Robyn's Song

Zoe Madeline Arrives!

2011-04-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

My second niece, Zoe Madeline, arrived yesterday, April 1, at 5:26 AM weighing 6lbs 11oz. And she's beautiful. Just one day before my other niece turns 1. It's a weekend of celebrations and I'm so disappointed I couldn't be in two places at once this weekend.

I wanted to share a few pictures of Zoe.

It's been a busy week so I thought I'd add a few more from the week.

March's Moon and Mark's Birthday

2011-03-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Last night was my brother's 30th birthday and we celebrated at a restaurant on a roof-top terrace. I brought my camera hoping to get some excellent shots of the moon and water (since the moon was the closest to Earth it has been since March of 1993) but unfortunately it was cloudy here so I didn't get the shots I had envisioned. The clouds briefly parted on the way home, so we stopped briefly to get some pictures before it was covered again.

Early AM

2011-03-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Don't we all wish we looked this good in the morning?

I joined a photography pre-pro prep group and part of the forum is simply this: take more photos. I'd gotten into a lull lately (sorry mom), so I decided I need to get back to regular, more-frequent posting. To include more pictures.

Did you notice my new watermark? I hardly think I'm ready for it, but someday! I'm trying to decide on a graphic as well (maybe a bird?) but I need to improve my capabilities in photoshop. I'm hoping our schedules will allow me to take a class this spring or summer.

Newborn Photoshoot

2011-03-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

I had my first photoshoot for a complete stranger!

This little peanut was sooo cute...but simply could not sleep by himself so I didn't get the shots that I wanted. Admittedly, I went into the session with a pretty ambitious list of poses. Dad was so sweet and couldn't stop kissing the baby so I was able to capture a lot of candid moments. Here were a few of my favorites from the session.

Winter Photo shoot

2010-12-04T23:05:00.000-08:00

In about three weeks our Christmas baby will be turning four. I can't believe time has flown by so quickly (and I only have two weeks to finish shopping!). Since our goal this year is to get our Christmas cards out before February (hey, better late then never), we decided to do a photoshoot this weekend for Bella's 4th birthday (so you'll see more photos of her by herself) and Christmas. Maybe I'll even order cards tomorrow...well, maybe.

We couldn't get many good photos of them together, but bare with me because I didn't have a favorite (I'm pretty biased...they're all so cute). In looking through the photos, she just looks so old. Four years old looks so much like a kid and we're not ready for that.

In case you were wondering what's on Bella's Christmas list this year (now that she's much more vocal), for months she has been telling us that she is asking Santa for a kitty (even to the point where she says "this is the dress I'm going to wear on my birthday when I get my kitty"), but today told us "I'm not asking Santa for a kitty, I want a hippo." We negotiated it down to a "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" game which she actually seemed rather excited about.

Here's our Saturday in photos. (And yes, I'll be posting photos of Noah's baptism and Thanksgiving soon...there were SO many to go through thanks to our substitute photographer, Mark).

Bella's First Haircut

2010-10-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

Today I took Bella some place extra-girly--a small children's hair salon in Carlsbad. Although it was 17 miles from here, it was well worth the drive especially for her first haircut. The shop was filled with feather boas, pink frilly dresses, and bows. Perfect for a little girl who aspires to be a Disney princess (we're hoping she grows out of that). (They have video games, space shuttles, and race cars for the boys as well so this may be a fun place for Noah when he gets a little older.)

After her hair appointment (that sounds so grown-up), we went shopping in the little boutique. Bella was allowed to pick one ~~item off the sale rack~~ piece of clothing--she picked the frilliest skirt she could find--a pink tulle tutu with bows and glitter.

We went to lunch at a cute sushi place (and yes, she loves chicken teriyaki) and then took pictures of her new haircut.

(As an aside, after seeing how the indoor photos came out, I think a new flash is slowly making its way to the top of our Christmas list.)

Noah's First Haircut

2010-10-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

We decided to take Noah to an old fashioned barbershop for his first visit. Meet Andy. He's been in this location since 1953 and he certainly knows how to cut hair (though I'm betting his dad owned this shop before he did!).

There's a bar next door to Andy's Barbershop and all of the bikers were trying to talk Noah out of getting his haircut. Noah's a good boy, though, and listened to Mommy and Daddy. After all, his cute baby curls were turning into a mullet!

Noah loved Andy and his parrot, Black Jack. Noah was very patient as Andy trimmed off his ~~mullet~~ baby curls but the clippers were another story. Fortunately, after Abel's haircut, Noah let Andy finish trimming it up.

Bates Nut Farm

2010-10-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

In keeping with tradition, we took the kids to Bates Nut Farm to pick a pumpkin and take photos in their Halloween costumes. Bella wanted to be a princess but she has SO many princess dresses, I wanted to make her something a little different. (If you're wondering why her costume looks a little plain, she was put in charge of putting her tiara and shoes in the car but forgot so instead of looking like a princess, she just looked over-dressed.) I don't think I'm done with her costume, though. Abel suggested I make her a sash--which I think is an excellent idea.

Noah, our little Frog Prince, was much more cooperative in his costume than Bella was at his age. I kept it simple for him but I find his costume pretty funny. He just started talking and his first word was "wow". He loves going places (probably because he stays at home with the Nanny all day) so when we get out of the car he's always pointing at things and saying "wow".

He now calls for his blanket ("bebeeeee") and, since he loves dogs, he says "puppy" (he also called his horse "puppy"). Of course he's starting to say "mommy" and "daddy" though he's not very consistent.

I haven't been posting as many pictures of the kids, so I wanted to share a collage of our trip today. They loved everything--from the pumpkins (Bella thought the white pumpkins were pretty funny), petting zoo, and horse rids--they had a great day.

Wet Paint

2010-09-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

I'm almost embarrassed to show you, but here are some pictures of what we've been up to this weekend. Painting.

We removed the ugly curtain that was here when we moved in. Not only was it an eye sore, but it collected 10 years worth of dust on the ledge. We also discovered the one thing that was updated in this out before we moved in...the wall paper was removed (kinda). We found that in some areas they just painted over the yellow velvet (yes, it was textured) flower wall paper. I was so excited to find it was (mostly) removed. I removed most of what was left and textured over the rest.

And yes, that was me on the ladder.

It's hard to tell the color because of the light, but you can best see it in the last picture of the foyer (also recently painted...and updated with new light fixtures). I still have a ways to go on the painting, but you get the idea.

Ignore the mess. It's only temporary (I hope).

New Acquisitions

2010-09-19T12:01:00.001-07:00

Abel's parents are getting new furniture and gave us some of their old pieces (since our house is so anemic right now). I have to say though that it certainly made a big difference in our house--it feels a little more lived-in.

(Ignore the bad pictures--I didn't mess around with the lighting...)

We didn't add anything to the bar but a few weeks ago I reorganized it so it looks so much better. I wish it didn't have the glass behind it because it really takes away from our glassware, but oh well! Another project for another day!!

We haven't put the doors on the china cabinet yet but we'll get them up today (my mom really wanted to see pictures ASAP). But the size is really great for our space...and so is the table. It's much larger than the table we had there before. Someday we'll get a larger table but this works great in the mean time.
My grandmother's secretary had to find a new home. It's here for now but I'm not 100% certain it's the perfect spot. I love this secretary because my brother and I used to play in it when we were little--my grandmother kept skeleton keys in the drawers (I'm sure she's always wondered why they always disappeared).
This is a couch that Abel's parents kept in their formal living area. It looks much nicer than the old couch that was here (Gunner's couch) so we moved Gunner's couch to the playroom and placed this one here for now. When we get a seating area in front of the fire place, we will remove this couch all together (and probably move it to the downstairs in front of that fireplace).
My brother and his wife graciously gave us this bed as well. We put it in Bella's room for now until we get a new bed to put there (our neighbor has a white twin sleigh bed that they are going to give her in the next few months). This bed will then graduate into Noah's room or the downstairs guest room.
Here's the coffee table that we gave Abel's parents one time (since they severely needed a table)--they are now ordering a coffee table for their house so we took this one back but it needs some TLC (again, another project). The color goes with our couch a little better and this one is a little taller, so we moved the other table to (you guessed it) Gunner's couch in the playroom.
And finally, this buffet belongs with the dining set, but we badly needed something in our entry way, so I borrowed it to place under the clock. The clock now seems a little high but maybe it'll look better when I add some pictures and (maybe) a lamp to the buffet.

