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November 16, 2010

russell peters...


Sunday evening, a group of couples hit the town and went to HP Pavilion to check out Russell Peters. My friend said it best...it's great that so many cultures can come together under one roof and laugh at themselves. This guy is freakin' hilarious. I actually caught myself on several occasions with the obnoxious laugh-out-loud syndrome.

I've got to tell you, though...taking this pic totally stressed me out. The staff at the event were sooo strict about any type of photography or filming during the event, that this bald-headed dude was walking around with his little flashlight shining at anyone who had a camera or phone out. I snapped this WAY before the show started...not breaking any rules. Then, we were taking some pictures of ourselves, and he came over on this mission (as if the President of the USA had sent him on it), and started lecturing us and threatening to kick us out if we didn't put our cameras and phones away. This guy seriously needed a drink. He even busted the opening comedian who came out to take a pic using his phone. It was too darn funny. Needless to say, we had a great time!!!

November 14, 2010

vroom vroom...


C had a race yesterday...something this kid lives for. After the race, I had a chance to chat with an old-timer, Mr. Douglas, and he was telling me how 4 years ago, he couldn't get 2 words out of C. Now, he can't get the kid to stop talking. What does he talk about? His racing adventures, of course. He is definitely like his dad in that they can tell motorcycle stories all day long. Oh, I guess this proud mommy should also mention my little guy got 1st place!

dolly kit...


e and I put together this little dolly with a kit we bought. it was a little challenging for her, and as a team, we did a great job. she loves her little ballerina. the best part was getting to spend time creating it with her.

dragon...

The kids and I had a day off, so we headed to our favorite place...the Monterey Bay Aquarium. With out busy schedules, it's been a while since we've been there. It was a nice relaxing day, the weather was A-mazing, and the ocean was giving us quite a show that made us all smile! I love that every time we go, we discover something new...now if we can just be brave enough to try new restaurants!

wine sucker...

I wish I could take credit for these super cool things. They're wine suckers... drink markers that use a suction to mark your cup. I'm actually excited that I know the gal who has created these, and that I gladly supported her new venture. Check them out at www.winesuckers.com.

turkey feather...

I love that my kids' creativity is starting to come out. Honestly, it's something I'd been a little sad about. It only took one 8 years and the other 5! :) For C's class, they created a turkey and each kid created a feather to display. I haven't seen the final product yet, but I'm pretty sure it looks great. I was pretty proud of C for creating this concoction all on his own!

November 2, 2010

pumpkin designing...

This was E's pumpkin this year that she designed herself. such creativity...

November 1, 2010

i run to be...

Did I mention that each finisher get's a customer Tiffany necklace? Bonus!!!

nike...

For the 2nd year, I did the Nike Women's 1/2 marathon in San Francisco. Even the rain couldn't keep my spirits down. Participating with an injured foot, I felt the joy of finishing and a huge sense of accomplishment.

little fish...

Growing up, I was a swimmer. I always knew I wanted my kids to be swimmers. They recently joined the local swim team, and they are loving it. They are just so darn cute, too!

5-year-old dirt chick...

As a mom, I couldn't be prouder of any mini successes my children have. In this case, it's something I've dreamt of for years. My baby girl is a officially a dirt bike chick! This was her first day riding out with others, and she did an awesome job.

smile...

Decorating for the holidays is something we've done since the day we moved in over 8 years ago. We got the big smiley pumpkin 3-4 years ago, and all the neighborhood kids love coming by to see it.

fall fairytales...


Fall...seriously my favorite time of the year. All the gorgeous colors make me so happy. Seeing these pumpkins at the patch is a girl's dream...especially one who loves Fall as much as I do.

September 12, 2010

under the sea...


I came across this photo in a pile of C's papers. I don't what excites me more...the fact that he loves art, or that he loves everything that deals with the ocean. He just makes me proud, and puts a super huge smile on my face. He told me for his birthday, he was going to draw a picture for every kid in his class. Not sure how they'll take it, but I thought it was very thoughtful of him.

Oh, and he found one of my watercolors that I did with my class last June, and copied it. I am pretty darn impressed. Here's the original.

September 10, 2010

swim time...


We finally did it. We joined the swim team. First it was E, then out of boredom from have to watch sister, C decided to join, too. They're both loving it, and really got a kick when they got to jump off the diving board. Might I add this was both of their first time jumping off the diving board. Crazy C tried doing a canon ball, but ejected out of ball formation just before impact. Smart boy, I say, smart boy! E just walked right to the end and hopped on in, like it was no big thing! Proud mommy moment, for sure!

mantis...


