Carolyn + Sasha = Precious!

Did I mention that my precious girlfriend Carolyn came for a visit the other week? She and her family were visiting family in Palm Springs and she actually carved out a couple of days to come to SB for a weekend visit! The timing couldn't have been more perfect as Kevin was out town on a men's retreat and we were super in need of distraction. I was so looking forward to our little nuggets playing together. Unfortunately, Brody has been going thru a 'turning 3' stage and was a bit of a beast the entire time. Of course, this was only made me feel terrible as just-turning-2 Sasha is a perfect angel. [Note to God: I'd like one of those, please! ] She also has a big brother who probably abuses her in little ways too but I was so embarrassed every time B decided to jerk something out of "Cha-Cha's" hands or shout "NOOOO! She's doing it wrong!!" at the top of his lungs. Ugh. I kept saying, "This is new. I promise. Two weeks ago he was the perfect little boy-man. I'm so sorry. He misses his Dad." And so on. Gracious as always, Carolyn didn't make me feel like a terrible mother or like I had a monster-child of a son. Thank you, girlfriend.



There were times when Brody was sweet and played with his blue-eyed girlfriend and life was really nice. They started off having a ball in the bathtub but rumor has it that the event ended with Brody splashing Sasha in the face and saying he wanted her to leave. I told him that I would remind him of this when they are 16 and Sasha is the unattainable beauty queen that she's destined to be. "You kicked her out of your bathtub you know."

Even tho I was big-huge pregnant we still managed to have a pretty active and really fun time. On Saturday we took the kids to the beach and they ended up sleeping for like 3 hours afterward which gave us the great opportunity to sit down on the patio, eat junk food (mostly me), drinking tea and lemonade and just visit w/o distraction. Perfect.

I love Carolyn and I love that our husbands really like each other. One day maybe we can all get together as families and do something fun. Like....run on the beaches of Mexico, possibly?? ;)

Love you C. Thanks for coming to see me. Yours truly, me.

THREE THINGS: F&B

I think this will be a Monday post from now on. Friday's are too hard.....And now it's Tuesday. Here we go...

1. Orangina - I literally can not get enough of it. I think about it at least once a day. If you haven't had one in a while I suggest you stay away as it is addictive. I can only find them at Trader Joe's which, thankfully, is just down the road. Brody loves them too and always ends up drinking half every tiny little bottle I drink. Stingy kid. By the way...does anyone know the proper pronunciation? In my house we say 'Orangeeena' because it is pronounced the other way around Brody we end up talking about girl and boy parts. Noteworthy: According to Wikipedia there is a blood orange flavor recently released in Europe. If only I could be so lucky!

2. Honey Nut Cheerios - Can I get a 'what what'?! For some reason Honey Nut Cheerios have been rocking my world lately! Because they boys like to totally copy-cat me, we literally go thru 2 boxes in about 5 days. Hands off my Cheerios!!! The good news is that according to their ads I am lowering my cholesterol and enjoying a heart healthy meal! Noteworthy: the Trader Joe's brand of Honey Nut O's is pretty outstanding too. On the other hand, grocery store off-brand labels...not so much.

3. Coca-Cola - I know. I can hear it now. "Why are you drinking Coke!?!". Listen, 2-3 cups of coffee a day are permissible when pregnant. The caffeine in coke isn't going to amp up this baby any more than 3 cups of coffee might. That said, I do recognize that the amount of sugar in a can of Coke is horrifying and something that should be avoided. Here is the deal...I went completely off of Cokes when I was pg w/Brody. After he was born I went off the deep end. I was drinking gallons and gallons of Coke and wondering why my nursing baby wasn't sleeping well! This time I figure I'll enjoy a Coke when I want to - without going overboard - so that I don't feel deprived and loose my mind again when baby sister comes. Allow me a Coke and a smile, wont you?

Just Cuz...

Every now and then I like to post a pic just to show off how stinking in love I am with my family. Would you just look at how God has blessed me? HOW do I deserve this man who treats me with so much love and patience and goodness? HOW do I deserve a son who is so precious and tender hearted - and who is going thru a really terrible about-to-turn-3 stage but is still so genius and adorable? WHAT did I do to deserve this life and these blessings? I'm humbled by God's continued grace and generosity. How I fail you, Lord, again and again.

Brody didn't fall asleep till after 11pm tonight and Kevin is in Dallas for a few days speaking at an industry show and Baby Sister is really abusing me. But I'm going to bed happy and content and in love. Praying that tomorrow goes a little more smoothly for us all.

Sweet dreams.

Funny Hubby

Oh but you MUST check out my husband's morph! Makes me laugh every time...