This is what happens when I upload pictures

2010-09-12T18:15:00.001-07:00

(Yes, that's rice krispies all over the play room floor. Evenly distributed. Her flower-girl skills came in handy.)

House Updates

2010-09-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Visit from Grandmother and Pepaw

2010-09-12T17:36:00.001-07:00

Devil's Punchbowl

2010-09-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today we crossed one more item off of our "San Diego To-Do" list. Mark and Katy (along with Maybe and Gunner) joined us for a hike to Devil's Punchbowl (also known as Cedar Creek Falls). Four and a half miles round trip with a 1,200ft elevation change--the hike was incredible. At the bottom of the trail, there was a waterfall and swimming hole (for lack of a better term). The water was pretty cool but VERY refreshing. We packed a picnic and had lunch by the water fall under a tree.

Since we haven't had much rain recently, the waterfall was more like a trickle and the water level was about two feet low (it was only about 5ft deep in the center). The waterfall is about 90ft high and is a popular spot for cliff divers--fortunately there were no cliff divers while we were there.

The trip back up was a little more difficult than we had anticipated but both of the kids did great. Noah slept in the backpack carrier (courtesy of Abel) and Bella walked the whole way. She's quite a trooper and complained very little.

The amazing view. This section of Ramona sees wildfires every few years but the vegetation always grows back. The last fire through this are was about 2 years ago.

Maybe with saddlebags.

Abel and Noah.

One of the few shade trees.

Gunner, Mark, Abel, and Noah.

Abel and Noah on a steep section of the hike.

Abel and Bella swimming.

The waterfall.

Your illustrious photographer. Since I'm usually the one taking photos, there aren't many of me!

Mark and a boulder.

Germany

2010-08-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

In no particular order, here is a collage of photos from our trip to Germany. Maybe once I get over jet lag one day I'll go through our trip in a little more detail for you.

Ultimately, we had a wonderful time. Germany was so beautiful and the kids traveled really well (Bella even asked if we could ride on a helicopter once we landed in LAX). I think we have a jet-setter in-the-making.

Love to Bella

2010-08-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

With all this attention on the birthday boy, I decided to share some pictures of Bella Monkey. She's a beautiful girl (not that I'm biased or anything) and she loves to take pictures. I was saving this dress for our trip to the castle, so she was thrilled when I let her wear it to take pictures.

Bella's favorite show is Toddlers and Tiaras, so she is always modeling. It's tough to get a candid shot of her, but I did have some luck.

Happy Birthday to Noah

2010-08-05T05:18:00.001-07:00

I can't believe this little guy is one.

I also can't believe he doesn't like cake! I love the shots of babies diving head first into the cake. Somehow I shouldn't be surprised--this little guy is so good, he'd never think about making a mess. I actually had to encourage him to step in the cake.

What's black and white and red all over?

2010-08-02T18:14:00.001-07:00

Noah and his airplane!!

A few more from this weekend...

Lemons

2010-08-02T05:18:00.000-07:00

I did Noah's 1 year photo shoot this weekend. Here's a preview. More to come...

San Francisco

2010-06-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

Visiting Vivian

2010-06-08T16:03:00.001-07:00

These tootsies belong to my favorite (and only) niece, Vivian. She was born on April 2nd, so she's still wet behind the ears.
Now who could resist that huge smile?
And check out all that hair. How could you resist?
Noah just loved her. They are almost exactly 8 months apart. Won't these two be so cute playing together on holidays?

The Sweetpod Baby Carrier

2010-05-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Just ignore the pictures--I had an assistant photographer today :o)
Noah just loves being held and even though he's still so small, he's now reaching for everything. It makes cooking and working on simple projects not to simple. It's more like an obsticle course for both me and him.
I made this Sweetpod Baby Carrier from a pattern by Seedpod Craft (www.seedpodcraft.com). I like it because you can wear it in front or on your back.
And it has a cute sleeping hood that will shade him from the sun (if he'll fall asleep). The sleeping hood fits in a hidden pocket. Also perfect for stashing keys.
The fabric is by Echino, a Japanese designer. It was a splurge, but you just don't seem to find fabrics in the US with similar murals or patterns.

Our Weekend in Pictures

2010-05-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

We love Gunner because Gunner loves the kids. He desperately needs a friend, though. He is constantly waking the kids up because he wants to sleep next to them. We're so happy with his personality, we are considering getting another weimaraner.

Noah walks with push toys.

Hand-Me-Downs

2010-05-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Bella came downstairs in this dress. I stored it in her armoire until she was big enough to wear it--it fits her perfectly now. It was a dress that my great-aunt Pauline made and gave to me as a hand-me-down. Bella loves it because the skirt has a good twirl factor...and it has lots of lace and bows. The shoes are a thrift-store find from my mom which Bella has been wearing long before they actually fit her. The perfect outfit for my little girly-girl.

Tiny Noah

2010-05-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Noah had his 9 month visit yesterday. He's 16 pounds and has finally doubled his birth weight.

Noah's so small--he dropped off the growth chart. His blood work came back fine (notice the wrap on his arm) so we'll see where he's at on his 1 year visit. No shots this time around!

Noah started standing. He's at the very early stages--where he's able to dive for hugs and sit down gently. It's such a cute stage and doesn't last very long.

Here's the sunrise this morning. The sky was beautiful, but we need a graduated neutral density filter.

I finally got a picture of the ducks in our pool. They startle so easily so its hard to catch them.

Little Italy

2010-04-19T20:41:00.001-07:00

Me and My Twin

2010-04-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

Three Year Old Dreams

2010-04-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Snack

2010-04-10T18:35:00.001-07:00

Some people might run and grab their baby, but not in our house. We make sure we document these moments. I mean, when he's 25 and we're telling his girlfriend not to worry about her cooking skills because he used to eat dog food, won't she want to see pictures? Really, we're doing a favor for his future wife.

Presidio Park

2010-04-10T18:23:00.001-07:00

These days Noah seems a little more portable so he tends to come with me more often. (Plus, Abel prefers to keep Bella since she's potty trained.) After taking Abel's dad to the air port, I stopped by Presidio Park--something I'd been wanting to do since we first came to San Diego. The park highlights a beautiful Mormon mission--it's actually a San Diego landmark since you can see it from the highway. It's only taken four and a half years figure out how to get to it.

In case you were wondering, Noah was sitting in a wine press from the 1700's. Pretty crazy, huh? It's in amazing condition considering it's two and a half centuries old!

I'll take more pictures of Bella soon--she's had a 3 year monopoly on here, so I think she can share a little with her new bro.

Outside

2010-03-29T20:15:00.001-07:00

I know this picture is way overexposed, but the effect turned out kinda cool.

I wish I would have put the polarizing filter on. I was focused too much on the light balance that didn't even pay attention to the sun's effect on the lens. How annoying.

He doesn't always cry, I promise.

200th Post

2010-03-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this is my 200th post. How crazy!

And speaking of crazy, today we went to the church Easter Egg hunt.

That's my family

They were antsy

Being a photographer is dangerous

almost as dangerous as a tired baby sitting on a field full of Easter eggs

with a very brave mom.

Bella kept asking if the Easter Bunny was going to put on a dress and get married. I think she's really confused about holidays and weddings.

Happy Easter!

My Little Guy

2010-03-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Bear Crawl and the Grandpa Smile

2010-03-10T19:44:00.001-08:00

Bella's Room

2010-03-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

7 Months

2010-03-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

Look closely and you can see his bottom teeth

We were supposed to have pictures taken today, but the weather is really crummy. We decided to postpone until next Sunday. Since I was so excited about taking pictures of my little guy, I decided to host a little session of my own...indoors, of course.