Sheesh! I have clearly been dropping the ball on these posts. Trust me...life has not been boring or really stressful. Well, I say that last part now because I have a breather for a moment. So, to vent for a moment... I have once again over committed myself in the name of my children. In addition to working and leading a cub scout den, I have now managed to sucker myself (by my lovely daughter) into being a Daisy Scout troop leader, and have forced my children to join a swim team that I have somehow managed to volunteer for their apparel orders, team building activities, and am currently seeking a fundraiser idea. As Kathy Griffin would say, "Holy shit balls!" Okay...got that out. Now, let's get back to being happy!

The end of Summer/start of Fall is always an interesting time out in the garden. The sunflowers are drying up, producing seeds for the many winged visitors who come to chow, the tomatoes are finally producing (which is a personal joke in itself, because no one in our family even eats tomatoes), the cooler weather flowers are starting to bloom, and the praying mantis' (or is it manti?) are out in full force and larger than ever!

So, meet this gal. Totally assuming it's a chick since it's so huge and I know their male counterparts are much smaller. You know, those males have got to be smaller and more agile, so they avoid becoming her meal after consummating. I digress... So, this gal surprised me while I was out watering the bushes. She was running for her life and drowning fate, apparently. she startled me enough to throw down the hose, run in the house, take a breath, then grab the bug box.

After a few hours of torture by my camera and the kids, I popped open the lid to let her free. the only problem was she didn't want to go. Going back a few weeks when I tried to help one out and it flew right at me, I wasn't going to repeat that mistake again. I waited until it go a bit chilly, hoping the cold would slow her down (which i think it did), opened up the top some more, and she cautiously creeped back into the bushes. I'm just hoping I don't have a target on my back now.

August 13, 2010

tide pool...

C found this tide pool trapped on a collection of rocks on the shore. It was neat to see his discovery outside the aquarium, which he made sure to tell me. "I found some stuff in real life," is what he told me. To see the excitement on his face as he found them was such a proud mommy moment.

sand...


This photo just warmed my heart. Yesterday, Omi, the kids, and I went to Monterey and we've made it a thing to try something new every time we go. Our routine has always been to park by Lover's Point, walk the path, say hi to the harbor seals along the way, go to the aquarium, walk down to a little beach on Cannery Row, typically eat at El Torito's, then walk back and head home.

Another (newer) tradition we have is to spend the day at the beach the day before school started. Since I have to work the day before, we decided to go yesterday instead.

So, we did our usual aquarium visit, briefly, and then found a new beach, San Carlos Beach, just down the street from Cannery Row. It's typically where divers enter the water so it was neat to see a few divers heading out in the bay. The kids also found some neat tide pools.

But, what really warmed my heart was this sand writing E did for her Omi (grandmother). No one prompted her to write it, so as she was finishing up the heart and patting it down, I snapped this photo. Okay, so secretively, I wish she would've written Mommy, but I was still filled with adoration and pride as she wrote this out for my mom.

August 8, 2010

calm...


There is something very calm and serene about water. I remember when I was a child and our family was going through a rough time, my dad and I would drive to the beach and just sit there, staring out into the horizon, listening to the sound of the waves. Watching E and her friend play on the shore gave me a moment of calm... it was the perfect time; sun getting ready to set, the crowds all gone, and the water still and peaceful. I see why people find solice in water.

fish dinner...


One of the things on my checkoff list while on vacation was to enjoy a fresh fish dinner. Oh my goodness, did my friend come through. We enjoyed two types of fish that we picked up from the Farmer's Market in Redmond, this delicious pasta salad, and fresh cherries. A margarita topped off the meal. I truly felt like I was in heaven...enjoying this scrumptious meal on the deck overlooking Lake Sammamish. One couldn't have asked for a better evening.

pike's place...


One of the things everyone MUST do while visiting Seattle is check out the Public Market (aka Pike's Place) where those giant fish are thrown. There's a lot of other cool stuff to see, too. I picked up 3 small jars of local honey and it was really cool because each of them has such a different taste. Seattle truly is a beautiful place. With the amazing weather we had, it's easy for me to say I'd love to live there.

lake union...


While in Seattle, the kids and I went on a Duck Tour...these old WWI amphibious vehicles that drive like a car, but float like a boat. This one took us out onto Lake Union in Seattle. I like this photo because the sailboat that came near us was pretty cool, but you get to see the Space Needle in the background. We got so lucky with the weather while we were there...nice sunny skies and warm weather.

holy bat cave...

One of the cool things we saw at the Oregon Zoo were the fruit bats, that E so loudly asked in the exhibit, "Oooo Mom, are those vampire bats?" They were really cool to watch hang upside down, fly around, eat, and interact with each other. I actually learned how they pee while hanging upside down (it's a secret though). If you ever travel through Portland, make sure you hit up this zoo. We thought we'd blow through it in a couple of hours. It actually ended up taking us 5 hours, and we enjoyed every minute of it!

sea lion...

