Magnificent Adventures of Michelle, Maverick & Radley

It's about that time again....

2011-11-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

And we are off to find new adventures, practice thankfulness, make new memories and spend a week with our favorite people in the whole wide world.

Unimaginable

2011-11-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

When I see these handsome faces, it is unimaginable that I could ever have lived without them...

Class Pics - 2011 - Maverick, 3 years ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Radley 2 years

11-11-11

2011-11-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

It seemed as good a day as any to attempt to resurrect my non-existent blog lately. I have had so many adventures with fabulous stories, but at the end of every day, so much is still left undone that blogging seems a bit of a luxury with so much still to do on the "to do" list.

But I write for my boys. I write for them to know the stories of when they were little and how much of a blessing they are in my life. And there is always time to tell someone how important they are. So I will attempt to start documenting again. I realize how much I have missed in the last 6 months that is forgotten from memory, that I wish I had kept a record of here.

And so, on my birthday 11-11-11...here we go again. Happy Birthday to ME!

We got the cheesiest supermarket cake we could with as many toys piled on the top as we could fit...and Maverick declared it "the best cake ever!" But he is a little free with his "best _____ ever!" compliments lately, so you can take it for what it is worth until he finds the next best thing ever...

I remember being a kid an thinking of they day that seemed impossibly far away of 11-11-11 and how cool it would be to have a birthday on that date and I remember thinking I would be "so old!"(44)...lol. And I may have the years under my belt, but my brain still thinks I am 26. 26 was a very good year...

But 26 is past. I embrace 44. 26 did not have the best and most important people in my world...ever (as Maverick would say). And though it does not look at all like I thought as a child, 44 rocks! I spent the day with my best guys doing things that make them happy for seeing the joy in their faces is the best gift of all.

So where to begin with the last 6 months?....

Our awesome trip to Disney World with our favorite people on the planet?

How Maverick was finally tall enough for ONE of the big kid rides at 38"...still chasing the elusive 40" requirement today...but he is oh so close! He pride was only exceeded by the width of his smile...

Our amazing trip to the awsome Santa Barbara Zoo located literally across the street from the ocean! Gorgeous weather! Loving the sea breezes! Feeding giraffes! Such an amazing time...

Our endless summer adventures?

Our Maverick/Mommy trip to see Cars 2 & play in the fun zone?

How about our jet ski adventure when we fell in the lake?

And then we had a bit of a photo hiatus. Mama was in a funk. I had 3 miscarriages this year trying for 1 more precious gift. It was at about this "funk" time, that I was dealing with the fact that this was not meant to be. I can only look back now and see that is what it was. After a funk, I found my appreication for what I have right now...not 10 minutes ago and not what might be...but live in the moment...to focus on these two little balls of energy and enthusiasm...that help me to forget temporarily the grown up things. And I am sure they don't know what a wonderful service they provide for us supposed adults who are supposed to be doing the take care of, not the other way around.

So I picked my camera back up in October and used my muses to get back in the groove. As such, I will recap October on its own in the next post.

As always hundreds of photos that will never make it to this blog here!

And PS...I am totally going to "cheat" and back post specific ones I can remember. I really love having this documentation of our life together...it is worth trying to "go back" when I can...

Sweet Sixteen...

2011-11-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

I remember the day you were born...well actually the day you were born after the day you were supposed to be born. After an early induction on Nov 3...you nestled down and refused to come out! I had to mark out Bailey Born!!! on Nov 3 on that years calendar and rewrite on Nov 4. We love you bunches! And although not perfect, this is the best 2 toddlers and an aunt who think you pretty much hung the moon could do...

Halloween Weekend Breakfast!

2011-10-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

Complete with "chocolate juice" from Aunt Jen's Halloween Care Package...also where you got those cute plates! And I love that you call it "chocolate juice" and I love that it only comes from your Aunt Jen.

Without?

2011-10-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

"There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise."
— Brian Andreas

Farm Party

2011-10-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of attending a super-adorable Farm Birthday party at our October haunt, pun intended (Underwood Farms, again!)

They had just the cutest cake/cupcakes. I had to share. If I was going to do a farm party, this cake and cupcake combo is right up there on a great idea!...

Oh the cake moment of a party...that is their favorite...For them, the cake is just the vehicle for the frosting. Lick it off, and get back to playing. Except Radley, he can power down a cupcake or three. And aside from cake, which would be their first priority, we had a whole lot of fun!

They had unlimited open fields to pull a wagon as long as they wanted to...

Go on Wagon Rides through the fields...

Play in the hay...have I mentioned how much Maverick likes hay?

Re-explore tractors! (of which they never tire...I usually have to use some sort of lure to get them moving along...like the train)

And then we get stuck at the giant wooden train for an interminable amount of time...

Because truth be told, they love trains a hair more than tractors...but they are neck and neck...

And as is usually common, my boys find a way to push the limits of what was "intended"...and in this instance, it was ok... Brother exploring "under"...

So we scurry...

And we climb...

And we run...

...another Saturday away...

Yet, who knew that the most fascinating thing of the day would be the recycle bin full of bees and empty soda cans...

...and I thought the train and the tractors were patience builders...

A little bit o' country in the valley

2011-10-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

So one of the things I love the most about your preschool is it is smack in the middle of the city, but surrounded by nature. And as your mama went to preschool at a place called School of the Woods that I remember with great fondness, I want the same for youtwo. Giant trees, open grassy areas to run, 500 year-old amazing oak trees, and what makes your truly unique and amazing....BARNYARD!

Every week you get a chance to see, experience, take care of and be around animals...pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, water fowl of all types, cows, donkeys...and more. I love this...love, love, love.

They had an open day when we went to help out around the barnyard. I am not sure if we helped or hurt, but we sure had fun...

Radley spent a good amount of time hanging out in Pig-Pig's pen...yes, his/her (?) name is Pig-Pig...and he/she does not appear to miss many meals...

Radley insisted on wearing his boots which is not real surprising as he is obsessed with boots...cowboy boots, rain boots...boots. And although I won the battle this day, and he wore matching boots, usually he likes to mix it up with a different style for each foot...

My little rebel. And the shirt?....Danger Seeker....yeah, that too...

My adventurous 12 year old trapped in a 2 year old body...

Slow down baby...

And this one?...obsessed with hay...

Other scenes from Disneyland

2011-10-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

Despite his usual sense of adventure and fearlessness, he wanted no nearer than this...

"Mom! Make Radley stop kissing me!"

Mack: "Mom, I think this is too dangerous"
Me: "I said smile!" (not my proudest moment...lol)

I am almost there...when I can wait in line with both boys and not have to hold anyone. I will miss holding them, but not for 30 min in line all day long...

My kids have it soooo rough...

He loves fruit snacks...and I love him...

I know he does not know of this silly "planking" craze going around...but he sometimes seems to get in the game...Middle of Main Street, Disneyland, USA...

I love Halloween-time at Disneyland and the pumpkin characters...

Blue Slushies & Popcorn...lunch of champions!

Bets. ride buddies. ever.

I just love these two pictures...

Our annual photo...night & day.

Submarines! Still as cheesy as ever...but oh how they love it!

Randomness...

I have a feeling this is another one of those shots that we will take over and over and as soon as Radley's legs are long enough he will join in the fun. On this particular day he was "over it", so he did not join in the giant Lego fun. Maybe next time...

I think this might be our first family shot in front of the castle. I guess we should do it more often, but we are always on such a mission to get to "do something"...

It was a great trip. We will go again next year...but also pondering an East Coast trip to the mouse, so we will see what happens...October Disney trip....check!

Adventures of Maverick & Patricio

2011-10-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

Maverick was assigned the class duck in October to take home. His name is Patricio. When you take the duck home, you are supposed to take pictures so the kiddos can share a show and tell of their weekend with Patricio. Well we just happened to get assigned Patricio on the weekend we went for our annual Halloween-time visit to Disneyland. Ultimately, we got totally into it and in my normal fashion of embracing the fun stuff and doing it 110%, we ended up having a blast finding times to utilize our new family member. The following is Maverick's presentation on his weekend adventure with Patricio.