I bought him some new overalls for his outdoor photoshoot, but this morning I just grabbed his old 0-3 month overalls...since he's so small for his age, they fit perfect on the smallest settings (except for the length).

These all need a little color correction and I wish I had a lens with a shorter focal length so the background could be blurry. I think a new lens will probably be our next purchase for the camera. Hopefully before our Germany trip!

More Trouble

2010-03-02T21:18:00.001-08:00

Some day she'll stop letting me take pictures of her first thing in the morning. With Captain Crunch on her mouth. And Einstein hair.

But even with Einstein hair, isn't she beautiful? That's one pretty little girl (and I'm not biased at all).

Trouble

2010-03-02T21:04:00.001-08:00

Don't let this seemingly innocent face fool you. This is the face of trouble crawling around on all fours. You have to admit though, he is pretty darn cute.

I have a hard time taking photos of the little guy because he simply doesn't want to sit still long enough for me to get a picture. Everything either turns out too dark (faster shutter) or blurry. Someday I'll get the hang of it. Hopefully before he starts walking.

On a side note, I see that he is wearing the same outfit as he wore in the last post. I promise I've changed him since then.

Good Dog

2010-02-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolution Part 1

2010-02-17T21:44:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolutions this year were all about learning. There were a number of things I've been wanting to take classes in for a long time but I always use the kids as an excuse. So, I made it my mission this year to take a photography class, photoshop class, and a serging class. While we're on the subject, I also wanted to expand my social group by joining a Mom's Group again or some thing else so that I can meet people with similar interests.

Today I took the first step in checking one of these off the list by registering for a photography class. The class starts on March 27th at 1:00. If things go well (with daddy watching the kids) then I'll sign up for more photography classes.

I also attempted to sign up for a Photoshop class as well (another New Year's Resolution) but that class was cancelled.

(If you're still reading this, bless you for hanging in there. I promise I'll have more exciting posts in the future.)

To add even more productivity to my week, I also signed up for two moms groups and one sewing group--it sounds a little excessive, but I just want to try them all out and see which one works best for me and the kiddos.

Sometimes it's quiet around here

2010-02-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

but it's usually not good. Not good at all. And it usually ends in someone yelling (me) and someone crying in bed (Bella) and someone being banished to the kennel ~~(Bella)~~ (Gunner).

When it's quiet, something's goin' down.

I peaked around the fireplace to investigate and this is what I found. Bella grabbed a row of crackers and started feeding Noah. She's been asking if he wants cheerios ever since we brought him home from the hospital, but he finally has the teeth to eat them (kinda). But not by himself. That's the rule. But if you're three, rules are more like guidelines.

It's almost as though Noah know's he's been caught. He loves trying out his new teeth on anything and everything. Especially fingers. And Bella's toys. And important papers. But not junk mail. He's picky like that.

He definitely takes after his daddy with his bite sizes (now if he's looking like that with a brownie or cupcake, that's more my genes).

Don't let the innocent looks of these three fool you. They're up to no good. Always. Notice how Gunner is laying down. He's not really behaving. He's waiting until the two of them scurry away. Then he'll have a feast. Notice how Noah's looking like he's wanting something better (like a cupcake) and how Bella's ready to run to his rescue (and get a cupcake for herself too). I have my hands full.

Bella's Room

2010-02-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

Bella's room is coming together...slowly. I painted her room turquoise which I LOVE. I wanted something fun but not too obnoxious. Abel would have selected pink, but honestly seeing pink and princesses all day long and then to see it at night is a little much. The color was a Behr color that I had them add a little more honey so it's more of a "custom" color. This little nook here used to have a desk and a shelf built in but the desk was HIDEOUS. Aweful. (Ignore the patch of popcorn ceiling that was underneath the shelf. I need to scrape that as well!)

So we demo'd the desk and were surprised to find a mouse hole (we've sprayed our house many times over...if that doesn't get rid of mice, don't tell me any differently.) and we learned that there was no carpet under the desk. We'll also replace all the outlets and switches to white. (Add that to the "honey-do" list.)

I salvaged the upper shelf and am painting it white. It'll serve as a bookshelf and will cover one section of missing carpet. I'll either put a rug and bean bag chair to cover the other section or put her dresser there. Either way, you'll notice that there's a little light on the wall (that we'll replace) and it'll be sweet as either a reading light or a light above the dresser (you know, in case she decides to change at night or something...sometimes things are more for decoration). I'll probably but a mirror below the light if I put the dresser there.

It's a work in progress. We still have to do the ceiling but hey, at least we're making progress!

Entry Way

2010-02-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

I really wanted a hall tree to put in our entry way, but Abel insists that he had one as a kid and they never used it. (No matter HOW much I insist that I will use it, there's no convincing him!) Then I found THIS from Ikea (only $99!!) and decided I HAVE to have it. Our entryway would look great with two of these side-by-side with a wide mirror above (you know, like a hall tree). Then all of our shoes could fit in there (hopefully). We could put pictures and candles and all sorts of ~~junk~~ decorative pieces on the top of the shoe-dresser-thingy. I LOVE it!

And I could still put a bench across from it. Then it's like a hall tree but broken up.

Now all I have to do is convince the hubby. Maybe I'll just start leaving my shoes where my ~~hall tree~~ shoe cabinet will go. :o)

Our New Couch

2010-02-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

This is our new couch that sometimes I look at and think I should have gotten the other one--but every time I sit in it, I fall in love with it again. To me it looks a little formal right now, but I think it's because our other couch just looked so...sad. I look at our old couch now and think it's a surviver. It survived years with Abel in college playing games like "how many people can fit on this glorified loveseat", two infants and Bella learning to drink without a lid (Abel thought she could start that when she was 18 months...I still put the spill proof lid on her cup) and potty training. If there were a cancer/war ribbon for couches, this one deserves it. That's why we're going to move him into the play room or retire him downstairs. He deserves a break.

You'll have to excuse the mess in our living room. We're trying to figure out what-goes-where. Even though Abel has an office devoted solely to him, he still puts his two laptops in the living room. Eventually we want to get to arm or wing chairs and ottoman to put in front of the fireplace, but for now, we have the glider. It looks a little wimpy in comparison to the couch.

You'll also notice the paint colors on the wall. I'm pretty indecisive. I need the color to be perfect.

I still like this color (this isn't our house...just a picture I found a long time ago) but it's a benjamin moore color and I need it to be in Behr because I need the built-in primer for our walls (they were painted high gloss). Home Depot (who carries Behr) won't color match someone else's paint sample. So I just need to figure out what color that is in the Behr line. It's a process.

My Sewing Room

2010-02-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

While Abel was away in Virginia on a business trip, I decided I would set my sewing room up. Since Abel loves the paint sprayer (which takes WAY too long to set up), I decided I would paint my room quickly before he got back so there would be no confusion on the best approach to painting.

I went with a color that I call Pistacio Ice Cream (I think Behr calls is celery sprig or something like that...Pistacio Ice Cream is a better description). At first I was a little put off by how bright it is, but now I love it. I feel so inspired when I see the room...that and I want to keep putting stuff on the walls. It's a little bare.

I still need to put in the new outlets, light switches, and reinstall the intercom, but that'll come ~~this weekend~~ in time.

I especially love my dress form. I FINALLY got to take it out to ~~use~~ display. It really makes it look like a sewing room. Kinda professional-looking!

When Abel was buying my furniture for the sewing room (two shelves, two tables, two chairs, and a filing cabinet for less than $100) he also saw this conference room table that we're putting temporarily in the dining room. It'll go in the garage ~~in a few years~~ when Abel builds us a new table. I *heart* craigslist!

Noah's two bottom teeth broke through this weekend, so he immediately fell asleep when I got home. Isn't he so cute?

Visions of the Future

2010-01-29T18:28:00.000-08:00

Mommy Needs a Break

2010-01-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

What a good little boy I have tonight. Nestled all snug ~~on the floor~~ in front of the fire. Now I can do some ~~shopping~~ work...online.