Wow! Who ever thought a Californian would drive to Oregon to see a sea lion, right? We saw this ginormous one at the Oregon Zoo in Portland. Yeah, it was pretty amazing seeing the size of this guy. I mean, being a California girl and all, you grow up with them at the beaches, but I have to admit, I've never been this close to really see how huge they can get. On the flip side...the poor thing was swimming circles upon circles. I can only imagine how bored the poor thing must be. Although I love the educational purposes, some things are better left in the wild.

goats...

Along the journey, we stayed with a friend in Oregon who had the cutest goats you'd ever meet. Don't ask me what type they are... to me a goat it a goat, but from watching The Fabulous Beekman Boys, Farmer John, who clearly loves his goats, has three different types (which I still don't know the difference). Anyhoo, the kids loved the goats, but I'm a grateful that we live in the city and can't have them...otherwise...

A-mazing...


My friend up in Washington made this delicious citrusy-lemongrass martini. I can't even begin to tell you how yummy it was. Now...if I can only get the recipe! :)

it's been a while...

Okay... so I've been a little flakey keeping my posts current, but hey, it's summer! I've been relaxing and trying to enjoy life. I'll be uploading a few pics from a week-long road trip the kids and I took up to Seattle this past week...something that was definitely needed. I was hesitant about having the kids with me, all alone, in a car for such a long drive (almost 1,000 miles each way). But in the end, we had a blast, the kids did great, and we're looking forward to our next road trip. So, the photo above was from our last evening in Sammamish, Washington. A friend and I took our kids down to the lake, had dinner, played in the water, and just chilled. It was a fantastic end to an awesome trip!

July 17, 2010

great sunflower project...

A few months back I stumbled upon this website (I must credit Sunset mag for the info) called the Great Sunflower Project. The project is a way of tracking bees, our natural wild pollinators, to find where they are thriving and where numbers are declining. The GSP states that every third bite of food is attributed to bees. Having trouble with my zucchini plants the last couple of years, I thought I'd join the project to see how I could help, and if it would help my garden. Now that my sunflowers are blooming, I get to start counting my bees. Yippee!!!

Our garden is already filled with many bee loving plants... salvia, a butterfly bush, and lots and lots of lavender, to name a few. They all have beautiful blooms and our yard is covered with bees in the summertime. The kids even know to help honey bees that might need a little hand. I'm just excited to get started counting...something the kids have been looking forward to since we planted our Lemon Queen Sunflower seeds a few months back!

more summer harvest...


Ahhhh, the goodies nature provides is absolutely amazing. This morning I harvested my beets and some more zucchini. These came from our box out in our front courtyard. I wasn't sure we were going to get anything to grow there, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everything's been doing really well out front. The tomatoes and peppers are coming along nicely as well, out back. Got out early to water the garden before the heat hit.

movies...


Summer is truly the time for kicking back, hanging out, and not worrying about bed times. there are so many things we love about summer, but hanging out in the backyard watching a movie under the stars is easily a favorite. This night, we watched the original Alice in Wonderland. With Emma's tea party behind us, I thought we could relive some of the details from the movie.

jump, part 2...


E taking the plunge in Omi's pool. There isn't a whole lot better than hanging out in Omi's pool on a hot, summer day! I'm so grateful to have family with pools that live nearby. I guess I can say this is this year's summer hang out. No crowds, easy to watch the kids under the shade on a cushioned chair with a cold drink in my hand. Yeah... this is what summer's all about.

jump...

One of our favorite summertime activities is hanging at the beach. I have to admit, it's a little nerve-racking being by myself with the kiddos who LOVE being in the water. I remember as a child jumping in the waves, so how can I NOT let me kids do it. This particular day we were celebrating a little friend's 5th birthday with some amazing food, great company, and of course...amazing scenery and weather. Other than dealing with sand, the beach is one of my favorite places to go with the kids. We're getting it all down, though. What an amazing day we had!

hello carrots...


Part of my summer project is my vegetable & herb garden. These are the carrots that we planted from seeds back in Spring. We were so proud of our goodies, but then became sad when we learned that they don't keep in the fridge. They lost their crunchy texture quite quickly. So, we just have to remember to eat the rest quickly after harvesting. At least the bunny made out...especially with those tops!

July 8, 2010

and i will name you...gus...

The kids and I went to the aquarium yesterday to get outta dodge for the day, and on exhibit were 6 of the cutest 7-month old sea turtles. This one just kept swimming up the glass and staring as if he wanted to hang out. Oh, how I wish I could take him home. The kids thoroughly enjoyed them. This was another great photo day, so I'm actually included a couple extra photos.

E doing a somersault on the beach.

Air bubbles from a diver during the kelp forest feeding.

A lonely sea star on the glass.

A resident sea otter playfully swimming upside down entertaining guests.

happy 4th...