The Crazy Adventures of Maverick and Patricio

October 14-19,2011

Patricio had quite the adventurous weekend with Maverick. We were very happy to have him join us on our adventures. Maverick and his brother, Radley, told Patricio about all the fun they were going to have in the next few days.

We did some final shopping at Costco and Maverick shared his Pizza with Patricio. It was delicious.

Next Patricio came with us to the Pumpkin Festival and helped Maverick paint pumpkins and got a little paint on him. He also took a rest on the grass with brother when he got a little tired out. It sure was fun!

Soon it was time to load up the car and head out on our special Halloween Vacation to Disneyland! We were all soooo excited!

We got to the hotel and got a good night sleep for our big day.

The next day we took Patricio to Disneyland. Maverick was excited to get his first Annual Pass ticket into the park and was very excited to take Patricio with him. We all shared the stroller and experienced many fun and exciting things.

We visited the Fire Station

We rode Small World boat ride

And played in an awesome Redwood Challenge Playground.

Patricio was very helpful when brother was having a hard time and sat with him for a while to keep him company.

Patricio was having so much fun on this wilderness adventure!

We went home to take a nap and unfortunately Maverick woke up and his ear was “hurting inside”. So we had to take a trip to a medical clinic where the doctor looked in Maverick’s ears and said he needed some medicine and a shot. He was very brave even though his shot hurt very much. Patricio sat with him the entire time and was a very good friend. He also played with brother to keep him entertained while we waited.

Soon we were back at Disneyland and back on our adventure. Today we got to see Lightning McQueen and meet Sully too!

We went to see the Disney Junior show. They had lots of confetti there!

We rode the Monsters Inc ride in a taxi. It was really fun!

Maverick and Patricio had so much fun running crazy around Disneyland

They shared some popcorn.

Rode more rides together.

Watched a scary Bug Life movie with silly glasses.

So much fun all in one day. Soon Patricio and Maverick talked about what they wanted to do next.

They decided that it would be fun to spend some time at the pool. So we did.

That evening Patricio and Maverick talked about how much fun they had and their plans for the Mickey Mouse Halloween Party they were going to attend the next day!

Soon it was time for the party. We all dressed in costume. Maverick was a Dalmation. Radley was a Pirate. And Patricio was Super Duck! They all wore their costumes, went trick or treat and rode rides all night long until it was very very late. At one point Maverick changed to a Pirate costume too!

Soon it was late and we were sooooo tired. So it was time to head home.

The next morning we checked out all the candy we got at Trick or Treat. There was SO MUCH!

We decided to have a little more fun before we left for home. So we stopped in and tried on a bunch of silly hats.

And then we were SO excited to see the “other” duck! Donald Duck! So we took our picture with him and Patricio got to see his duck friend.

Soon it was time to ride the monorail to go home.

We did make a quick stop to play with giant Lego’s

But soon we were home and tucked into our warm beds dreaming of all the fun adventures we had . Hopefully Patricio had some fun too!

THE END

Enjoying today...

2011-10-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

There’s a part of me that looks to the future to a time when he doesn’t leave Lego's & Hot Wheels strewn about, food under his chair, fingerprints on the windows. But there’s a greater part of me that knows that someday I’ll miss those things, the evidence of his youth. That's the part of me that enjoyed watching yogurt drip from the countertop today.

Ah October!

2011-10-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

October brings crisper air. Our attention is drawn to pumpkin patches, costumes, weekend parties and Halloween-time. Picking up the clutter and organizing the backyard toys can wait because for right now, there is only time for honing our family traditions, feeding the barn animals & extra cuddles as the days get shorter... and finding the perfect pumpkins...

First day of Preschool - 2011

2011-09-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

To the world, I want you to know they are special. Please be gentle with their little souls. They will do amazing things. Just wait and see...

As Dr. Seuss said:

Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Congratulations, Today is your day;
You're off to great places,
You're off and away!

And, Will you succeed?

Yes, you will! Yes, Indeed!

98 and 3/4 percent, guaranteed!

Kid, You'll Move Mountains!

Gifts...

2011-07-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

If I had my child to raise over again
I'd build self-esteem first and the house later

I'd finger paint more and point the finger less
I would do less correcting and more connecting
I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes
I would care to know less and know to care more
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites
I'd stop playing serious and seriously play
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars
I'd do more hugging and less tugging
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often
I would be firm less often and affirm much more
I'd model less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.

-Diane Loomans

Radley Little Monster Party Recap! (Long, long, long...)

2011-07-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

It was a total hit!

To be honest I was a bit apprehensive about throwing a party at a "playspace"....but it turned out great and was fun for all!

Here are all the party details:

Awesome Little Monster Cake and coodinating cupcakes...just because...so YUM! from SusieCakes

Our Watermelon Monster! (slammed together 15 min before the party!)

Amazing Monster cookies by Casey's Confections:

Lunch: (Monsteroni & Cheese, Monsterella & Tomato Caprese and more!)

Monster Centerpieces:

Monster Googly Eye Chocolate Dipped Oreos:

Monster Party Favor Tote Bags (made by my lovely neice who did an awesome perfect job! Loved them!!) They were the best addition for decoration that we had!! And a huge hit with the munchkins!:

Monster Balloons!!!:

And Monster T-Shirts for all!

And of course the party boy and all the fun we had that day!

AND even more fun!!!

I hope you loved it my little love. I think you did. You were wiped out when it was over. It was a joy to throw you an amazing party. Watching you grow, watching you scurry and speak and swing and smile, every day - for the rest of my life - is the best future I can imagine. I'll admit, sometimes it's difficult not to mourn your babyhood, not to acknowledge a twinge of sorrow as each development pushes that time further into the past. But then I watch you, and I am amazed at the way my love for you grows faster than you do...Happy Birthday, my lovely. Love, Mommy

So much fun...

2011-06-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

"There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again." ~Elizabeth Lawrence

My enchanted one!

All in the Family

2011-06-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Two

2011-06-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

At the moment this posts, 2 years ago, my baby joined our family. And what a ride it has been. There will be a grand celebration and great rejoicing at the joy you have brought into my life. But for today, Chuck E Cheese and the "At Home" version will have to do. More to come... I love you so much my baby...you are my heart.

Then and Now

Crazy Hair Day

2011-06-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Self-explanatory...

Cousins Rock!

2011-06-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

Especially when they let you drive the boat!

Look closely

2011-06-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

See those eyes...yes, they were tired from DisneyWorld, but this was the last photo taken before 4 days of fever and sickness...he was fussy and on his way down as we zipped around on our water mice...little did I know what was to come....

WHEEEE!!!!!

2011-06-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

So in honor of the fact we are off to warm, sunny Florida for a couple of weeks to visit the mouse, Harry Potter land and spend too much time by the pool with maybe a few too many "mommy drinks", here are some photos from last month's Mother's Day trip to Disneyland. Maverick still is beside himself with the desire to ride the roller coasters, but my little love is still about 1.5" shy...even with his tall shoes on.

I think it will be one of our fall trips before he is finally tall enough. He loves the other stuff too...

But off we go... with cousins on the other side...life is good.

Masterpiece

2011-06-02T06:10:00.000-07:00

For lovely Ashton's 13th birthday...a Jen the Cookie Chick creation...

Princess Diva Girl Zebra Cake with sugar beads..amazing really...amazing...my sister rocks!

Party on!...and because no post is complete without a pic of my babies... this one rockin their princess Ariel crowns at another party...the looks on their faces crack me up...

Brotherly Love...

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Before I forget...

2011-05-30T05:12:00.000-07:00

Ok...so disregarding the fact that it has been a month since my last entry...It has been an amazing month of ups and downs, thrills and disappointments and even stuck in a trip to Disneyland and to Texas and a couple of birthday parties just to keep things interesting. Work has been crazy. My help has been less. And the blog was one of those things that just got lost in the shuffle.