Lasagna

2010-01-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Abel decided (very last minute) to invite 5 people over (in addition to the 4 of us). Our old fail-safe dinner for that many people (aside from fajitas) is lasagna. Everyone loves lasagna but the only problem is that we always end up in a war over which recipe to use--my mom's recipe or his mom's recipe. In the end, we compromised and made his mom's recipe but used homemade noodles (I was pretty insistent) and added a lot of extra cheese. Homemade noodles really make it. Anyway, I wanted to share with you the recipe:

1 lb. hamburger or sausage (I make 1.5 times the recipe because I really like sauce)
1 T olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 T parsley flakes
1 T basil
2 tsp salt
1 20oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste

2 12oz cartons large curd cream style cottage cheese (3c)
2 eggs
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T parsley flakes
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

10 oz pkg noodles (or homemade)

1 lb mozzarella shredded (I add a LOT more)

Meat Mixture:
Brown meat in oil. Add garlic, basil, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer uncovered until thick (about 1 hour). Stir occasionally.

Cottage Cheese Mixture:
Combine cottage cheese, eggs (beaten), salt, pepper, parsley flakes, and parmesan cheese.

Noodles:
Cook noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Combine:
Place 1/2 the noodles in a 13x9 baking pan. Spread 1/2 the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles and top with 1/2 the mozarella cheese and 1/2 the meat mixtures. Repeat.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly in the center.

Christmas Morning

2010-01-19T21:18:00.001-08:00

Bella coming down stairs in the morning. It's hard to see her expression, but she was in total shock.

Bella showing off her toys from Santa.

Noah gets some love from Grandma. In hindsight, I really wish we would have taken more pictures of Noah. He was so content on Christmas and because this was the first time Bella really grasped the concept of Christmas/Santa/presents, we focused mainly on Bella. He's certainly due for a few photo shoots.

Even Mom loves Christmas.

Everyone was busy opening presents and we looked over to find Bella had climbed on top of her present to unwrap it (it was some shelves for the playroom).

This is a terrible picture of Bella, but she was trying to figure out what this present was for a long time. Uncle Josh and Aunt Amber always do such a nice job wrapping presents, so she was drawn to this one from the start--guessing anything from a Barbi to a ball. It was pretty cute when she finally opened it and found a game (and Strawberry shortcake none-the-less!).

Our Christmas Trip

2010-01-19T20:54:00.000-08:00

I'll post some pictures of the wedding later (when I finally get them off Abel's computer), but in the meantime, I wanted to share some pictures from our trip to Texas.

I don't know any families who have five generations alive at one, but Bella and Noah are fortunate to have two great-great grandmothers. Here is Nana (isn't her coloring beautiful?).

Mimi learned that Noah hates bath time. (On a side note, I have such an attachment to my grandparent's house. Looking at this picture, with the kitchen window in the background--it's very comforting. I hope we feel the same way about our house. Maybe in time with enough memories...)

Justin and Travis...and I think the bunny ears are provided by Father Francis but I'm not sure.

I wish I would have noticed Bella drank some orange gatorade before I took this picture.

Mimi and Bella opening presents.

Our little flowergirl.

She'll hate shots like these later...

2010-01-19T20:48:00.000-08:00

I almost wonder if I shouldn't post this, but it's an on-going issue we've been having...

Bella plays so hard all day long and gets so tired that she's been falling asleep doing weird things. One night, we were eating dinner at a restaurant and she fell asleep on Abel's lap with a spoon in her mouth (she was eating an ice cream sundae).

Here, we kept calling her because we couldn't figure out where she went. We finally found her in the bathroom with wet pants. Apparently she had to go to the bathroom but fell asleep before she could go.

Isabella Ballerina

2010-01-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

For Those Busy Weekdays...

2010-01-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this recipe I found for a one-pot walkaway meal. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can adjust this recipe according to what you have in your frige--I only had a 6 pound chicken so I adjusted all the ingredients accordingly...plus I really like lemon and garlic so I added even more.

Also, when browning the chicken, make sure you dry it first. I typically neglect this step and always regret it in the end (actually, I end up appologizing for it when it comes time to serving). It takes a few seconds and not only does your meal look more appetizing, you no longer have to explain that "yes, the chicken is done".

1 tsp garlic powder (I don't measure, I just dump it on)
2 tsp kosher salt (or use garlic salt instead of both of these)
1 (3-4 lb) whole chicken
3 Tbsp butter
4 sprigs fresh thyme (you can leave it on the stem)
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 4" each)
1 yellow onion quartered
1 (1 lb) bag baby carrots
1 lb new potatoes (or fingerling, baby yukons, etc.)
1 lemon quartered
6 cloves garlic; peeled and smashed but left whole
Ground black pepper to taste (which usually means I don't use any)

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine garlic and salt (or use garlic salt) then rub all over the skin of the chicken. Set aside.

Heat a large Dutch oven (or bird pan) over medium, melt the butter. Add thyme and rosemary. Heat for 30 seconds.

Add the chicken, breast down and brown (about 4 minutes). Turn the chicken and brown the bottom (about 6 minutes).

Arrange the onion, carrots, potatoes, lemon, garlic cloves around the chicken, then place the lid over the pot (or aluminum foil if you're using a bird pan). Cook in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the breast is 160 degrees on a meat thermometer (you'll need to increase this time for a larger chicken).

Transfer the chicken to a platter and use a slotted spoon to transfer the veges (not the lemon or stems) into a serving bowl.

Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced and thickened (about 5 minutes). Serve drizzled over the chicken and vegetables. (Even though it's one extra step, don't skip it because the juice/gravy is really good.)

Wrapping Presents

2009-12-21T20:30:00.001-08:00

So we were wrapping presents and Bella decided she had to help. She got a DVD out of the cabinet and started wrapping. She said she wanted to give it to Mimi. That's what's so cute about Bella--she definitely thinks its the thought that counts. You could give her a box of rocks and she'd exclaim "how cute!"

What's really funny is that the box she's sitting next to really isn't that big...it's just that Bella is that small. I love our fireplace.

Christmas Lights

2009-12-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

What's wrong with this picture? Oh to be three... Obviously we're having a pretty warm winter.

Here's the front of our house. It was hard to take the picture since I had to use a flash (or else the lights all came out blurry).

Here's a close-up of the train. We made train tracks using the sidewalk in our front yard. It's so cute!

Its Christmas Time

2009-11-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

We're working on decorating our house for Christmas and it's taking some time. (Eventually we'll clear off the extension cords from the mantle and hang the garland.) We quickly learned that our Christmas tree is miniscule compared to our house. Once we clear out the remaining boxes, I'll take a picture so you can see it compared to the rest of the house!

Abel loves Christmas dearly, so its taking some work to hold him back. Although I'd like to do a Santa train, waterfall and pond, deer drinking from the pond, and lamp posts which point to the North Pole, unfortunately we need things like drills and light fixtures more so we'll have to tame things down this year. Maybe just the lamp posts and icicle lights (a hand-me-down of course).

And this is our Nativity set that we bought from Costco. I fell in love with a different one last year, but we have so much stuff to buy for the house, this one will do the job just as well as any other. I'm not sure if the baby Jesus should go on the bar, but this was the only counterspace we have that can fit the set. We need to get an end table to something...

Here's our bedroom...still pending the accent wall.

Laundry Day

2009-11-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

Its refreshing to find that Noah loves doing the laundry as much as I do.

He started crying the moment I started sorting laundry and he was so traumatized by the experience that I had to feed him when we were finished in order to calm him down. I guess he won't be helping in the future. Maybe laundry, like rice cereal, is an acquired taste.

Or then again, maybe not.

One Tuckered Baby

2009-11-20T16:28:00.000-08:00

Noah's had a tiring day of hourly bottles, rolling over, and laughing. He's trying to acquire a taste for rice cereal but it's taking some time. Maybe he'll like bananas better, but that's for another week.

Rest up, little man. It's a big world out there.

Under the Weather

2009-11-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

The roses are from our yard...and they certainly have a LOT of thorns! Also note Noah's highchair (it's hard to see in the back). We can't wait until he's able to join us at the table.

