summer break is here!

summer break 2009 - week 1, day 1 - monday!

inspired by my bff lees and her daily spring break journaling, as a promise (to myself), i am going to record each & every day of my summer vacation! if i had enough energy i would have done a "summer daily" album. maybe next year? breaks are so dear to my heart because i get to spend true quality time with my family. there's no need to rush in the morning, i can make them REAL meals, i can walk g & e to the park, we can take our time. oh, how i love these breaks!

day 1 - as usual, we got up at 7am (well, the kids did, then they woke us up). so much for sleeping in...i'm trying to keep the kids on schedule though, so i guess this is not an option. i made g & e their typical toast for breakfast (forgot we had to be somewhere) & since i am trying to watch what i eat (ha!) i had coffee.

i enrolled g in a 5-week reading program through sdsu's college of extended studies. it focuses on phonics, comprehension, and independent reading skills. the class requires one parent to be present, so i was able to experience what it's like being in a classroom with g. i tell you - there is such a big difference between boys & girls at this young age! the girls were much more verbal, more outgoing. if you know g, you know that he is extremely shy - and it's so much more in the classroom. i can tell you this though - i am so glad i have taught him manners because most of the kids (and parents!) didn't have any, but that's a whole other talkshow...oh well. five more weeks of class and homework (great)...the good thing is he enjoys it very much and he insists we listen to the cd everytime we're in the car (wait, is that a good thing? :)

since i had some time between class & my optometrist appt, g & i had lunch at panera - he was so upset because he wanted "just a snack". when i asked him what he wanted he said "an ice cream sandwich". um, me too gavin. we walked around the mall, found a cute summer scarf at anthropologie (yes, i returned ALL 3 dresses, lees!), and was off to my appt.

the rest of the day was uneventful..we cleaned up, read (too many books!), played, lounged around - everything a break should be :)

april showers bring may flowers

may is always a special month for me, mainly because of mother's day, but this year in particular was filled with so much fun. here are 7 reasons why:

may 7: muffins for mom! this was the first time i attended this event at wws, and i wasn't sure what to expect. i was actually going to skip it, until gavin's teacher called me to confirm i would be attending. "it's only 20 minutes, you have to come!"...and so i did. what i didn't expect was how wonderful it would turn out to be. i should have known when the other mom's passed around a box of tissues and told me to take a few "just in case".

i was greeted with the sweetest handmade centerpieces

i don't normally allow gavin to eat sweets before a meal, but how could i resist this face?

mrs. thomas stole a shot of our nose-to-nose kiss and what a special treat, a handmade, handprinted surprise

i'm so glad i made the time to be there - to spent just a small part of an ordinary day with my first born revelling in his being. needless to say, by the end of the event, i was a mess. sometimes i take for granted that i am actually a MOTHER! i forget how amazing it is and how lucky i am. that's why i'm grateful for moments like these...you must stop, think, and remember. i already can't wait for next year.


may 8: (the very next day)...mathias amado is here! my dear friend monica had been anxiously awaiting the birth of her 2nd son. between trips to nuyo and text messages, she kept me updated daily on her progress. when she didn't return one of my texts, i knew the time was near!

big brother sebs and baby mathias
may 9: as if i wasn't getting enough of my mothering, baby-fixation, the NEXT day (yes!) my sister gave birth to her first born, my very first niece!

meet hayden nicole!

i was in the room during the entire labor and my sister was a trooper...unfortunately, since she was 2 weeks early, hayden was sunny-side up and refused to come out. she ended up with a c-section and hayden was finally here!

when i first saw her i couldn't believe how much she looked like mike! she was so cute, even after being just a few hours new thanks to the swine flu epidemic (does anyone even remember it?!) kids were not allowed in the hospital. not siblings, relatives, no one under 16 years old. they weren't even allowed in the waiting room; they had to wait outside! it was pretty pathetic but the only way gavin & emma could even get a glimpse of their new cousin was through a window. by the time hayden was home, they were so excited. they couldn't wait to hold her!

may 10: mama's day! how i had the strength & energy to even get up after spending all night with my sister the day before, i have no idea. but i think in part it had to do with the 10:30 am reservations i had at our favorite buffet, lael's. ever since gavin was born we celebrate (per my request) mother's day here along with my friends: the pasta station, sushi bar, and dessert table :)

it was extra-special being joined by my bff and fellow mama

may 16: gily's turns 5! well, technically gily's birthday is on cinco de mayo, but an celebrated it on may 16 at la jolla shores. i can't believe gily bean is 5 already!! an & i were pregnant together, so it's already bringing me to tears thinking i will soon have a 5 year old myself!

sweet gily bean

she had an awesome barbie cake!