But I have learned this blog is my boys baby book. And with Radley changing so fast, he is just so darn precious that I have to make note of these wonderful Radley-isms before they are gone and lost to the fallacy of the "of course I will remember" illusion that we parents sometimes hold....

My current Radley-isms...

"airplane-copter" - helicopter

"big, GIANT!!" - everything is "big, giant!!!". Not just big. Not just giant. But "big-GIANT!!"

"peek-ee-boo" - self explanatory...lol.

And when caught red-handed doing something he should not be doing he looked at me with big puppy dog eyes and said::::: "Mack did it."...and so it begins. All I could do was laugh...

Radley's new big boy bed has been ordered...he is ready. I am not.

We are off again next month for more adventures in this great big world. Party planning has begun for my sweet little monster's 2nd birthday party. The pacifier is working on borrowed time...soon to be retired. Much more to catch up on, and if the stars align, I will have the time to keep the unparalleled privilege of raising these two amazing creatures more up-to-date.

De-stressing...

2011-04-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

This kid has it rough...

Spring Glory

2011-04-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Our Spring is full.
My babies are growing.
Life is good. No, it is better than good.
I will work to find the word that can describe our "better than good". Not sure if it exists...

They feel loved.
They know they are the best thing that ever happened to me, because I tell them, lest they forget.
They exude confidence, joy and bliss from every pore.

I see the future in them.
I want to bottle up their bliss and save it for the hard days
I want to stop time in these moments and hold onto the joy.

This one needs me.
He clings more lately.
I savor and struggle with it in equal measure...

There is good in these boys.
I see it growing.
Our family's future is safe in their sweet little hands.

Even if sometimes it feels a bit sticky.

Enjoying the Small Things...

2011-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

As a tribute to my favorite blog on the internet. I decided to fill this with my own "small things" I have been enjoying around here lately.

Watching them play together:
This has been huge growth around here. They seek each other out. They come up with games to play together. Mostly it goes well...

Our Garden:
Watching our tomatoes, peas, cucumbers and other vegetables starting to take off. I can hardly wait for the harvest...

Glimpses of the future:

He so looks like he is checking his hair in the rear view mirror. It is like fast forwarding him about 14 years. Heaven help me...

Day trips with my boys:
Legoland....Sea World...filling up our adventure bank a bit. Watching them brave new situations and circumstances and being so proud of how they are growing and how brave they both are.

And every now and then being suprised by how smart my babies are. On this day my child identified by sight the Eiffel Tower. I guess all those hours of Little Einstein viewings have paid off somehow, because I know I have not been working on world landmarks!

Days warm enough for a splash park:
It does not get much better than this on a hot day. Splashing and playing. I wish there were more like this close to our house.

Seeing Bravery as it forms and learning to rise to the occasion:
Watching this little man brave the unknown. As we could not all ride together at Legoland, he put on his brave face, followed the rails of the que and climbed to the top of the big slide while carrying his own mat that was twice the size he was. And with a little nudge from the worker up top as momma watched anxiously from below, he was on his way...He rode the dropping thing...and all the while, he was so proud of how brave he was. And so was I.

And proceeded to be brave 8 times more, every time a little more confident, a little better at laying his mat down. By the end, all he needed was the nudge. His bravery exceeds his height. He runs up to every roller coaster wanting to ride looking at me with anxious eyes from beneath the measuring stick, breaking my heart to tell him "not yet". Nearly every day he stretches and stretches his legs and up to the sky and tells me he is getting "taller for ride the roller coaster". We have a trip to Disney World in June. I am hopeful we hit 40" so he can do most of the thrill rides. He is so ready. Only an inch and and a half to go...growth spurt? Packing platform sneakers for a toddler. It may come to that. He is ready. So ready. And this time, so am I.

And don't even get me started on how much he loved THIS!

And the airplanes...his world was complete...

The Spring Party Circuit:
Dinosaur Party...awesomely fun and clever...on a glorious spring day - Happy Birthday Kaleb!

And an adorable Elmo party with the most charming decorated table with yummy kiddie munchies...Radley took to that right away...Happy Birthday Jacob!

And I love the splashes of creativity...just fantastic. And now I have a strange desire to carve fruit for a party soon...LOL

Are these not the cutest??? Loving the fruit loops in the bowls.

And the boys had so much fun. I am also loving the 3 hour nap that they took after...

Radley took a liking to trying on all the shoes left outside of the jumper. The shoe fetish is still going strong.

Maverick and his buddy David giggling together to hold the iguana. So blasted cute!

My photo muse...loves when he loves to pose for momma's camera.
And as he tells me multiple times day...."Momma, I love you so much"....turning me into a pile of mush. I am in trouble if he chooses to hold on to that trick into teenage-dom. It is futile to resist the charm.

Babies first big boy swing:

He was so proud...

Evening swims:

And there you have it....Enjoying the Small Things...Kelle Hampton style.
Have a great weekend!

An Open Letter to Uncle Z

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Uncle Z,

We want to thank you so much for the special rubber band guns you picked out for us.

Mom thought they were cool too until she did not realize they were already loaded and Radley managed to shoot himself in the forehead pretty much immediately. He was holding it like this when he managed to do it:

I figured it out right away and thought it was awesome as I managed to hit mommy too in one of my first couple of shots! After about 10 minutes mommy was a party pooper thought that Radley would do better with the foam rocket guns in our other basket of goodies. So she took away the really cool guns, but I told her not to throw them away.

We did to play with the target and our foam guns though and that was really fun Radley dragged down his boppy from the sofa and immediately went into a sniper position.

I am not sure where he learned that from. Dude instinct, I guess. I guess I'd better be nice to him in the future. Mommy says when Radley is asleep, I can play with the "other gun".

Here are some pictures she made us take. Sorry we don't have clothes on. That happens around here sometimes. Mostly they are before we opened the box and after we switched to the foam guns. In the in between time, mommy was trying to make sure none of us put an eye out...she is always dragging down the fun. She says it's her job. We hear rumor that NEM was always fun, but she seems to have changed her ways now that we are here. But we really do love them! and you too!

Love and bullets,
Maverick

PS. Radley asked if you could send him to sniper camp. He thinks he would be really good at it, but is pretty sure mommy will say "no".

Easter Day 2011

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

So the Easter Bunny came by late and appeared to be quite confused that this is not Christmas. I'm gonna have to talk to him about that.

However,
the late night of prepping,
the joy on their faces come morning,

the mess,

the oh-my-heavens sugar overload for breakfast, lunch, all day day... Maverick went back and forth from lollipop to chocolate bunny. He simply could not decide. The sugar rush hitting his brain is the look in his eyes here...the crash was a tad bit rough.

the running to the window to see if there are eggs "out dere" and chasing around in the cold morning drizzle gathering their Easter bounty,

The late night last minute chomping of carrots to leave strewn about the house by the messy Easter Bunny...

The mess and stain of Crayola's newest disaster toy (colored bubbles)...quickly blown and then put in the trash...

The warm snuggly bubble filled swimming pool in the cool morning rain early on an Easter morn to wash away the mess...

Without a doubt, was so worth it...

Happy Easter Y'all!

Of Bunnies & Blessings

2011-04-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

The bunny has landed. But there will be no pictures of the creepy mall Easter bunny. I really have a strong dislike for the mall bunny. The closest we got was a wave from the 2nd story when i had to make an unscheduled trip to the Apple store to replace my iphone that was stolen recently.

I had to quickly fashion a 2nd bunny ear hat like the one Mack made in school as it resulted in quite the tug of war for brother. Unfortunately little brother knew that it was not the same and was not very happy...however you can see how smug Maverick is having won this round...

First school Easter treats paired with other experiences like chocolate dipped matzo. I love the diversity in LA. I don't think I ever heard the word matzo before I was in my 20's. Never mind recognition of all traditions/religions/celebrations in our Baptist belt school bubble.