I know our kitchen is ugly, but I have to say that I've really gotten used to it. It's so much bigger than our condo so I'm certainly loving it.

Bella's room in the works. We've actually already finished scraping the ceiling.

This is the hole Abel cut in the crawlspace of the server room while we were redoing the cable.

The fireplace is two-sided. Noah is temporarily staying in the room on the other side (you can see his crib if you look closely) but that room will eventually be the library/office.

No, it's not cold outside (at least not very), but I'm feeling a little under the weather. Stuffy nose, fatigue, sore throat, cough...not good. So I started up the fireplace and reheated some of the stew I made this weekend.

The star on the fireplace mantle was huge in our condo. This fireplace dwarfs it!

Ignore the boxes. We'll finish unpacking eventually.

Sunday Ritual

2009-11-18T17:29:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoons as of late have been filled with baking. We have started a new cooking ritual with the kids. And yes, even Gunner joins in the fun.

Bella counts Noah's rolls.

Noah really wants a brownie.

Love to Noah

2009-11-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2009-11-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

Here are our little Raggedy Ann and Andy. Bella had a great time trick-or-treating. She never quite got around to saying "trick-or-treat", she just knocked on the door and said "please".

Photoshop Play

2009-10-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

So we lounged away today (doing odds and ends like setting up trash collection services and utilities) while we wait for the keys to our house (YAY!!). Though Noah needs to help, I played around with photoshop a little--unfortunately we only have Photoshop elements, so I was somewhat limited. I wanted muted tones with just the blue of his car seat coming through. I wish the initial photo would have come out a little more clear, then it would look a little better.

I also wanted to share this picture of Isabella and Mimi. Doesn't she just love her Mimi?

While we worked on the house on Sunday, Bella played with these wooden "paper" dolls by Melissa and Doug. They were a steal at only $3 at the Family Swap Meet earlier that morning.

Here is our nice scraped ceiling in the master bedroom. No popcorn here! (Check out the view)

Our Little Flower Girl

2009-10-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

I hope I'm not spoiling her debut at the wedding, but check out our cute little flower girl. We picked up her dress today at David's Bridal. Since we were the only ones in the store, they let her try on her dress on the bridal pedestals. She had a lot of fun playing Cinderella.

Early Milestones

2009-10-06T11:03:00.001-07:00

I just received an email from the hospital with the milestones that Noah should be hitting in the next few months. Amazingly, he's already hit most of them. I attribute his early physical skills to sleeping on his stomach.

He first rolled over September 18th (at 6 weeks)--4-7 months milestone

First smile September 15th (5.5 weeks)--1-3 months milestone

He's been cooing for several weeks--1-5 months milestone

He's been grasping for his binky this past week--2-4 months milestone

He's just starting to turn to objects of interest but hasn't mastered this--3-5 months milestone

Pictures Soon...I Promise

2009-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed, our camera has been in the shop since the beginning of last month. We're having it serviced (from an incident where Abel sat on it) and recalibrated. For about two weeks, we were using a point-and-shoot camera, but then Bella misplaced it. It'll turn up soon (I hope) but fortunately we were informed yesterday that our camera is in the process of being shipped back from the Olympus repair center. YAY!

Sushi and Sashimi Rice

2009-10-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Noah, I couldn't eat any sushi...and I have certainly missed it. I really love California Rolls and used to make them all the time with my friends in college, but we were recently given some fresh tuna, so we made some tuna sashimi.

Many people don't know the difference between sushi and sashimi. Sushi is bite-sized pieces of cooked or raw fish or vegetables with rice and is usually wrapped with seaweed. Sashimi is raw fish on a bed of rice served with soy and wasabi.

Now that you're a sushi and sashimi expert, I thought I would share with you a quick sushi and sashimi rice recipe. Typically sushi and sashimi rice is a very involved process which requires several rinses and multiple soaking and straining sessions...this is much easier.

3 cups short grain rice
3 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon salt

Soak the rice for 30 minutes in cold water. Strain then cook the rice in 3 1/3 cups of water. Simmer for 15 minutes. At the same time, combine the remaining ingrediants and heat until combined and the mixture turns from cloudy to clear. Once the rice is finished, put into a wooden bowl (not a metal bowl) and pour the vinegar mixture over the rice, stirring with a wooden spoon. Fan the rice while you stir to facilitate cooling and drying of the vinegar to make the rice glossy. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Tip 1: Wet your hands with the rice vinegar when forming the beds of rice or rolls for your sushi and sashimi. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your fingers.

Tip 2: Sushi rice should be stored at room temperature and covered with a moist cotton cloth. Refrigerating sushi rice will cause it to become too firm.

Tip 3: If the water is milky when you are soaking it, rinse the rice and change the water. If you fail to do this, your rice won't taste fresh.

Tip 4: Don't make the rice in accordance with the directions on the bag. Sushi rice takes less water to create a firmer texture than everyday rice.

The Girl's Guide to Buying Tires

2009-09-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Although this is out-of-the-norm, I wanted to share this information because I couldn't find just one website which provided all the information I needed to help me select a new tire. Even when I asked Abel what everything meant, he admitted that he knew at one point but had forgotten. Atleast now we'll be able to access this information the next time we need to buy tires.

Tires are tricky business but the first thing to remember is that each number means something. My tires are P265/65R17. You can determine what kind of tires are on your car by looking at the tire itself or (more easily) by going to a tire distributer's webpage and entering the details of your car.

For more help, about.com has this wonderful illustration showing where you can get all the numbers from:

The "P" means a passenger tire. These tires are usually softer for a smoother ride. A tire with "LT" is a light truck tire and somewhere on the tire it will say the load capacity. If you have a "LT" tire, you need to also take into consideration how much weight you're going to be pulling.

The "265" is the width of the tire (in millimeters) from sidewall to sidewall. The larger the number, the wider the tire.

The "65" is the tire's ratio of height to width. This number is also indicative of the tire's purpose. Numbers lower than "70" have better steering and handling because of the shorter sidewall.

The "R" means that it's a radial tire. If your tire was purchased in the last few decades, it's a radial tire.

The "17" is the rim diameter measured in inches.

Sometimes these numbers are followed by a two digit number and letter (like "89V"). This number is part of a code which tells you the load capacity. Remember the number is per tire, so if you want the maximum capacity for the car, you'll have to multiply the number by four. The letter tells you the maximum speed the tire was designed to run for extended periods of time.

For the maximum load capacity per tire, you can check a table located on any number of websites including: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code

Here is a list of the tire speed codes:
S 112 mph
T 118 mph
U 124 mph
H 130 mph
V 149 mph
W 168 mph
Y 186 mph

Once you know what kind of tire you have, you can compare tires by using the Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards (UTQGS) ratings. UTQGS ratings are based on three categories: treadwear, temperature, and traction.

Treadwear is rated on a scale of 20 to 620. In general, the higher the number in treadwear, the better the tread. A tread rating of 200 will last twice as long as a tread rating of 100. In my short research experience, I would consider tread ratings in the 500-600 area as good. You should be aware that tread ratings were too expensive to be done by the government, so each tire manufacturer determines their own tread ratings and then justifies its rating to the government. This means that you're not necessarily comparing apples to apples when comparing different brands, but it does help.

Temperature is graded in the form of A, B, C (with A being the highest). This represents the tire's resistence to the generation of heat.

Traction is graded in the form of AA, A, B, and C (with AA being the highest). This represents the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement. It does not take into consideration acceleration, hydroplaning, or cornering.

Someone Forgot to Lock the Pantry

2009-09-23T18:49:00.001-07:00

The Tribulations of Being a Mother

2009-09-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

I decided that the easiest costumes for me to do are Raggedy Ann and Andy given the amount of time I may or may not have in the coming weeks.

I went to Joann's yesterday to pick up some fabric so I could get started. By the time we go to the check out line, Noah was poopy and screaming. Then I turn around to find that Bella had spilled an entire 1 pound bag of M&Ms. It couldn't be the small individual-sized bags...and of course it had to be the peanut ones so that they rolled all over the place. The check out line turned into a giant Easter egg hunt. Because there's no "clean up on aisle 4" option at Joann's, both cashiers and the woman behind me in line had to come and help pick up. Bella quickly ate all the M&Ms she could find.