Three Things

My second Three Things entry and I'm already behind! Wasn't able to post on Friday b/c we had some very precious friends in town (photos to follow).

1. www.freerice.com is a very cool website that has two goals:
1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

2. Freegans! Oprah did a show on freegans the other week and quite honestly I can not get them out of my head. "Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources." Basically, they do their grocery shopping from garbage bins. Listen, I'm not condeming. I'm actually excited about the idea of free food and any other usable goods and might even consider the idea if I didn't think Kevin would leave me immediately. I even had a dream that I tried dumpster diving at Scolari's!!

3. Cloth Diapers! You know..they are not your mother's cloth diapers. They don't even require safety pins anymore! My girlfriend Julie (who is due shortly after Baby Sister) is going for it, bless her heart. It's her first and I'm eager to see how it goes. Fuzzi Bunz, Happy Heinys, Mother Ease, Bumkins, but my favorites are the g Diapers.

Helper!

Check out Bubba helping paint Baby Sister's room! He did a wonderful job. He even added is own personal touch...literally. There are two tiny hand prints in Sister's closet that will stay there as long as we live in this house. What a little helper!

Thoughts on pregnancy....

9 months and counting...

4 weeks and 5 days till Baby Sister...9am c-section on the books...

Feeling like a gigantic whale...ankles are not swollen yet but expecting that delight to begin soon...people are being very kind to me...

Experiencing a lot of contractions but not too painful yet...

Ready to meet this precious gift...and to be not pregnant anymore...

Working hard to get her room ready...but not stressed about it like I was with Brody...

Who loves my cute top? Maternity clothes are so awesome nowadays! Definitely one of the highlights of being preggers.

9:45pm. Sleepy...

Baby Sister Shower!

Can I just tell you that I had the MOST precious baby shower last weekend thanks to Amity, Darlene and Cara Lisa. I work for Darlene and her husband, Walter - who are just amazing and deserve a post of their own. Dar graciously offered to host the shower in her home. The home also deserves it's own post as it's my most favorite house in Santa Barbara!

Several of my lovely girlfriends turned out and showered me and Baby Sister with love and encouragement and gifts!! This time around we don't need all the "stuff" so it's fun to get the "goodies". Lots of pink :)

Thank you, ladies for a precious and memorable shower. You make me feel special. And thanks to Mom Sturm, Tams and Dee for sending gifts. LoVE yOu!!

Three Things

I'm starting a new regular Friday series on my blog: THREE THINGS! It's dedicated to featuring three things that have interested, inpsired, excited me over the past week. Hope you enjoy!

This Blog. I've never met Heather but everytime I read her blog(s) I am moved. This week she's made me laugh out loud, cry really hard and become excited all over again about adoption. I think if we had the opportunity, we'd be good friends. She's friends with Staci, by the way!

This woman's Jewelry. Check it out. Very, very cool!

This book! Life of Pi isn't a new book but I am just finally reading it. It took me a while to get really into the story but now I'm about 1/2 thru and find myself thinking of it often.

I'd love to know what has your motor running this week?!

Big Waves!

We had some crazy big waves this past weekend. I love Santa Barbara. The smell, the touch, the look, the tastes, the sounds....all 5 senses fulfilled in one little beach town. Every winter we get rain - a few years ago it lasted a month straight. Santa Barbarians (as Tessa would say) are not fans of the rain. When you live in a town where all the fun stuff is outdoors, it's totally understandable.

There was rain this weekend but it wasn't heavy. I'm not sure where the storm came from but somewhere in the ocean a storm was a brewin' and the results were these amazingly huge waves. Surfers were warned, the pier was closed, a few people even got swept off of the Breakwater! It was gnarly and the smart folks stayed out of the water.

Sunday night we all headed out to the Biltmore wall to watch the show. There were many other spectators at the wall. It was cold and wet and smelled like ocean and was absolutely wonderful. These are the memories of SB that I'll cherish forever.

I ask you...

Is this the body of simply overweight woman? Is there any question as to whether or not this woman is pregnant?!? My sweet and very tiny girlfriend, Tessalita was recently asked if she was expecting. Horrifying and devastating at any weight or confidence level. To comfort her, I shared that I, in my final 6 weeks of pregnancy, have been asked a couple of times if I'm pregnant. Excuse me? The alternative MUST be that they wonder if I've become this rotund do to a few too many Double Doubles Animal Style! So far, I've answered, "A little." and "Yes, I am." but I swear the next time I'm asked I'm going to say, "No...it's a tumor." I guess people don't deserve that as they are genuinely trying to not offend me, I guess.