Maverick and his easter basket he made at school and the eggs he found "by the house, in the fence and in the sand and the grass"

Sharing his matzo with brother...

Radley was waaaay into the matzo...or it may have been the chocolate...

The last of the egg dye is starting to fade from under our fingernails. But oh how I love to dye easter eggs. I love using clear cups so you can see the vibrant colors...it just make egg so gosh darn fun!

I heard this year from someone who dyes her boiled eggs for fun year round to know which are boiled and which are raw in her fridge. I may have to pick up some 75% off color tabs just so I can do it more often... I like that idea...

Radley concentrated hard painting the ceramic eggs I had for them to decorate while they waited for the dye to take hold...

I tried to make a "golden" egg...but not so much.

It was just so much fun. I remember being a kid and my grandfathers house stove bubbling away with dozens and dozens of eggs for all the grandkids. I am not sure why I find decorating the eggs so satisfying...But I do. I just know when the boys are old enough, I will still have my "own" dozen to get as dark and jewel toned as I can without those little impatient monkeys so anxious to rip them out of the dye after 5 seconds.... This year we had a record 7 1/2 dozen...of which about 6+ dozen actually survived boiling, the early eating and the accidental smashing while decorating...

He looks so old to me in that last photo...getting so big and tall after a recent growth spurt...

We made the classic 1973 Bakers Coconut Easter Bunny cut up cake. Oh how I loved that silly little cut up book! Many a birthday plan was spent pouring over the different options out there trying to decide which cake I wanted that year. Ours may not have been perfect...but when decorated in its entirety by kids under 12...it is what you get. And it was more about how many jelly beans they could eat anyway!

Within moment of completion...it was slaughtered.

There were carrots...

And we dug our hands in the dirt planting more melons & tomatoes which did not survive toddler playtime...

We played and played and played...this one was taken about 5 minutes before that cute little blonde kid ended up under that pool...

Picnics with Bunny shaped egg salad sandwiches. And brother teaching other brother how to drink from your juice box without a straw. Which will come in real handy for all those boxes I have that are missing their straw!

Easter treats from Aunt Jen & a special present from Uncle Z...

And that was just the week leading up to the big day. Next up...Easter Day 2011...

Hippity Hoppity

2011-04-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the Easter Bunny.

Baskets filled.
Eggs hidden
Cameras with fresh batteries
A fun low key day hanging with my boys...

Fisher Price Parking Garage circa 1970...

2011-04-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

I loved this parking garage....

My boys love this parking garage.

The spinning wheel, the ding with each crank of the elevator, the gas pump...strong enough for even the most aggressive and hard-on-equipment toddlers to stand on...even 40 years later...Trust me, they have tested it...as I cringed...

Good stuff..strong toys...the way they used to be made passed on to the next generation...makes me all warm and fuzzy...that is all.

WWF - Toddler Edition

2011-04-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

In this corner, Maverick Dean Travinski, standing 38 1/2" and weighing in in the lightweight division at svelte 36 pounds. He is known for his speed, endurance and un-yeilding persistence...and also being very gentle with his baby bro. Nicknames: Wild-man, Mack-a-doo, Mack-enstein....a lean, not-so-mean wrestling machine!

In this corner, Radley Zade Travinski, standing a sturdy 34" tall, and weighing in at a whopping 34 pounds. Known for his snuggles, incredible flexibility, rough housing and all around leader in terrible two syndrome of the week! Nicknames: Raddlestilskin, Bubba, Chunk, Momma's boy...

Tonight's match is set for ultimate suspense and enjoyment. Raddlestilskin leaps out of the gate to a early lead pinning Wild Man easily with his girth and fatal adorable-ness...

Wild Man is quick to respond in an attempt to dislodge Bubba from his back while managing to look oh-so-handsome with every slippery move...

He makes quick work of shaking Raddlestilskin free...

He is quickly recaptured and pinned a 2nd time...but a stealth "launch your brother" technique breathes new life into the match.

Raddles makes a quick recovery and manages to yet again secure his prey...

and gives Mack-a-doo a good whoopin'

Winner of this Round of WWF - Toddler Edition: RADLESTILSKIN!!!

In the end, all was well...

And thus concludes this evening's episode of WWF Toddler Smackdown. Happy Monday Y'all!!!

Shangrila

2011-04-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Where I find myself taking inventory getting ready for the months ahead...

Bubble Juice? Check.
Extra inflatable pool? Check.
Slip n Slide? Gotta get it...
Garden Planted? Check.
Paint and paper? Check.
Giant inflatable slide? Check
Lightening Bugs? Darn it all...they don't live in SoCal. Note to self to plan trip to somewhere with Lightening bugs...very very important.
Flavor-Ice pops? Add to grocery list.
Sidewalk Chalk? Check. Check. Check....check.....check.....

Summer is coming. Longer days with more time for more. Just more. More of us. More memories. More adventure. More dirt in your toes. More fun. More chances to really make some lasting impressions. Those first memories are getting in there, ya know? I am doing my best to make sure they are some good warm fuzzies down to your toes - "my childhood was awesome" ones.

Many years ago I visited a friend with a modest house in a mediocre neighborhood. Not a thought to any of that at the time, but the magic happened when we went out to the backyard. It was magic. Attention to the smallest details. Beauty and art abounded. Just breathtaking. And from that day forward I wanted my backyard to be magic...my own personal shangrila. And though there may be an excess of sun-faded toys and chalk and paint stained furniture, it is so incredibly important that this yard be our haven. Our place of wonder and exploration. A place that is beautiful...even around the plastic Toys-R-US-exploded playthings that litter it all.

My own Shangri-la. The motto by which I make every back yard decision. Will what I want to do add to the magic? Add to the beauty? Can memories happen here?

So far the answer is a resounding yes.

Magical and mesmerizing Andrew Carson wind sculptures...

Rockin' Playgym...

Pools...

Fountains....

Grass that you can run in barefoot with no fear of stickers...

Bubbles...

And us...

Our Shangri-la....heaven....by whatever name it is....it is Magic, I tell ya, just magic...

Swiper, no swiping!

2011-04-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

Someone "borrowed" my camera...I am not exactly sure when...but imagine my surprise when I uploaded and found these...

The little punk...

Bubble Bath

2011-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

How fun!

Color Our World...

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

The days are starting to get longer, warmer, fuller.

The signs of summer around our backyard are starting to appear.

And when the boys ask if they can paint on a gloriously warm and wonderful weekend morning, I can only say "why not?"

And so they paint...

And create...

I told you orange was his favorite color! But really it serves as a basecoat...

And they spend time mixing and dipping and getting really grimy and slimy. Actually, between painting, gardening and the sandbox, this turned out to be a four wardrobe change kind of day. And they paint and paint and paint. I thought we could paint our blueberry tubs from the farmer's market and make them into boats for our fountain later in the day...but Maverick did not really want to paint the tub as he was obsessed with paper that day.

But my Radley...he was into it...carefully selecting his color...

Focusing intently on the basket...and what he was doing...

And then there is that moment. Where I know what he is thinking almost before he does. I see where this is about to go. I bite my tongue. And I watch...and you can almost hear his little wheels in his brain turning..."Hmmmmm........I wonder......?"

And really it is just the beginning. Because besides the 4 changes of clothes for the day...we also took 2 baths.

Open House

2011-04-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

And yet another one of those crazy oh-my-goodness "firsts" came our way last week. And I am sure it is not "that big a deal" for many. Perhaps I am moved from a place that I was not sure I was ever going to get this opportunity myself. But not surprisingly, I found myself misting up as we entered the gate and could feel the excitement and energy of the school at night.

Our first open house. And oh what a celebration of learning and creativity it was. He was so proud of all his projects and I was most impressed with how fun and clever all their activities were. It was such a rush to see him interact with his teachers and search out "his" project among the cluster of precisely scribbled and colored pages.