I just fell in love with this photo from the 4th. E and her cousin (to some degree) planted themselves in this miniature kids bench to enjoy the fireworks. The longer the fireworks went on, the closer they huddled. I've always enjoyed taking pictures from behind...some don't like it because you can't see their faces, but I think this one still tells a little story...not to mention everything miniature is just that much cuter.

pop...

This is one of the few pictures you'll find of my kids. The idea wasn't to showcase my kids on this blog (as much as I would love to), but I just fell in love with this photo. I recently got the new version of Photoshop, now that I have a computer that works properly, and I wanted to play with mixing color and grayscale images. So, I threw E in her pink tutu and black top and had her dance around out back. I was able to get some amazing photos of her, that I easily popped into a scrapbook page. I just loved the natural playfulness of this one.

July 3, 2010

not just for lunch anymore...

This morning the kids were bugging me for breakfast, but I just couldn't get my head together. I peeked in the fridge, and saw the Lil' Smokies I just bought. So, pigs in a blanket it is. Seriously, who said these were only good for lunch anyway? Seeing as most meals are all mixed up anyway. Sheesh, the mister eats cereal 3 times a day. So, I made it official. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll make myself a burger for breakfast.

July 2, 2010

funny boy...

So, C thought he's be funny and set up these plastic spiders around the house to try to scare me. Every time I would come upon one, I would jump and gasp, and he would start laughing hysterically. Oh, boys....

carrots...

We picked out first ripe carrot of the season. We planted these miniature ones...not sure why we didn't go for the full-size ones. Nonetheless, the kiddos and I were quite excited. I think there are a few more ready out there, but I got so excited to get this one in. It's amazing how this wonderful thing is produced from the tiniest seed (which is how we started these). The best part is having the tops to give to our bunny. I'm sure she'd love the whole thing, but I put too much effort into giving up the fruits of my labor...literally!

June 25, 2010

window glass...

I found this really cool glass art stuff that is supposed to mimic stained glass. At first, I purchased it for the kids, but I wanted to give it a test run, first. I was pleasantly surprised at how cool this stuff is. I still think it might be a little too hard for the kids, but then again, I'm sure I'm underestimating their ability. so, I created this butterfly and stuck it on the cover of my cake stand that I have sitting in my garden window. It just seemed to fit there. E wasn't too pleased, as she wanted it on her bedroom window. I guess I'll just have to make more!

June 23, 2010

bananas foster...


For Father's Day, I made one of my favorite desserts of all time...bananas foster. Who cares that the day wasn't technically about "me." I still wanted to make this. I actually had some leftover, and after reheating quickly in the microwave, I was shockingly surprised that it still tasted super yummy. My mother had been bugging me for some, so she finally got it. I also made these drunken peaches that were also quite delicious. Basically, I took fresh peaches and let them sit in some vanilla extract and brown sugar, then served it with bourbon whipped cream... Yeah, you heard right... I said bourbon whipped cream. And yes, it was THAT yummy. It just made me realize my love for cooking. Next on my list...kahlua chip ice cream.

hello iphone 4...

Look what arrived a day early??!?!?!?!? Okay, well, technically, "I" can't get that excited because it's not for me. This is what the kids and I got Daddy for Father's Day. Of course, it's been sitting on the counter, since being delivered this morning, just speaking to me...begging, actually. I've walked by it several times, and I swear I heard a tiny voice saying, "Open me," but I digress. It does not belong to me, therefore, I must leave it alone. I must admit, though, that I'm a bit disappointed that it's been sitting there all by itself all day, and said Daddy has not been home to come get it to ravish its packaging to get to the delicious technology waiting inside. I suppose in due time it will be presented...

June 21, 2010

summer snow...


What's the first thing you think of when you hear summer? Snow, perhaps? Okay, maybe not just snow, but how about snow cone? That's what we're talking about. Summer = snow cones = happiness. Yeah...happy summer!

garden buddy...

We found this little guy visiting our garden this morning. Good thing he's visiting early, as we are getting ready to harvest our carrots, which are looking fantastic!

June 6, 2010

on haitus...

Clearly, as you can see, I'm taking a break. Not that I've taken a break from finding things that make me happy or even from taking photographs. I've just been too darn busy to post daily. From preschool graduations, to yearbooks, to slideshows, to end of the year parties, to teacher gifts, to wrapping up my own classroom, to European family visits, and signing the kids up for summer activities, it's just been too darn hectic. So, I'll be on haitus for a few more weeks, but I'll be back strong, and I might try to post some pics I've been taking...just so you know I'm not slacking! :) In the meantime, I hope everyone is looking forward to the gorgeous weather and summer that's upon us!

May 23, 2010

oink...

C's class had a field trip to the local high school's FFA program. This pig was the friendliest, craziest pig I've ever seen...not that I've seen a ton. The little gal kept stepping on her stable-mate. The two of them kept poking their heads through the grates wanting some serious attention.