Before leaving, the woman behind me says "Honey, we've all been there." I can't wait to tell that to someone else.

Afterwards, we went to McDonald's so that Bella could play on the playground and I could just sit with some chicken nuggets in peace. Whoever came up with the indoor playplace deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. If only Subway were as innovative.

Both kids crashed by the time we got home and between then and bedtime, I managed to finish Bella's skirt (a trial run for a birthday gift for one of Bella's friends)--I think the skirt needs pockets--a hat for Bella's costume and a penafore (which I will hand embroider if I have time). The morning I finished her pantaloons. Proudly, all were completed without a pattern.

Bella's skirt was my wardrobe refashion project for this week--made out of a recycled shirt and pants.

Saturday Morning Fun

2009-09-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

We're on the hunt for a stove top, microwave, vent, light fixtures, ceiling fans, and an air compressor. Being the bargain hunter that I am (and the amount of items taht we have to buy), I decided to try a few garage sales this weekend.

Unfortunately the people at the first garage sale had some great items but needed a reality check in their pricing.

The second sale was at a beautiful multi-million dollar home. People were lined up outside the house a half hour before they started and all of the items we needed were snatched up before I could get kid #2 out of the car.

While we were inside ~~snooping~~ looking at housewares, I heard Bella screach "Oh my gosh!". Immediately I turned around worried she had broken something and I noticed her eyeing this dress.

The proportions are wrong (especially since it is supposedly size 6), but Bella loves it regardless. It'll made a good play dress or a nice decoration on display in her room.

I also found some linens--most will be used on her bed since they are girly flowers and mismatched (Bella said they were "so cute"). I ended up with two sets of sheets and seven pillow cases for $3.

I also purchased ten towels and two towel-like bath mats for $1.25. Although they aren't necessarily colors I would have chosen and they don't really match, we have four bathrooms to stock so these will work beautifully for now.

We'll see what next weekend brings...

Nap Time

2009-09-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is why I have such a hard time keeping Noah and Bella asleep...

Halloween Costumes

2009-09-16T13:42:00.001-07:00

I'm torn about costumes for the kids this year. Here were a few ideas I was thinking:

Tinkerbell and the Alligator
Raggedy Ann and Andy
Hansel and Gretel
Princess and Dragon (or frog)
Chef and Pillsbury Doughboy
Little Bo Peep and a Sheep (Gunner would be a wolf)

I have to decide soon because I need to get started on their costumes. We're going to Bates Nut Farm on October 17th, so they have to be finished by then. Yikes!

A Rare Sighting at the Parade

2009-09-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

Bella was in the Poway Days parade with her dance class. Since the kids in the 2-3 year-old classes were too young to walk and dance in the parade, they rode in wagons pulled by the dads. It was Bella's dream--pink shirts, fluffy bows, purple ribbons, metalic pom-poms all enjoyed in the comfort of her wagon (which was made extra-comfortable with the donation of my pillow).

Noah also participated by riding in the jogging stroller (which I was pleased to learn fit the car seat nicely).

Lurking behind us was a sight rarely seen in California--a San Diegan Cowboy. Complete with hat, jean shorts, and John Deere boots. You have to love the dimple. That's one cute cowboy.

Bella enjoyed the goats and we were glad we didn't have to step over goat poop. Like every parade, the horses were in the front, so we already had our fill of land mines to leap over.

Now is that a true dad or what? Holding the sippy cup, pom-pom, and pulling a purple wagon with a pink kid. One sexy beast. :)

The Energy is Up

2009-09-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

So I finally have more energy and although I can't say that I'm a pro at handling two kids, I'm definitely getting more things finished during the day. I took my sewing machine into the shop to be worked on, so in the meantime, I only have my mother-in-law's machine to work with. I've definitely been spoiled with my machine and, as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. :)

Bella has a parade on Saturday and we've been making preparations. She must wear her dance t-shirt and black shorts. I made the pair below (nothing major) from a thrifted t-shirt and used a pair of her shorts for a pattern since all of my patterns are in storage. In hindsight, I should have used a cotton material and made cute shorts with a ruffle on the bottom. Oh well.

We also FINALLY put the clear coat on her wagon. Four coats ~~painfully~~ lovingly sanded between coats. It looks beautiful.

And what was Noah doing during all of this? Sleeping in Bella's doll bed (which also needs a clear coat).

I've also started working on refinishing a bench that we bought off Craigslist. It'll go in the pool area for our new house. To do this, I enlisted the help of a certain two year old. Using her is always recommended unless you wish to return to a tornado in your living room.

I'm certainly going to do a much better job finishing it than what was done before. Yuck!

And we also purchased a chandelier for our house. This was an amazing $20 find off Craigslist.

I deserve a lot of chocolate.

The Birthday Blowout

2009-09-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Noah celebrated his 1 month birthday with a blowout--literally. Now that's something exciting to wake up to. He also celebrated by sleeping 2.5 to 3 hours between nighttime feedings. Although it doesn't sound like much, I'm starting to feel a lot better in the mornings. This morning I actually woke up at 9:30--the earliest morning yet!

To celebrate his milestone, we also took Noah for his first train ride. Bella loves Thomas the Train so much, we thought taking some of her friends to Poway park would be a great treat. We first ate at The Hamburger Factory and then took her on the old steam engine. She loved waiving at everyone out the window.

The Hamburger Factory. Bad picture, but I wanted to share the stained glass engine.

Some Things Gained and Some Things Lost

2009-08-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

The good news (I think) is that I have lost 22 pounds since having Noah. The bad news is that I have 13 pounds to go. What's interesting is that I'm only 2 pounds off from the weight I was before I had Bella--I actually lost quite a bit of weight after having her...if that tells you anything about her energy level.

I can't start trying to lose weight until after I hit the six week mark. My best guess is that I'll be back to my old self in two to three months. Not too bad!

The other good news is that our offer was accepted on the house. If all goes well (and we are all well aware of our luck at this point), then we will be able to move in a month or sooner. It all depends on when we lock in our rate. We visited the house today and let our future neighbors know the good news.

It's been a ~~while~~ few days since I've posted pictures of Noah. I'll try to take some tomorrow.

Gymboree

2009-08-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a few of our "treasures" from the sale rack at Gymboree. I bough Bella a few things as well, but just a had and several hair bows (I LOVE their hair bows, so as long as she'll wear them, I'll buy them).

I think my favorite find was the racoon hat. It was far from on sale, but oh so cute. And since little boys are even less likely to wear cute things on their heads, I certainly couldn't resist buy this. Who knows how long he'll wear cutesy things?

I Need to Look in the Mirror

2009-08-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

After a pen-in-the-washer incident, several of my shirts were ruined. I only have a few shirts that I can wear right now since most of my shirts are packed or are maternity shirts, so yesterday I had to pick up a few shirts at the mall. Fortunately, Forever 21 has great t-shirts for only $4.50, so I bought three.

Today, I needed to go to Target, so I quickly dressed Bella and Noah. Between feeding both of them, taking care of their bathroom needs, etc., I just threw some clothes on myself and ran out the door.

The trip to Target went pretty well. Several people came to look at Noah and talk with me. Bella and Noah were so well behaved that we stopped by the food court and had lunch. When we got home, I started to prepare Bella for a nap, I took a glance at myself in the mirror and noticed that the $4.50 price tag was STICKING OUT OF MY SHIRT! Since my hair is cut short, it was clearly visible.

So many people approached me about Noah, I can't blieve no one said anything about the tag!

Mental note: In attempting to get the kids out the door, need to look at myself in the mirror.

Wardrobe Refashion

2009-08-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

I decided to try something new to improve my garmet sewing skills and after looking through a few new blogs for some ideas, I ran across The Wardrobe Refashion website and decided to start the project in September.

The Wardrobe Refashion project requires that you make the following pledge:

I, Robyn, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn, or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed, Robyn.