One thing I did love is that they had a heavy emphasis on photos of the children while at school.

And it was bittersweet to see how much blasted fun he has those hours we are apart. Yet, thrilling that he is doing great. Wait...better than great....he is thriving!

Everything on here is true except his favorite color. Really his favorite color is orange...unless it is a lollipop and then it is cherry red like his momma. Trust me...orange.

It was wonderful to see him weaving himself into his little preschool community. To have the other kids say hi to him and call him by name...even if he does not yet remember all their names. But we are working on "Hi, I'm Mack, What is your name? Do you wanna be friends?"

Radley spent most of his time here:

and let me just say, if you don't want them to touch it, don't put it at their level....That is all I have to say about that. He might have eaten his weight in cheese and crackers. I am not really sure as I was just thrilled that it kept him occupied long enough for me to really look around and have Maverick show me all his "school work".

And even more surprising is that out of the dozen or so projects they did I only kept 4. The ones I could tell, he really put some effort into. And even better they had most of them all laminated and ready to be put into his special Mack book once they serve an appropriate amount of time decorating our home like no other piece of art can. I smile everytime I look at them. Then they will move to the Mack Book. A book of treasures. A book like I have kept for the girls from the days they were little. And it brings me such joy to occasionally look through and remember...

And I will remember this day for a long long time...open house. Wow.

Birthday Portraits - Three!

2011-04-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

OK a few more with Aunt Jen's (Jen the Cookie Chick) amazing creation cake topper and decorations we saved from your party. You love cupcakes...and I love you.

Next back to our regularly scheduled day to day life blogging...

Spring 2011 - In Living Spring Color

2011-04-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Maverick...

Raddle-stilskin...

And a few more because I have no restraint and am shameless about how beautiful I think my children are...

Spring 2011 - Black & White

2011-04-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Mack 3 years & Radley 20 months...

My heart melts at the look on his face in this one...

My precious punk-a-doodles...

Come Rain or Come Shine

2011-04-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

So the last week or so has had us go from one extreme to the other. Wintery downpours to blazing summer swelter. And we have done our best to make the most of what came our way.

On a day like this...

we hung with friends at the local kids playzone which is a madhouse on the weekends, much less rainy weekends. But we did have some fun.

Mack learned to pee standing up out of the car and declared it fun and cool. and I got really really wet and cold and pee'd on. It was a rough 10 minutes...

And Mack thought that it sounded like a good idea to get ice cream on a day like this and as I could see no reason to not indulge in the deluge and pretty much agree with him that any time is a good time for ice cream...we headed out for frozen yogurt and laughed and laughed as the torrential rains doused us on our way in and rudely sucked up our umbrella on our rainy adventure.

And then a few days later it was so blasted hot...as in August sweltering oh-my-goodness-hot! And so we busted out the pool and hollered to the universe..."Let summer begin!!!!!"

And oh my goodness, what fun they had. Morning swim, afternoon swim...slipping and sliding and having a ball. I can hardly wait for our summer evening pool "bath" ritual to begin. And can I just say again, that every house I ever have for the rest of my life will have an exterior hot water spigot. Best. thing. ever.

I have a feeling we are going to be spending a lot of time wet this summer...my little fishies...

But perhaps the one moment that made me laugh most of all was turning around and seeing this...

Catching some rays and chillin' in the warm sunshine...He figured out pretty darn quick that he liked that a lot...and spent a good part of our afternoon swim just hangin'...

It's going to be a great summer...

Too short

2011-03-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

That's all...

Before................................................................... and After..................

On the upside...we will not have to get a trim for a long, long time...

Let Them Eat Cake!

2011-03-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Because every now and then, once in a blue moon, cake for breakfast is just fine...and when you get smiles like these...it is perfect.

"Thank you so much, mommy. I like cake. Yum! Yum!" - Maverick...

The Summit

2011-03-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

And to conclude our Spring Brak Recap...we spent out last day playing in the snow in the desert. Yes, the snow...

You see once you ascend about 2.6 miles directly up the side of the mountain on the Palm Springs Aerial Tram which looks mostly like this... (photo by Bailey B)

And your neice looks a lot like this...

And your kid is holding on for dear life like this...

You get to play with this...

And pretty soon you figure out how to do this...

And snowball throwing rocks!

And little brother is there...but over-tired and looking mostly like this in the cool crisp high mountain air...

Yet, sometimes he looked like this...but see how tired those sweet eyes are...

But mostly, it is just beautiful, breathtaking and fun!

Sometimes your the Bug...

2011-03-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

More from the Living Desert in Palm Springs....fun times...

Ashton, the Lizard Lover...

A good time was had by all...

Spring Break Special

2011-03-25T15:04:00.001-07:00

So I find myself thinking more and more about the boys and what they will remember. Now that Mack heading on into 3 I know his first long-lasting memory will happen anytime now. And I won't even know it, I'm sure. Will it be the way we snuggle and read stories at night? A trip to the Farmers Market where he gets to sample the best and freshest fruits and veggies? Playing on his train table? Baking with mommy?

I know I am doing my best to make sure that whatever it is, it is something wonderful. Every day is full of so many opportunities to make a lasting memory.

I know that most of these days my boys will forget. But the best part is that I won't. I will remember the slimy sticky fingers after the market. I will remember the smiles on the playground. I will remember the "extra" bits that end up in my recipes. I will remember how Radley loves to sing at night and Mack loves to snuggle up and read stories. I will remember the grander adventures that require packing, schlepping, and a bit more effort. And I know that in their souls they will remember the love and the spirit, if not the details. If they know nothing other than deep inside that they feel special, then my work is done.

As such, we spent a good part of last week making some special memories with our favorite people on the planet. We ventured off to Palm Springs where Bailey got some love and Mack got some OJ...

And the rest of us played and soaked up the beautiful desert sun and spent time in the Children's Discovery Museum ...

Ventured on to the La Quinta Art Festival where we saw some amazing stuff, but mostly the kids were meserized by this...

We also spent most of the next day at the Living Desert...which was amazing and probably my favorite activity of the whole trip.

One of the coolest carousels ever! With warthogs, wild dogs, hawks, tree frogs and more! So many cool animals that I have never before seen on a carousel! They rode round and round and round several times...

And the highlight for me....riding Camels!!!

More to come...

Nutella & the boy...

2011-03-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a boy who ate nothing for breakfast so that he would be good and hungry when he got to the restaurant whereby his momma would have a good chance of getting to eat in relative peace as he dined as well. Unfortunately for the momma, he did not read this memo before we arrived at the restaurant and wanted nothing to do with any of the dozens of breakfast items, which he usually loves, that were presented to him. Until he met this bowl of Nutella and everything that had been previously offered met the bowl of nutella...and from there, this story is best told in pictures...

And sweet Ashton helping him get the last of it out of the cup...

Loved it!

Kissing Cousins...

2011-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our Spring Break recap coming soon...but in the meantime, here is a preview of the love-fest...He loves his girls...

Magic...

2011-03-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

So today was one of those days of a whole lotta nothin'. A regular ol' Saturday around here. A trip to the Farmer's Market for produce that spoils us for anything else anywhere else. A quick stop at the "snoobie" shop. Cleaning the back yard before a big rain tonight. Finishing the planting of our garden - except for a few more of these I am still waiting for because I am addicted to them and how awesome and easy they are.

Just a regular day. Loving my babies. Playing, cooking, cleaning. Watched half a Christmas movie (Polar Express) because they love it and I have a chance of getting a load of dishes done while they are under it's spell. Watched half of a Halloween Pooh Special at Maverick's request - as he pondered out loud "Santa comes down the chimney with lots of toys for me" and "Is it trick or treat time? I like candy".

I did share with him that though both of those special times were still quite far away, that it was almost time for the Easter Bunny to come who brings candy and toys too in a basket...and well, sign him up. He was all about that! I am pretty sure I will seal the deal when I take him to his 2nd theater experience in a few weeks to see HOP.

But I digress...