Is it ever ok to assume a woman is pregnant? As I sit here enduring another Braxton Hicks contraction, I feel like the answer is YES. Maybe if I had one of those cute outie belly buttons. That's a tell-tale sign of a pregnant belly. Instead, my belly button offers a Grand Canyon effect under the cloak of my tight t-shirts. Which is odd b/c it's literally flush against my mound. Invention idea!!! I'm going to create an outie belly button for pregnant women who don't have one! It'll be like a neon sign: THIS IS A PREGNANT TUMMY...

On a side note, many of you know that I am oft confused for store employees. I can be pushing Brody in a shopping cart and someone will ask me, "Do you work here?". One time I was 9 months pregnant with Brody, wearing a skirt and flip-flops and sitting on a chair in Home Depot because my ankles were swelling by the second and a (nice enough) man had the very nerve to look me up and down and ask if I worked there. I saw it coming but was still shocked. I sort of threw out my hands like "Hello? Am I wearing an bright orange apron with "You Can Do It and We Can Help" printed on the front?! And have you noticed my huge pregnant belly!??!" and ignored the question completely. The fake outie might have served me well here.

Well, twice this week someone has dared to ask me for help. Just this morning I dragged Kevin to our local flee market in search of the perfect changing table for Baby Sister. At one point, I'm standing by a table actually looking for some help when I lock eyes with a man who is also apparently looking for some help and I think...here we go. Sure enough, "Do you work here?". Today I said, "I have my purse on my shoulder...do I look like I work here?". Lord, forgive me. I've had enough. He made an 'eek' face and said "Sorry" and I immediately felt bad. But kinda good too.

So, to answer all annoying questions in one post...

1. Yes, I'm pregnant. Jerk.
2. No, I don't work here. Dammit.

One Sister for Sale!

One really funny thing about Cara is that she is such a hoss! She's this perfect little girlie thing but has this amazing brute strength. I always joke that it's nice to live with two men in the house! I'm sure she'll love this post but she actually makes me quite proud. Cara will never be the girl to let a physical challenge stop her because a muscly man isn't around. It also translates to her amazing work ethic and result-driven successes. As well as her personal strength and independence.

In this photo, we caught her on her way out the door (at 9pm...ah to be young..) to help Kevin carry our 300 lb. fake tree down to the garage. She squatted and lifted like a little heavyweight in her high-heeled boots and knee socks. I bet she could have full pressed it over her head with one arm if asked!

Hoss.

Baby Sister's Bedding

I've picked out the crib bedding for Baby Sister today. This was a crazy-hard task when picking out bedding for Brody. This time I wanted to keep it simple. Go in, pick fabric and leave. Santa Barbara has only one fabric store so I knew this would be a challange. I already knew the color scheme I was going for so it was just a matter of finding the fabrics that would work. The turquoise will be the bed sheet. The patterned pink is the outside of the bumper. The fluffy butter is for the inside of the bumper and the bedskirt. The hot pink will be for pillows, possibly cording for the bumper, or somewhere else?

Walls will be at least two shades of yellow - bolder yellows than the butter of the fabric. Furniture is mostly white. Accent colors are black-n-white (pillows, frames, lamps, rocking chair pads, etc.) and turquoise (pillows, sheets, knick-knacks, etc.).

Theme: Sort of a Miami beach/Key West tropical. Definitely not Hawaiian which is easy to get distracted by given the massive amounts of Hawaiian fabric and decorations available. :) Do you love?

Big Boy Bed!

We found the PERFECT bunk bed for Brody last week! No more crib (which was converted to a toddler bed months ago) for Bubba. He adapted immediately. We decided to only get one mattress for now and convereted the upper bunk into a play area for his many cars.

I found this bed at Kmart! I haven't been impressed with Kmart's furniture in the past but after reading the reviews of this bed we thought we'd go for it. It was on sale for $179 and you just reallly can't beat that price. Even if it only lasts for a few years, it's been worth it! And amazingly, the stain is a perfect match to the rest of his furniture. Another reason we really like it is that it's not too tall. The top bunk starts at Kevin's chest. AND there is a ton of under-bed storage. So, we're thrilled with it.

Kevin spent all Saturday afternoon setting up the bed - which was more challenging than we expected. It's a surprisingly sturdy bed. Brody LOVES it!

Then on Sunday, Kevin got passionate about building a ramp for Brody's Cars cars. He and B went to Ace hardware to get the supplies and then Kevin spent some time whipping up this awesome ramp! He had a vision of he and Brody building this ramp together but after about two minutes of hammering Brody got bored and came inside. Then after playing with the ramp for two minutes, Brody was over it too. It's ok. He'll play with this ramp for years to come! Thanks, Daddy!!