Although I can fit into some of my prepregnancy jeans (I can button the others, but there is some baby love on the sides, so it's not pretty yet), I think this project will help me to resist purchasing new clothes to fit my temporary size. Plus, it'll give me a good excuse to start making some clothes for Noah, who has thus far been sadly neglected with respect to homemade clothes.

Bella's friends also need some lovin', so hopefully this will force me to set aside the time to repay their mom for all of the support they've provided after Noah was born.

Bella's New Hobby

2009-08-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today Bella discovered Noah's startle reflex. Now, every time she walks by him while he's resting, she "accidentally" bumps into him and laughs when he startles and outstretches his arms.

Just another reason why Noah can't be left unattended.

My Heart Breaks

2009-08-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

This evening, driving home after taking another look at our newest prospective home, both Bella and Noah started crying. Unfortunately, Abel had to drive separately because he had to go back to work, so there was nothing I could do to soothe either one.

Both Noah and Bella cried themselves to sleep. Which introduced another predicament of having two kids--I can't carry them both into the house. I had to awaken Bella and, when she lifted her arms asking to be carried, I had to explain to her that I couldn't carry her because I had to hold Noah. It's no wonder she acts out.

Sadly, I'm not sure which is worse--that they both cried themselves to sleep or that I couldn't carry them both inside.

The Hair Debacle

2009-08-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

I always think that once I start wearing my hair in a pony tail every day (one that's filled with split ends), it's time to go with a shorter hair cut. Honestly, I'm not sure why. It actually takes me more time to style short hair than long, but then again, when it's long, it just goes back into a pony tail.

So I went online and picked a hair style that I thought would look good on me. It looks so cute, easy, and the model has a similar face shape, so in theory, it should look good on me. I decided that I wanted the length just a little longer so it was just at my shoulders so I could still pull part of it back.

I think where it went wrong all falls back to my lack of time. I can't leave Noah for long, so I wasn't able to go to the posh salon down the road. To go to East of Eden, it's at least an hour and a half and when you add in travel time, waiting, etc., it's past Noah's snack time and Abel would end up with a screaming baby.

So I decided to potentially sacrifice my hair for his hunger by going to the closest walk-in salon. There were two people in front of me who both requested Shiree. In the back of my mind, I knew I should go with her, but unfortunately, it was now going to be a 40 minute wait for Shiree and again, there's that time issue. Besides, I believe in rooting for the under dog.

I took the next available hair cutter (I'm sure they have a title) and showed the girl the picture with my phone. When she was done, I knew I should have gone to East of Eden (the posh salon) or at least requested Shiree, because this girl cut my layers WAY too short. Anyway, I'm trying to work with it. Here is my hair on day 1. (Keep in mind, it's hard to take a picture of yourself and get a flattering angle.)

Don't laugh

On Day 2, I had time for a nice long shower (Bella was quietly destroying the living room), applied some mousse and dryed it. I think it looks a little better. And I might even venture to say it's looking somewhat closer to the picture. The problem still is that the top layer just isn't long enough and my hair certainly isn't at my shoulders, but I'm at least coming to terms with it.

Ignore the dirty mirror. I have a good excuse whose name is Noah.

It'll grow back. In the meantime, I'm trying to decide if I even want to go into the office on Friday to celebrate Pam's 50th birthday. I'd rather wait until it grows out a little more.

A Picnic in the Park

2009-08-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

Our little model.

Although we got a late start today, we decided to devote the day to Bella. We picked up some lunch from Wendy's and headed to Felicita Park. Noah hung out in the sling, allowing me the mobility to take pictures of Abel and Bella.

It wasn't a very pretty day, but for red-heads, it was the optimal day to be outside. It's never difficult to talk Bella into going to the park--the hard thing is convincing her to leave.

Don't you remember how fun tire swings were?

Thanks Uncle Mark and Aunt Katy

2009-08-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

Our trip to FedEx/Kinko's to have the birth announcements printed was a failure, but we'll try again tomorrow now that Abel has resized the PDF file for me. Mental note: Need to take a class on Photoshop. Right after I take a photography class. Need to start a milk stash first.

Noah sends a special thanks to Uncle Mark and Aunt Katy for the cute sleeper he's sporting tonight. Now if it would only put him to sleep, that would be great.

Mr. Sandman, please stop by tonight.

There's a Rumbly in Noah's Tumbly

2009-08-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

Last night was a long night for Noah and I. Regardless, I still woke up early to get us all ready to visit my office. Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't make it to the gym or anything, but I certainly woke up early enough to shower AND dry my hair.

Seeing everyone was great and I think we may have inspired some newly-weds to start their families. :o) Of course Noah was sleeping at the time--they may have reconsidered if they were here last night.

This afternoon, the rumbling started again. The poor little guy (and poor me) must be in a lot of pain.

I'm a firm believer that our mothers (grandmothers and great-grandmothers) had it right by laying babies on their tummies. Not only does this releave gas pain, but it also helps strengthen their neck muscles. In the days of SIDS scares, this is taboo but it does provide Noah with some temporary relief.

I also headed to Henry's to get some Gripe Water. For those of you who, like Abel, don't know what Gripe Water is, it's an old herbal remedy (your grandmother probably used it) which includes fennel and ginger. This didn't work as well as I'd hoped. Neither did my Old Faithful, Mylecon (it's a gas relief product--think liquid Tums).

The poor guy only wants to nurse but then screams in pain. I'm going to do some more research for some additional ideas, but in the meantime, tonight should be interesting. I think I'll have a chocolate chip cookie.

Bella "taking pictures" of Noah

The Three Musketeers Unsupervised

2009-08-18T21:36:00.001-07:00

Today, Bella, Noah, and I went to the store by ourselves. I know it doesn't sound like a very big accomplishment, but when you consider getting every one bathed, dressed, fed (Noah eats every 1-2 hours), Noah's diaper changed, Bella going to the bathroom (every 1 to 1.5 hours), ensuring the diaper bag is stocked, and getting everyone in the car; it's exhausting.

Bella "helping" after Noah's bath

We didn't quite make it through Costco before Noah started fussing so we ended up with just fruit and milk. (And some chocolate chip cookies that are hidden in the pantry. Those are for really bad days.) After dropping Bella off at Grandma's (and taking a quick nap), Noah and I headed to Target to finish getting some of the essentials we didn't want to buy in bulk. Something about being at the store must make him hungry because that trip was cut short as well (he must take after his Momma--he'll be my food court buddy when he's older).

Fortunately my friend made us stew, so atleast we'll have a balanced lunch this week (not just cheese and fruit).

I should get even more bonus points today for washing clothes. I doubt they'll ever get folded or put away, but at least it's a start.

Tomorrow we're headed to the office (and lunch of course) to say hello to all the girls. We'll see how my little stud-muffin handles all the attention.

~~(On a side note, I realize it's been several posts without pictures which is a no-no in the blog world. I'm having issues with our memory card reader but hopefully we'll make up soon.)~~

Pictures are now added

Two Year Old For Sale

2009-08-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day on my own with Bella and Noah. We had to take Bella to dance today and it took 45 minutes just to get ready to leave. Aside from Bella constantly trying to feed Noah cheerios and play food, the morning went relatively well (especially considering she didn't wake up until 11:00).

Since I'd only fed her a cheese sandwich and I had only eaten noodles, we went to McDonald's as a treat after dance. All was well...

...until dinner at Pei Wei with Daddy and some of the guys Daddy works with. That's when Bella continually refused to sit and, since I was holding Noah, she would run just out of my reach. After hitting me, she then threw a tiny deck of cards at hit me in the head. That's when we decided dinner was over.

Bella is so sweet to Noah--constantly giving him kisses, covering him with blankets, and even checking on him when she accidentally bumps him. Unfortunately she is taking out her frustrations on me. I feel for her, especially knowing that she's more attached to me than she is to Abel, but I'm just not sure how to help her through the transition. I think I need to read some books.

We'll see how tomorrow goes when we go to the store. Good night!