Magic. It happened today. Today after dinner in the last hour before bedtime as we wrestled and climbed on mama. I had called for a quick time out. Those boys can be rough. As I was getting myself back together and trying to get my spine back in position, Mack ran to me and threw himself at me with his whole body wrapping his precious arms around my neck and squeezed so tight...."I love you so much, mommy". And he held on. And I did too. And I misted a bit...

Not that he has not told me he loved me before. It is just always a reply to me telling him first...which I do no less than 50 times a day.

It was his moment. He felt it and went with it. And I felt it too...love.

And as moments with toddler boys do, the moment passed and he was all too ready for another round of Travinski wrestle-mania...

Move on to time for Radley to go to sleep. After sweet hugs and kisses all around we snuggled up in his room where every evening I sing him to sleep with a handful of night-night songs...many of which I made up in the wee hours of their newborn nights. Then silence and snuggles until he is drowsy enough to get on into his crib.

Tonight after a few minutes of the silence in the dark, he repositioned himself, planted a huge kiss on my lips and started singing the most precious rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle" as he put his hand on my cheek as I do him. He was trying to sing mommy to sleep...the little love. It was the cutest, you-would-only-know-what-he-was-singing-if-you-were-his-mommy moment ever. I did not even know he knew the words to Twinkle Twinkle....it is not part of our night time repertoire. It was the most precious thing and for the second time in less than an hour reduced this momma to a misty love-filled sappy mess.

As I tell them both nearly every day. I am the luckiest mommy ever...

Mack-anese...age 3

2011-03-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

1. "Agui, agui, agui!!!" = agua = water. But must be said in groups of 3 with great enthusiasm

2. "snoobie" - used in a sentence..."I like the snoobie shop!"....here is what he means...

and these are just because Raddles is too darn cute for words. I love this kid...

Really, what's not to love?

So cited!!! random random random

2011-03-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

So, here I sit in an amazing hotel suite with 2 sleeping babies waiting to wake them from their slumber to go to the airport to pick up our favorite people to spend a few days taking in the sun and adventure of Palm Springs. We had wonderfully light traffic and the boys were extra well behaved and we watched the sun set from the pool until they were hungry enough for dinner to finally get out.

And as we lauch on what is certain to be a wonderful adventure photo-filled weekend, I am hopelessly remiss in keeping up to date the last couple of weeks.

They were the good kind of weeks. The weeks with not much to do and yet, somehow those times are the most important. We ventured out on a passel of adventures that we had not experienced in quite a while

NoHo Saturday drum circle...the best kind of activity...free and their motto is "Don't not touch. Don't not be loud." Love that! and ...they loved.

And for nearly an hour they touched and banged and explored to their hearts content. And for the first time I was not chasing one of them around the warehouse trying to keep them "in play".

The bright child play space where I almost had to take out a 7 year old that was bully-ing Maverick (and other kids with not a parent in sight). Now I am all for my boys learning to fight their own battles and Maverick is pretty good at holding his own and I work really hard at not being that mom, but this kid was a little too physical for my taste so he got a bit of a talking to.

I know that people say this cruelty is a part of life, but it kills me and really, does it have to be? What is wrong with teaching your kids kindness and inclusion. At times like this I think living on a desert island or holing up in our new ranch 50 miles from anywhere and protecting these little souls.

But soon the little wretch was forgotten and we got on with the business at hand...play time!
.

This just because I thought he was so darn cute that day...

and wretsle-mania that has started to be a semi-regular occurence around here as I try to figure out the best way t o lay down rules on this and still let them be "boys".

A glorious day and picnic at the park...where I brought a bagload of sand toys for the boys...

and they want to play with this nasty thing...

After I could stand it no more, the spoon got "lost" and they were back on task...

And with that...it is time to go get our peeps at the airport. More another day...

Maverick's Moods

2011-02-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is my sweet Maverick...

Recently, I did an impromptu study on Maverick's moods and what he thought of them. The focus stinks. And I really dislike (aka hate) shooting with a flash, but we were sitting around and goofing off and I started asking Mack to show me his many emotional faces...I got the idea from my favorite blog ever...and here were our results:

Happy Mack

Sad Mack:

Suprised Mack:

And my favorite of all, because he really has a hard time with any emotion that does not include a smile....

Mad Mack:

And when Radley was asked for either Sad Radley, Suprised Radley or Mad Radley...this is what I got...

But he really is not telling the truth about mad Radley...that looks a whole lot more like this::::

Trust me...we were having a moment...

February Randomness

2011-02-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Randomness around the house...

Radley and a shoe fetish. This boy has a thing for shoes...more evidence of this to come...

Potty Training...
We are almost there...I can see the finish line. Then we get to do it all again...

I love balloons....
These are left over from our party 2 weeks ago from Beyond the Balloon. I am certain they have some magic power they use to make the latex last 2+ WEEKS! I cannot bear to pop them to throw them away...so they float around the house until they can't hang any more.

No Pictures MAMA!:
Sometimes Mack does not want his picture taken...
As is evidenced here where I am being told..."No pictures, mama". I stopped...

First dentist appointments...
Mack has the look in his eye that I have every time I go to the dentist too. It was all I could do to not say one single negative word...even sarcastically as I knew he was listening to everything. I put on my brave happy face and we nailed it! We did so good! And the pirate toys at the end were a huge hit!

Bathtime...
They are getting so big that the days of both boys in the sink are soon going to come to an end. As it is, they are already a tangle of knees and feet and jockeying for position every time they get in. I had to snap a few shots of a routine scene around here that I will miss.

My baking buddy...staying up past bedtime....making banana bread, cocounut cream cheese cake and sweet memories.

And that is a delicious slice of life around the Travinski household...living, loving and cramming as much into every day that we can.

Blessings!

Preschool Update! He rocked it!

2011-02-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

Ok...the preschool update... We did it! He rocked it! Not an ounce of hesitation as he jumped big into the world puddle today. He was so ready.

Here he is all ready to go...

And showing off his lunchbox that he carried around for an hour before it was time to go. He refused to take off his backpack or set down the lunchbox.

And with a mandatory mommy and me photo on that momentous first day of school....

Gosh, I love this little punk.

We were off where we stumbled awkwardly through what will soon me our new morning ritual. Met teachers. Used the new potty. Found his cubby. Survived the playground morning whirlwind full of children laughing, playing and all that toddler energy. A few more photos of our happy milestone...

Soon it was time for me to be off. I felt the sting. I pushed it back. Put a smile on my face. Kissed my baby goodbye. And you know, I made it to the car. And I was all right.

I was distracted for much of the morning wondering what he was doing now? Was he ok? Did he have any accidents? Were the other kids nice? Does he need me? Rinse and repeat about 100 bajillion times. And before I knew it, it was time to go back. I walked in and called his name and he smiled and said "Mama, I'm doing a puzzle!" with the biggest smile on his face.

As we walked to our car he held my hand in the beautiful California sunshine and said. "Can I go to the next school now?" Obviously our 7 preschools in 2 days tour stuck with him. So, I will take that as a good sign. The true test will be tomorrow morning when we go back again. But I am not worried. He is so going to rock the preschool thing. And I am not gonna do too bad myself.

Dear Mack - On Letting Go

2011-02-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Dearest Maverick,

It is a good thing that this "letting go" thing takes place in a series of very small, sometimes almost imperceptible events or else I would be a complete and total emotional mess, sobbing somewhere uncontrollably in the corner. As it is, this post already has me teary from looking at all the photos of our life...

This "letting go" business all started without my permission when you were whisked off to NICU for a several days at birth.

That was rough. But practically from the "get go", I was forced to "let go" of you, even when I wanted to hold on so tight. And never let go baby.

Leaving you in the NICU and leaving you at the hospital was one of the toughest times for me ever. It was so unnatural to come home without you. But we made it through...

Then I let you sleep in your own room down the hall. That one was a bit easier, but I do know that it took a few nights before I was able to sleep fully without waking every hour to check on you in my bedside video monitor.