Monkey Boy

Not only do I have a Monkey Boy but I have the coolest monkey boy on the planet! Brody and Daddy had a fun morning at the zoo last week. Brody came home wearing this get up and I had to hold back my scream in the back of my throat! It's a little frightening at first sight to be honest. He loved my fake screams and chased me around the house. Such a great sense of humor. Cara takes all the credit for his highly developed sense of humor but I mean, come on. I actually take full credit for Cara's highly developed sense of humor so at the end of the day I think we all know who we can thank for Brody's (and Cara's and Kevin's, for that matter) brilliant funniness!! Hee hee

Check out my Slide Show!

Our Little Techie

Kevin and I marvel at Brody's technical genius. He's learned how to operate the DVD player before he was 2 and he now knows how to unlock and operate Kevin's iphone so he can watch watever movie (or movie sceen) he wants. The phone also has a cool scroll feature for viewing photos which Brody uses regularily. This photo was taken on our most recent drive to Phoenix. He's watching Toy Story on Kevin's ipod and controlling the volume on his own. I swear, he's a genius.

We regularily talk to Grandmama over the computer using Skype. We trip out on the fact that it's totally normal for Brody to video call. We still get caught up in how 'Jetsons' it all is! What will life be like for Brody when he's 30? Hologram video calls? Flying cars?

We figure when Brody starts a family they'll probably have some capability to perform sonograms on their home computer/TV screen. It's amazing really. We love technology 'round these parts. And watching Brody grow up around so much technology excites us for what he'll be able to accomplish one day. That's not to say that he'll have unlimited access to technology. His computer time will definitely be monitored. But the fact that he'll grow up knowing how to operate a computer as tho it were a freaking tape deck, blows my mind. And since he's such a genius he'll probably know how to take the machine apart and put it back together! That's my boy. Actually, that's his Daddy's boy.

Underpants!

Also, Brody has gone an entire week wearing underpants with only one pee-pee accident! It was the first day and he hated it. I guess he learned from that one time because he hasn't done it again. In fact, on our 4.5 hr drive to San Jose this past weekend he started to panic a little because we'd asked him to hold it, "I want to go home! I have to pee-pee!". We had to pull over and let him pee on the side of road...which of course he totally loved! I'm so proud I could actually pee my pants!!

The Kite Runner

What a book. I am a slow reader. I joke that it's because I read...every...single...word of a book. I believe that 'fast readers' are actually skimmers. Reading about every 5th word and skipping entire paragraphs at a time. Kevin, Sarah and Staci all deny this but I have to cling to what I believe to be true, right? Anyway. I flew through The Kite Runner (about 5 sittings which is pretty impressive for me). It was the most engaging book I think I've ever read. Definitely one of those books that beckons you throughout the day...'I wonder what is going to happen next?'...'I can't wait to find out what happens to X'....'How could he do that to someone he loves so much?!?'. When Sarah sent the book to Kev for his birthday she warned that it would be a difficult read. We both knew what she meant by that and it was. I wept throughout the book and sobbed at the ending. I know that might not sound like a recommendation and actually I struggle to recommend the book because it's so difficult....but I do. I really do. The writing is wonderful. The story is powerful. It's a book that stays with you and I'm glad I read it. I'd love to know what other readers thought....

My Gorgie Hubby

I'm playing a bit of blogging catch-up! This pic is from early November at the wedding of Chase and Ryan Throop. I wanted to post this pic because my I wanted to show off my gorgeous husband. Call me proud...but hubba-hubba!!! The facial hair is in preparation for his Halloween costume but I love it. Baby, you turn me right round baby, right round, like a roller coaster!!

Have I Mentioned...

...I'm pregnant? No, it's not the camera...I'm only 5 months pregnant but look to be about 7 months, thankyouverymuch. This is our Thanksgiving spread - it was delicious. Last time I was pregnant during Thanksgiving and ended up gaining something like 7 pounds that month. This time I'm actually taking it easy on the food consumption. I'm blaming our (1 pound) baby girl. Little heifer! ;)

Potty Chart

My good friend Elisabeth turned me onto this bright idea! Brody gets one star for every tee-tee and two stars for ever doe-doe [yes, I mean poop]. He also gets a treat - usually an M&M or 2. When he fills a row he gets a prize - usually a Cars car. He completed one chart in October. We've started a second chart but aren't as dedicated to it. He almost always uses the potty now but I'm nervous about going full-throttle b/c of daycare.

My darling Tessa gave me the great idea of triple-sheeting + sheet protectors for evening attempts. This will start at the first of the year. Wish us luck!