i'm thinking an had just a little too much fun chopping her (it) up :)

poor gily watched in disbelief

thank you for making her happy, barbie
i got to spend a few hours with my bff's. it was nice to catch up and just BE around each other! we SO missed you lees!

may 22: scrap sisters! for memorial weekend (thank god it was a 4 day for me!) we anxiously awaited abby's arrival (wow, nice alliteration!) so that we could spend a few child-free (well, technically they were in the other room) hours scrapping in peace. turns out, i can't get anything done while friends are around...i would rather chat and eat pie :) {hey j: do you have a pic of that pie n brought?}

i was inspired to scrap a page of that fun night

may 30: vincent is 9!
we bought disneyland passes, and they ain't cheap, so we are putting them to good use! we go to disneyland at least once a month, but we missed out on emma's AND olivia's birthdays because gavin & rick were sick. luckily we were all healthy enough to celebrate my godson vince turning 9. i don't want to get into all the details of all the birthdays i have missed, but i do feel very grateful that i get to spend many, many more birthdays celebrating with him :) we had lunch at blue bayou and as promised we chowed down on the yummy pirate boat.

my babies are always slow to warm up, but by the end of the day, they are all over the place (btw ...gavin is holding his new light saber. he wanted a red one, but i told him only sith lords use the red...he is a jedi he should have blue. he wanted the red anyway. i couldn't do it...i bought the blue)

it's that time of the year, and often people (co-workers, family members) ask me why i do the birthday party thing just about every weekend? isn't it too expensive? doesn't it get overwhelming? the answer is yes...but if you re-read this blog,

isn't it all worth it?

on another note...

rick & i were talking the other night...about where we are in our lives. i told him i want to document as much as i can to help me try to remember it all. i just know these are the best times... with two little people who are literally my life.

scrap goodness

saturday was my first visit to the infamous once-a-year scrapbook expo! it was national scrapbook day, so i just HAD to get my hand on some goodies! jen and i sped out, inhaled a quick mc d's breakfast and were on our way... here are my goodies!

it looks like i did major damage, but overall, i got great deals! can you say thickers?! we bought about 10 packs each, but they were either 40% off or buy 3 get one free, so we saved a bunch!

we were very economical, so at the $1 store, we grabbed one of everything & split it. i think we have enough buttons and brads to last us until next year (or the next 5 - haha). one of the best deals we got was on adhesive lace that we later saw at papertales for $8!

the "50 cents-a-yard ribbon" shop was the most fun! i took first prize ending up with 94 yards!! we got a ton of good quality felt and patterned pieces.

this is one of the few things i paid full price for, but aren't they lovely?

check out my new tote bag ($12 at the expo, $24 at everafter, thank you very much). loving the amy butler fabric!

and last but not least, i nabbed a few urban prairie elements (basic grey) for emma's baby book *yes, i know she is 3!
it was so much fun! i can't wait to do it again next year (with lees & nette too!) ok jen, this will have to be a tradition :)

orange(?) light

if i don't blog this, i will forget...so i must. a conversation i had with my capricious daughter while driving home today:

emma: what does green mean, mama?

me: green means go; what does red mean?

emma: red means stop.

me: what does yellow mean?

emma: *yelling* it's not yellow mama, it's orange!

me: it's not orange, it's yellow.

emma: NO IT'S NOT, IT'S ORANGE!

me: ok, then what does orange mean?

emma: orange means crash.

me: um, ok sweetie, it means crash.

wanted to avoid a meltdown, you see. where does she learn these things? you gotta love the 3- year old mind...sigh.

hoppy (belated) easter!

we had brunch at our most favorite buffet, lael's. to our surprise, they had an egg hunt for the kids! they even provided the baskets...gavin & emma had a blast!

new 'do

when you have a little girl, you know this is going to happen...

you're just not sure when.

need i say more?

the only reason she cried was because of my scream of shock. i have to admit, though, i love the new 'do.

hero

i've been so bad at blogging, and i've got to do a better job at doing this...sometimes i have to remember it doesn't have to be perfect, just as long as the memory, my thoughts, my feelings, are recorded.

i've been wanting to blog about this for a while now...

i recently attending a funeral for a friend, florence bacong choe. it was one of those events that made me stop, think, and reevaluate. not that i have a jaded view of life, but sometimes it takes moments like these to kick you into gear and be truly grateful for what we have - another day. her memorial was so moving. i never felt so much respect for the military as i did that day. she was such a testament to the united states military, to mothers, to the modern day woman. i felt incredibly privileged to be able to be there to honor her life.

isn't that odd that my dad was in the navy for half his life and i never saw him as such a...hero. maybe because i always resented the military for sending him away? maybe it's because i felt he was always safe? i always took for granted i received a free college education because he had a 10% disability, but now i realize how much it truly cost.