The House Search Continues

2009-08-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

So we found another house that we put an offer on and we're waiting to hear back from the agent. It's an REO and stuck in a 70's time warp. The house is almost 5000 sqft (4,853 sqft to be exact) on a half acre with a pool--this is our kind of "project" house. At one time it must have been a model home because it has a built-in LP and 8 track player (yes, I did say it was built-in). The house features petrified wood banisters and a yellow kitchen sink (with matching bathtubs). Although most of the carpet has been replaced, two closests have still preserved the original orange-green shag carpet. It's a relic.

Anyway, the house has good bones...you just have to use your imagination. The pool has since been cleaned and is nice and blue (though still not clear) and the house is clean.

The pictures with the blue carpet show the downstairs area. It has it's own bedroom, living room (with bar and fireplace), bathroom, and laundry room. When we spoke with the neighbors, they indicated most people on that street converted that area to a granny flat. It's separate from the rest of the house and has its own private entrance. Nice and cool down there with REALLY high ceilings and walks out to the pool and patio. That's a pretty nice granny flat!

Bella's "play room" is going to be the tiled sun room off of the living room. We're just debating about whether we will put my sewing stuff in there as well. Since you can see it from the living area, I'd have to keep it really tidy...that's an issue. We may have to put some curtains in that corner or something! :o)

Although it looks like it's right on the street, part of that is just the angle that the picture was taken (although the house does sit pretty close to the street). The street only has a few houses--we were outside talking with the neighbors for two hours and only saw two cars drive by so it's definitely a quiet street. With a screaming two-year-old, I think we're going to be the loudest family around.

Newborn Photos

2009-08-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

We loved the photographer who took our maternity pictures so much, we asked him to do the newborn pictures...and we certainly weren't disappointed. Before Noah was born (because I knew I wouldn't have any time afterwards) I made the green "cocoon" and hat as well as the white "pod" to photograph him. I think these gave a little bit of visual interest to the photos. Bella's newborn pictures were of mostly the family, so I knew this time, we wanted to preserve the preciousness (is that a word?) of a newborn--something that gets lost in group pictures.

Happy Birthday Baby Noah!

2009-08-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, August 4, we welcomed Noah Nicholas into the world. He was born at 3:09 pm. Weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 20 1/2 inches. And yes, he has red hair. Both Noah and I are pretty tired today, but we're doing well.

Before

After

Bath time

Maternity Pictures

2009-07-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

To view the rest of our pictures, visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33598209@N04/3699961015/in/set-72157620992353365/

Colors, Colors, Colors

2009-06-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

In an *honest* attempt to distract myself from the stress of our messed up escrow, I decided to get back to focusing on paint colors and other things that need to be decided so that we can move in.

I was going full steam on picking out colors until this whole ordeal occurred. Since we're ready to close on a moment's notice, it's best to be prepared with our paint choice, right?

It's so hard to chose a color without seeing it on the walls first...but once it goes on the walls, it's staying (it's a Catch 22) so I'm working on trying to determine what our taste is.

I really like the color Artichoke Heart by Benjamin Moore, but I'm trying to decide if it's too dark. It'll be the main color around the main level, so I better like it! The problem with it is that it looks nice a bright during the day, but looks a little dark at night.

(It's the color of the bedroom wall)

See what I mean? It transforms!

You can also see it on a bathroom wall here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66904342@N00/2565446321 (the picture wouldn't save since it was on flickr)

Our Rock House Has Us in Stuck in a Hard Place

2009-06-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

We were hoping to close escrow last week, that is until we received a phone call on Wednesday night stating that the seller would not fulfill his portion of the sale contingency by signing the $25K note that Countrywide required. To add further insule, we were informed that Countrywide "lost" our short sale file and would need to start their internal process all over in order to generate the final short sale acceptance letter that was required by the escrow office. Apparently this process could take up to a month.

This has been the source of much anxiety. We have already put in our notice at our condo and need to be out by the end of the month, the foreclosure sale is scheduled for June 17th and Countrywide has not yet cancelled it, and our loan rate expires in two weeks (interest rates have increased by 1% since we locked-in!).

We were told that the seller is "softening" to the idea of signing, but there's no guarentee until closing. There's been no news from Countrywide.

*Hopefully* tomorrow we will be able to meet with a real estate attorney. At this point we are looking to file a lawsuit against Countrywide and the seller for a "specific performance" and force them to perform on their end of the sale. I'm curious to see what the attorney says, especially given the sales contract had a mediation clause in it. I do know that the sellers will have to pay for our attorney's costs if we win (which since Countrywide and the seller are both in breach of contract, I don't see that there's any way that we wouldn't win).

Time will tell...

Getting Closer!

2009-06-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

So tonight we have to stop by the escrow company and sign a few preliminary documents. Then we will be ready to close as early as Tuesday (but it entirely depends on the escrow company). We're hoping to close by Friday!

We bought the riding lawnmower for $150. It needs some work--new front tires, a new belt, and new springs--but otherwise it seems to work pretty well. Abel wants to rebuild the clutch but we'll see where that falls in line with all of our other projects!

The fridge we bought for $200. It works great but is missing a few shelves in the door and the bottom fruit/vege drawer. We'll buy the missing parts eventually and we'll have a very nice fridge. I'm so excited to have ice and water on the door--along with a child lock! :o)

Moving and Class Photos

2009-05-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

We started packing which of course is never fun. And it's very evident that if Abel and I worked for a moving company, we'd both be fired. Me, for packing too many small things in a large box making it too heavy. Abel, for taking too many breaks.

Bella is starting to realize her toys are disappearing and she have been walking around the house with an arm full of toys. When we go places, she drags several with her and crys if we make her leave them in the car. It'll be like Christmas for her when we start unpacking (in like three weeks!!).

Here is Bella's class picture. Look how small she is compared to everyone else in her class. The age range is from 2-3, so she should be about the middle of the class but she's definitely the smallest. What a terrible picture--don't the teachers look like they've had a rough day? Picture day can never be fun...

This is the best picture she's taken for school pictures. She looks so old! I'm a little disappointed that they didn't put her bow back in her hair after they brushed it. Look how cute her little teeth are (don't put your fingers in there!).

The Minky Blankie

2009-05-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

Bella suddenly became attached to a small minky receiving blanket. She can't sleep without it. But the problem is, it's much too small for her. It can only cover up her tummy, so I worry about her little tootsies (which look delicious to Gunner).

So as a surprise, I made her a new minky blankie. I picked out the cutest "big girl" polka-dotted bright orange fabric to go with the super-soft white minky. When I proudly showed her, she declared that "it's baby's blankie". And I can't seem to convince her otherwise. Abel seems to think she'll grow to love it over time, she just needs more bonding time with it. Her old blankie was always her safe haven when she had to go to bed. This one (hopefully) will be her haven as well...hopefully.

So her old blankie will stay at school for naptime at least for now (and sadly replace the cute cot quilt I made her a year and a half ago when she graduated from the crib to a cot at daycare--but the cot quilt can be passed down to Noah). Her old blankie certainly needs to be washed because it gets dragged everywhere but she doesn't seem to mind. That's part of what makes that blankie her favorite blankie.

(The picture doesn't quite capture the right color--it's in a color palate the equivalent of fushia pink.)

27 Weeks

2009-05-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

Babyshower Fun

2009-05-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a babyshower this weekend and made a nursing blanket with a weighted corner (so that you could throw the weighted corner over your shoulder and it won't fall off) as well as some booties. I LOVE the fabric for the booties so much that I made a pair for Noah. Cute huh?

The mom-to-be just LOVED the stuff and thought that I should open my own store. I'm glad she appreciated the work!

Easter

2009-04-26T05:18:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Mimi for the super cute hair bow which Bella is so attached to, she has to sleep in as well. The dress was made by mommy--I just love it! This picture embodies my michievious Bella. She's never drawn with markers before but clearly she recognizes their power.

Bella's breakfast. A chocolate bunny.

At Grandma's.

Bella decorated her tummy with stickers and was so proud of herself.

Only later did we learn that she has a tape allergy on the sensative areas of her skin. She actually ended up with a rash and blisters--a perfect outline of each sticker. As long as the stickers are on her hands, she's fine. She just can't have them on sensative areas.