired"

I look up to see her frantically coloring Big Bird an interesting shade of blue...

*sigh*

xoxoxoxo

Life 'round here...

Ai, yi, yi. What a month it has been !! I haven't been posting but that certainly doesn't mean that nothing is going on...it seems like every other day we had something going on the in month of December. By the time I put the kids to bed I am so tired I just collapse on the couch or run off to finish laundry, clean a bathroom, or do some dishes. I am REALLY hoping that I can post more in the next few months but here is a little teaser as to what has been going on 'round here:

1. Finn turned 6 months old today!! He is just a dumpling and a doll and is FINALLY starting to sleep a teeny, weeny, bit better. He sits up on his own pretty well and loves to be cuddled and held. He thinks his big sister is just the coolest girl ever... :-)

2. After 8 years we finally got rid of the ol' Pontiac Aztek ( Papa James bought it!) and purchased a used 2007 Nissan Quest ... yes, a minivan. It is quite possibly the best the thing that has every happened to me...if you can love a car that is... :-)

3. Olivia can put on her own shoes. ( You may think this is a small thing, but every little bit helps..)

4. Chad finished his first quarter teaching at UCLA and has had a nice week off before the next quarter starts...

So there ya go...

More to come... I PROMISE!!!

xoxoxo