Thursday, May 26, 2011

cravings

Chocolate milk break
I was singing this song at the top of my lungs with Rufus and dancing with my girls and it made me think of my pregnancy. I know I must have mentioned my love for chocolate milk here before. That love was only intensified while pregnant. But did I ever mention that during my pregnancy with the twins I craved cigarettes? It’s true.

I’ve never smoked even one cigarette in my life. I had a couple boyfriends in high school that smoked and that’s the extent of my smoking experience. But you wouldn’t think so if you were in my body while I was preggers with dos bambinas. During previous pregnancies I was very put out with the whole smoking thing. I was very hormonal about it and took it personally any time I came upon someone whose smoke was getting in my personal breathing space. However, this time around, not only was I having dreams (DREAMS!) that I was hanging out of windows taking long, deep drags, but in reality when I walked out of a grocery store and smelled cigarette smoke, instinctively I started breathing deeply and walking toward the source.

What?

I kid you not, my friends.

Not only that, but listen to this part. At some point during the pregnancy I got a cheap changing table and spray painted it. I don’t know what happened during that makeover, but for the rest of my pregnancy I daydreamed about spray painting something. My husband watched out for me and insisted that he do the touch up spray paint on said changing table and I pretended that I was grateful. Meanwhile I was white knuckling the counter top trying to control my desire to run to the garage and breathe in the fumes.

I remember a friend telling me once that she had great desires to lick granite and suck on stones while pregnant. Rocks.  They seem like a harmless thing to crave.


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

at the doc

Today I tried not to fall asleep while driving. I found some raisins in the diaper bag and popped them in my mouth one at a time.




Today while I helped my six year old stay focused on her spelling homework I started to nod off. “I can tell you’re getting tired,” she said with a smile.



Today I went to the doctor to get a referral for physical therapy because my shoulder has been killing me. So much so that I can’t sleep.



Every time I use my shoulder I wonder how I’m not supposed to use it. Have you ever tried to wrestle a two-year-old into their car seat? They’re strong little buggers. And you can’t just not go somewhere because a child doesn’t feel like buckling up, you know what I mean? I can’t picture the correct way to get the kid in the car seat without harming my injury further.



What do I do if one two-year-old is biting the other? How do I help them up to the table to eat? How do I get them into their cribs? It even hurts to change their diapers.



But on the up side, it was nice and sunny today.



And my six year old really likes getting the babies out of their cribs in the morning.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Monday, May 16, 2011

we are here, we are here, we are here!

Really, I am still alive.  My girls are going through a very needy phase and every time I try to sit down to write something it...well, let's just say it doesn't happen in the end.  But I have a random few minutes and I thought I'd stop by and say hello:) 

Here are some pictures of stuff that has been inspiring and beautiful...or joyful and fun...well, the random goodness that I happened to catch on my iphone this week.

Dinner with my boy

On a walk

This is where we're workin' right now.

I actually put some art in a local art show!!! (Locals: Reception on Saturday 12-4)

Want a carrot?

I love spring

Nana n Grampy's

Daydream

She just said,

New leaves

Thursday, May 5, 2011

when Spring decides to spring...

hello, baby leaves. welcome to spring.

...she sure doesn't waist time fooling around.  I thought it would never happen and within a week, flowers are popping, grass is green and growing and perennials have grown anywhere from a few inches to a few feet.

And I am thankful.  I am loving every second of it.

a week ago you were just a twinkle in my eye.
dear bleeding hearts, a week ago you were just a twinkle in my eye

all this in a week
i'm not kidding--a week ago, this was bare mulch and flower-less rhodie

The little tinies even let me do some weeding and edging without bookin' it toward the street!  *hallelujia choir sounding in the background and beams of light shining upon me and my life*  It felt so good to dig in the dirt.

Freshly new
the rest of the garden doesn't look half this good, but that's okay.

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flowering plum and purple violets all through the grass...so lovely.


In other news, yesterday Jake and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary.  (I know!  fif-TEEN?!?) He brought me this bouquet and I'm not one to care overly about flowers, but I can't get over this one.  It's just so stunning!  It's like she saw inside the flower-loving section of my soul and created this one just for me;)

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I'm such a lucky girl.  I have such a happy marriage.  A good husband who I adore.

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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

carmel-by-the-sea

i'd know those legs anywhere

We went to hang out with my mamacita.  Those are her legs.  This is her beach...or at least the beach by her house.  We had a great time.  I hate trying to write about travels, because it is too hard to fit it all into words.  I might as well try to count the grains of sand on my mamacita's beach. 

But here are a few moments in pictures...

The cousins (because my sister Kara and her family came down to hang out with us and now I miss them more than ever) were forever entertained in the back yard.  That little house at the top of the beautiful gardens is where the older three kids slept.  They loved it.  And who wouldn't - it's seriously awesome in there.  If only I took pictures of it!!!

tag

Here's my little peanut waiting patiently to get her shoes put on so she can go play.  It struck me as so adorable that she just sat there waiting while I went on a sock search.  She just sat and stared and I wonder what she was thinking...
waiting to get her shoes on

Maybe she was deciding to see if this gate really opens and closes...
i see u peeking

yep.  It does.


I spotted these 7 year old cousins up at the rope swing taking a self portrait with my girl's new instax camera.  (Which I'm personally in love with.)

self portait

Later I found the little selfie and it was so washed out and overexposed because the camera was on the indoor setting and they took the picture pointing right at the sun reflecting on the ocean behind them.  But I could see that it was cute, so I scanned it and tried to darken it up a bit and I fell in love with it...

selfie
so cute, no?

Then there's the beach...

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It really is beautiful.  And full of tide pools in the rocks to find lots of treasures in...

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Or you can just dig around in the coarse sand the whole time like this little betty. 

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She hung out with her daddy most of the time while her twinny sister just gaped at the ocean...

taking in the enormity of the sea

Every time a wave crashed she'd say, "wow...WOOOOW..."

If you don't feel like treasure hunting for beachy things, you can walk/run along the path that looks like this:

california poppies

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And then there's the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  They have a seahorse exhibit right now that rocked my world!  And my trip to San Francisco, but I have to stop now and go to bed.  I'm so so sooo tired.

But if you've never gone to Carmel-by-the-sea or Monterey, you should jump on that train and ride.  You won't be disappointed.  Although it would be much better if you could stay with my mamacita;)

Mom, thank you so much for such a wonderful trip.  It was priceless!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

we've returned home

Gonna go look at all the goods...the kids brought baggies to bring home treasures in.

...from a great trip to Carmel, CA.  I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow...

Hope you're all doing well!

xo
B