I would lie in bed watching you snooze away. I very much enjoyed being able to finally sleep comfortably again. At the same time I missed our snuggles oh so much. Truth be told, there were many mornings I would be awake, just waiting for you to wake up so I could kidnap you back into my bed for a early morning final snooze before our day began.

Next thing you know, I had to go back to work and although I was physically near, it was torturous to hear your sweet laughter wafting into my office, knowing I was missing that precious time with you.

Then you stayed the night without me...again, pretty much without my consent when it was time to give birth to your brother, but I learned with some help and friends that listen, that I would survive it. And you would be none the worse for the unintented separation.

Our world fast forwarded again and soon it was time to let attend to some independent toddler play classes without me and you thrived and loved the fun playtime and adventure of it all. And they all loved you. Really, though, how could they not?

And now...here we are...on the doorstep of...preschool...

And pretty soon you will go off to college...O.M.G.

Thank the good Lord I only have to deal with today. Preschool. I hope your teachers know how lucky they are to spend that time with you and watch you learn. I can hardly stand how much I will miss you each day. How I will miss your inquisitive view of the world. How I will miss your joyous squeal "mama!" when I emerge from my office to greet me and run and fling yourself to me, knowing I will catch you. I cannot imagine how quiet our house will be with you gone. And I know it is only a few hours every day...but it is a short hop to being gone all day...which I refuse to even think about right now.

So, tomorrow morning we will pack your backpack and tie (or velcro) your shoes and you will go off into the big awesome world of preschool and your momma will cry...but hopefully only after I have made it back to the car...because mostly I am jealous of those 3.5 precious hours that someone else will get to spend with your charming, funny, adorable self. And I know it is only 3.5 hours. But it is 3.5 hours, 3 times a week!! And it's 3.5 hours away from you. And I am so fortunate to get to spend most of every single day with you and I marinate in that blessing. I soak up your you-ness and how much I love every detail of your personality and your sweet little voice.

I want the world you are entering to know what I know: That you are special. You are unique. You will do amazing things. Just wait and see.

And what I want you to know is that I love you to the moon and to the deepest ocean and back two times always and forever....and though you may be growing older much faster than my mind can ever comprehend, you will never outgrow my heart.

Love, Mommy

(my first picked flower just for me...love, love, love it.)

Aquarium Adventure

2011-02-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

So I find myself sitting down to try to catch up on the bajillion activities, adventures and day to day moments that are filling our days as I ignore the inevitable "first day of preschool" that is coming Tuesday. If I think about it too hard, I would soon be trying to figure out how I could kidnap my babies and take them off to a deserted island where we could dance in the sand and drink coconut milk the rest of our lives...but since it doesn't work that way, on Tuesday, we will go to school and I will watch him walk off with pride in his confident little self and the charming kind boy I know that he is. Meanwhile, I will do my best to hold it together. Wear my sunglasses and know that truly he is "ready".

And as the next week I am sure will be full of things that move me to write, I have a FLickr account full of randomness wtih photos that tell stories that I will probably never get around to writing. And so I do what I can...

Spontaneous Aquarium Trip:
Nothing like waking up at 6am on a random Saturday and deciding it is a good day for a trip to the Long Beach aquarium. My original intention was to go whale watching, but Maverick adamantly did not want to get on a boat that morning, so we went to the aquarium instead. Of course when we were leaving, he wanted to ride the boat....but that will have to wait for our next trip which will be soon...So, to the aquarium it was! And it was fun!

They were fascinated by all the sea animals. I was challenged by the fact that this was the first time I had been there with TWO of them walking and going in opposite directions. It was a bit of a challenge at first, but soon we had worked it out and were all going in the same direction (mostly).

They both spent a good hour in the seal hallway watching the seals go round and round and round. They were mesmerized by them.

Equally mesmerizing was the playground. A great place to play, get wet and learn how to take turns...

Here are my little punks as they wait for their next unsuspecting victim to walk by in the early morning aquarium hours...you see this little squid has special buttons that allow them to squirt relatively powerful streams of water at people a good 20 feet away.

So they plot...and they lay in wait...and start to scuffle over one of 3 available buttons....

And....Ka-Plowww-weeeee!!!!! They both get it!!!

And thus concludes cooperative play of the water spout buttons. So, I tried to save the moment with an opportunity to look at the sharks, which they accepted with some reluctance. They really wanted to play more, but the lure of sharks was able to sway them a bit...well, that and a promise to come back to the play spot after sharks...

But the real amazement for them and for me was they both were willing to PET THE SHARKS! And yes, they got soaking wet, and yes, I cringed at the thought of their little fingers in with the sharks, but they both got brave and found a good spot and they were so patient and they DID IT!

It was a fun day. I love going out on adventures with my babes. I love seeing it all through their eyes. I love that at this age, it is new every time. And the best part is the three-hour-nap after it all.

Sweet Strawberry Saturday

2011-02-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

So weather this weekend is a bit drab and rainy but last weekend it was gorgeous and we were fortunate to be on the receiving end of some of our local farmers' bounty! Strawberry season is almost at it's peak, but we could not resist dabbling in the current offerings...and really is there much better than a full platter of sweet, sun-ripened berries and my babies?

And with drippy stained T-shirts and red stained lips, we sat in the shade of our backyard and laughed and played and though they don't know it, I drink every detail of them into my heart and relish in these two little amazing souls that I get to share life with. They are so much fun and through their eyes, everything is an adventure of epic proportions

We passed the time coloring party leftover Mickey Mouse color sheets that have not yet quite made it to "cleaned up" status. Mack practiced his colors, but I am starting to think he is red/green color blind...but am not too worried...yet. They made me a delicious playdough BBQ with one of his birthday toys that was lovingly seasoned with the perfect amount of strawberry juice... They both learned that playdough does. not. taste. good. The way we all learn. And though I warned them, they had to find out for themselves.

The boys continued to burn into their memory the details of our backyard. The blades of grass, the flowers, the sand, the rocks they love to throw in the fountain, the random collection of sun-faded toys that litter our manicured little corner of the world where they form their magical childhood memories. It is in our back yard, where our little fountain is full of fish and whales...Maverick was adamant that this twig was a fishing rod and could not be convinced otherwise.

There are bushes are where we store our "magic rocks" that are very special, though I have not yet been told what the magic rocks can do....just that they are "magic rocks, mama". It is a secret these two share. Maybe someday they will let me in...

They scout the minute detail in the grass for ants and other bugs that creepy crawl waiting to be discovered by my little dudes...

Maverick sprinkles special sand "to help the grass grow, mama" and Radley plays a coy game of hide and seek in more leftover party bits as he starts to tire ready for a post-fantasy play nap...

And next thing you know, we made an afternoon I will remember for a very long time. I think we will have to Strawberry Saturdays more often...

Home is wherever I'm with you...

2011-02-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

My lovely and precious little dudes...
I love these boys...I am constantly astounded that with the two of them, there is so much love...
I look at them and my heart swells with pride. My babies. My loves. My heart.

Happy Valentines Day - 2011...

Life is good today...

2011-02-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

As the Zac Brown Band says...
I got my toes in the water
My ass in the sand
Not a worry in the world
Cold Beer in my Hand (or in our case...cold champagne)...but the resonated deep and true...

Life is good today. Life is good today.

As we loaded up our guests and headed out on what we like to call the "If you give a pig a pancake" tour of sunny beautiful SoCal. When my sister and I get together you can pretty much bet that if we head out for the day with one or at the most 2 tasks, destinations or goals for the day, we will drag our tired exhausted behinds (as well as those of the children) in the door well past dark exhausted from where our few little errands led us on an adventure we never could have planned if we had tried.

In this instance, our goals were jumping and sand...

First we cruised on down the freeway to jump out all our party tensions. And don't even get me started on how big Radley looked to me today...he is getting so big I can hardly stand it.