My Man

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear my beautiful, sexy, sweet, precious, generous, loving, amazing, deliciously gorgeous huuuuusband....Happy Birthday to you!


I love you, my dear

[photo taken at Tammy's 30th birthday party which just so happened to be a costume party...can you guess Kev's costume?]

Inspired!

After a long hiatus I think I'm ready to get back into the blogging world. I was reading Elizabeth Kartchner's blog. She is this year's Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year. She said that she made one goal: to be published. She accomplished her goal and went on to win this title. How rad! Scrolling thru her blog reminded me of how much fun it was to blog and how important it is to make and keep goals.

So, I'm gonna start blogging again. And maybe some creating here and there.

Tub Toys

What is the best way to wash tub toys? I've done it by hand, by dish washer, by bucket of suds (above) and it all just seems to be a pain. Any good ideas for washing Mr. Rubber Ducky and friends?

Oh. My. Gross.

Raise your hand if you've seen this show on the BBC America channel. I learned very quickly that can't watch this show while eating anything lest I vomit. This show goes a step beyond the Clean House concept of straightening messy houses into the valley of filth and nastiness that live in "flee infested rubbish tip"s! Bug droppings, baked-on, caked-on grime and grease, pet hair, rust and "festering feces" and so much more - pure sickness. It's abhorring. And fascinating. And disgusting. And hysterical (British people talk funny). If you haven't already, you must check it out. If only to see the funny little houses that British folk live in (v. Harry Potter)!

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Did you know you could clean glass with Worchester sauce?! And the kitchen sink with shaving cream? And two-day newspaper works like paper towels. Can you recyclable np w/cleaning prod on it? Maybe only if it's organic cleaning product? Will research.

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I admit I am no clean freak but this show makes even the messiest of people to feel haughty and proud. I love and hate this show so much! I predict that we'll be seeing an American version in the very near future. Stand by for the fun!

Please stop!

I am really loving the age Brody is right now. I have to admit that up until recently I've been sort of looking forward to more. You know, like...'I can't wait till Brody can roll over...sit up...walk....talk...etc.' But right now - 2 years and 4 months - I want it to all stop! I just want him to be this height, size, skill-level for as long as possible. He has just enough of everything to be a total blast! His speech is exploding and his little brain captures absolutely everything.

He still has a funny little run (which I adore) and wants to hold hands when going down stairs and wants to be held more often than walk on his own. I'm not complaining. In a few short months/years I know that he'll be running wild and leaping off of dangerous ledges and too big for me to carry. He's growing so fast. I just want to soak up him up like gravy in a buttermilk biscuit!!!!!!

Me & B

I'm usually behind the camera so I was thrilled to get these pics of me and Brody Bear from MorMor. They were taken during our fun time with them during 4th of July this year! What a handsome little man...even when he's fussing.

Viva Fiesta!

Santa Barbara has no seasons. We celebrate Independence Day in 70 degree weather. And we celebrate Memorial Day in 76 degree weather. But every summer there's Fiesta. And (to be totally cliche) - it's hot, hot, hot!!! VIVA! Fiesta is 5 days of non-stop party. Dancing in the streets, Cascarones, Mariachi bands galore, Mojitos, parades, picnic dinners at the Sunken Gardens and Mission, yummy churros and Flaminco dancers! I mean, people take off work for Fiesta! This year we have been able to participate in more of the city events than we have in the past due to Brody being older and the year before Brody was born I was randomly ill?

All day that Fiesta 2004 I was queasy and pukey feeling. I remember the outfit I wore to work because I just wanted to be comfy...like in jammies. I also remember sitting on my cube floor just wanting to go home but I couldn't because I was judging a Guac-off later that afternoon! I left immediately after the competition and slept. At the time, my apartment complex was celebrating our "2nd Annual Fiesta party at The 521". I kept trying to attend the parking lot party but just being so sickly that I had to keep retreating to my bed. Turns out, I was pg with Bubba. And getting to enjoy the events with Brody this year has been so much fun. My little Fiesta Baby. So for me...Fiesta will always be a very special season!

My Cooking Bible

Twice this week I've called on our Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book [1989 edition]. Gramps Sturm handed this cookbook down to Kevin and I am so stoked to have it. What a gold mine!

Recipes of the Week:

(1) Peach cobbler - with the awesome crate of peaches we picked up at Buttonwood Farm Winery last weekend. So delicious!

(2) Frosty Strawberry Squares - Amazing. We had a bushel of Farmer's Market strawberries that were about to turn into fuzzy, squishy, mushberries. Kevin didn't love it but I end up daydreaming about them all day long. So delicious.

Thank you, BHG Cook Book.