Sky High Sports = amazing fun time for all..including us not-so-12-year-old-girls channelling our inner trampoline goddesses...and sharing secrets...fun times.

And real 12-year-old-ish trampoline goddesses...jumping it all out there!

But those little pumpkins got some training on seat wars and flip lessons...and we got sore...lol.

All that jumping can wear a girl out...never mind remembering when we could jump all afternoon...now we are good after about 45 minutes...

Soon it was time for toes in the sand while the rest of the continental US was under a blanket of snow and ice...Malibu was blessed with a glorious 80 degree beach day with warm summer-like sun...but that water was icy!

Life is good today. Life is good today.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party - part 4 (the after party)

2011-02-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is the time we lounge around...

stick our feet in the pond...

suck a little helium which will forever be hilarious...

wear monkey's on our heads...

and generally do as little as possible after the party is over unless it involves refilling our wine glass or picking through leftovers for a bite to eat. Cleaning can wait until another day. I want to sit and remember and soak in the leftover spirit that lingers after the party is over.

And though we love our little ones to the moon and back - infinity, we are thankful that birthday's come once a year...

And a big thank you to our friends Chloe and Dana who trekked through ice and snow and waiting at the airport for hours to get out of Texas to help celebrate your big day.

And to my baby...my 3 year letter to you is coming. But it is an honor to be your mommy. And I tell you every day how much you are loved and that you are the best thing that ever happened to me. And I mean it. I just think you are the coolest..ever...period. I love you. Always. Forever. Amen.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party - part 3 (Party Time!!!)

2011-02-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

And so we partied...

So many people who really have been such a huge part of the last 3 years for us gathered to celebrate my baby. I cannot think of a better thing to celebrate and so we went BIG! Of course there was the playgym and sand, and jumper, and balloon artist and ball pit, and spin art, and legos and the train table and playdough and fun! But I am getting a bit ahead of myself.

Let's revisit that amazing cake one more time...and my cute blue-eyed buckaroo...

Ok, now that I have gushed on about that for the umpteeth time...There was the party...

Ashton manned (or is it Minnie'd) the Spin Art station where they made cute little spin art cards that we paired with a Mickey Head Matte and laminated. I cut the Mickey heads out of the cardstock matte with my Cricut which is now my newest favorite crafty toy in my arsenal. The kids decorated with stickers and poster paint markers

It was darn cute!

And little man took off to play and I hardly saw him for the whole party, but when I did he was so happy and sweaty and his face was glowing and was red from all the fun (and probably a bit of sugar overload too). And as I tucked him into bed the next night he said "that was really fun, mama"...and I teared up a little bit, because I know that he may not remember all this, but I will and I will remember these moments that made it special.

And there was the ball pit, coloring, balloons and bubbles:

And yummy food:

And Maverick finally got to have as many of "my drinks" (that is what he called them) that he could stand...which were these super adorable personalized Jones sodas that I had custom made with his photo on the labels. I am not sure how many he had and I am not sure I want to know...but it was his birthday...and he never gets soda. I am pretty sure he had his fill for the year.

And then there was the "after party" where we kicked back and talked about how much fun it all was...no matter how exhausted and sore we felt. For me, this little guy was worth it all...

Next up...the "after party"...

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party - part 2 (THE cake)

2011-02-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

And oh what a spectacular over-the-top-but-you-can-do-that-when-your-sissy-makes-it cake it was...

Six tiers of yummy delicious goodness in what, after looking at literally hundreds of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cakes online, has to be the best Mickey Mouse and Friends Cake ever.

Don't you agree? Isn't it amazing and awesome?!?!?

I loved every detail and you could taste the love baked inside by Aunt Jen (Jen the Cookie Chick on Facebook).

Here are way too many pictures of it, but it was truly a work of art!

Oh yeah, and the shirt I painted for my little man. I was proud of how it came out, if I do say so myself! But my shirt was nothing compared to that CAKE!

It was truly amazing. See the detail in Minnie's lace petticoat? And Pluto's collar? Every little thing was perfect.

So little man blew out his 3 big candles in 3 big huffs and puffs with all his might:

And believe it or not, we actually did cut it! I could not think about it too much or I never would have...I just wanted to look at it for another day or two. But all those muchkins wanted cake and I know how delish my sisters cakes are, so I gave my sis a knife and she went after it!

And Maverick was a fan of the little yellow fondant balls...see his hidden Mickey in his stash he grabbed off the cake?
He was in heaven snatching unknown quantities of fondant...at least his diaper wasn't green the next day like it was from all the green frosting last year! Too much information, huh?

The great cake massacre of 2011...

Happy Birthday Baby! We all love you more than you could ever know...

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party Details - part 1 (party prep)

2011-02-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

So as we sit amid the chaos and piles of party crap that makes my house look like a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse garage sale, we smile as we reflect on the incredible fun, fellowship and blessings that the last 3 years have brought and the celebration of it all this past weekend.

Dear friends and family descended on our home from far far away and from not so far away and helped me get it all together for our Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party...it was exhausting and exhilarating all at one time. In the midst of the party prep, we had a "real" birthday day to celebrate. His smile melts me...he was so blasted excited for it to finally be "his" birthday.

(never mind the no make-up/no hair day I was having. But his smile is too infectious to be squashed by my lack of grooming...after all, we were deep in the weeds of getting ready for the party the next day)

At last, he could open the presents that had been torturing him on the dining room table for nearly two weeks!

But then it was time to get ourselves ready for the BIG shindig the following day

So we decorated...

And a magnificent Sensational Six Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake was made by the best and arguably the most talented sister ever...

The cake is deserving of it's own entry...so it will be revealed next...
Meanwhile, the rest of us played, loved and laughed as party day grew near...

In the name of research...

2011-02-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

we spent a few days at Disneyland. We are throwing an amazing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party and we had a little trip to help fuel our inspiration. It did not hurt that this would be Maverick's last visit before he officially turns 3 and I have to start paying for the little punk either.

So, we went and we played and we loved and we laughed and we enjoyed each others company with a complete disregard for the giant task of birthday party planning that loomed in the horizon. And it was worth every second of sleep I will lose this week as I get the last of the party details accomplished to have spent these days with my boys and see the magic and wonder in their eyes. They are both getting so big so fast...

And it all started with the mouse. Never mind the rides that waited for us or the lines that grew as we patiently waited our turn. Maverick wanted the mouse....and the mouse he got.

And as we are deep in the weeds here in party prep, the rest of this adventure will have to be a photo essay of our adventure...it was bliss!

The end....it was magic.

Speaking of birthdays...

2011-02-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

There are big doin's going on around here. The countdown is on to a very important day...

which called for a little one on one research before the big day...more to come...

Part 4 - To Texas, To Texas, To Celebrate BIG!

2011-02-01T23:45:00.000-08:00

It is a good thing that my boys are such good travellers (mostly). It was time for another celebration of life so we packed our bags and off we went.

This was fantastic as we were celebrating one of our favorite people on this planet in what is quickly becoming one of our favorite places.

And as the nearest town has very limited entertainment options, we spent a bit of time in their pseudo-Chuck E Cheese/Roller Rink combo place where Maverick took his first spin on wheels.

And the beauty of a small town is no one cared that Radley thought he was getting his skate on too. It did not hurt that he had the prettiest girls in the county as his personal dates for the evening. I think he made a few local 14 year old boys a wee bit jealous.

These two did their best to break a skeeball game...I can still hear the thud of the heavy wooden balls as they chucked them overhand and only managed to stay in the lane occasionally. But they had a ball and that is what matters!

But this clown...creeped me out...and Mack doesn't look too happy about his passenger either.

We had a wonderful, brief time out at the ranch celebrating the lovely Beaux-Beaux with a hot dog roast, scavenger hunt, golf cart rides, pancake art breakfast and cake. She definitely brought in "9" with style. She was also the first birthday at the "chito"...which inherently makes the celebration worthy of remembering.

Happy Birthday Beaux! We love you bunches!