They Always Ends Up Brown

If you look in my Pinterest boards, you'll find many activities and crafts to do with the kids. After all, I get to stay home with them!

Truth: I have to make myself do crafts with the kids.

It's not that I don't enjoy it, it's just that sometimes I'm super lazy and don't feel like cleaning up. Our usual crafts are water colors, markers, chalkboard, beads and play dough. That's one of the reasons I'm excited for them to start preschool (at some point). I can't wait to see what new things their hands will create. In the meantime, I'm trying to step up my game. Here we are finger painting. And now matter how many times I freshen up the colors, they always end up brown. They just love how it feels.

 

 

 

 

Dean's Birthday Weekend

My cousin Dean, who lives in Washington, is doing a twelve week internship with Yahoo in Sunnyvale. It's his birthday on Tuesday so he came to spend the long weekend with us. He just left...and we want him to come back.

Lake Day, check.
 BBQ Nights, check.
Chocolate cake, check.

It would have only been better with the rest of the family here too. Love you Deano.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swim Days

We've been enjoying play dates by the pool. Between Little Maeg, my friend Amy's Mom, and our best friend's The Borbas, we have been invited to three pools this summer spring. Ella is very comfortable in the water. The first time I strapped floaties on her she was off swimming on her own. Maxwell spent a couple days stuck to step, but then decided he could do it. I've learned not to push him, he does things on his own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That afternoon my brother Spencer told Ella and Maxwell he wants to take them fishing sometime soon. Ella replied in a fourteen year old voice: "OH MY GOSH, SA-WEET!"

What?!

Mother's Day, Lake Day

My family gave me the perfect Mother's Day. At my request, we took the boat out and spent the day in the sun. Leaving our house I was kind of disappointed because it was cool and breezy. But by the time we were on the water it was perfect weather. Mike and the kids fished and I sprawled out on the back of the boat. Maegann and Zack met us after she got off work. It was just as I wanted.

Happy Mother's Day to Mom and Mama Judie. Thank you for showing me what it is to be a good Mom. I love you both.

 

 

Maxwell fished the WHOLE day. We moved from spot to spot and he was so patient and into it. It's so fun seeing my kids develop hobbies and interests.

Ella preferred sitting on the back step with her feet dangling in the water.

 

 

 

Spaghetti Girl

 

Ella eats her spaghetti noodle by noddle, slurp by slurp. This girl likes to EAT, although I think she needs some of Blano Vita's meatballs to go with her meal...

Sun And Sweets

Another warm week for us. I love that we've raised beach babies. 

Frozen yogurt on the way home. We left a puddle of sand on our chairs. Oopsie.

This week's new tradition: Sprinklers before bed. They strip down and run around before they put their jammies on. I'm half tempted to join them. 

Nothing says summer spring like Daddy's homemade milkshakes.

Yum.

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers. Wishing you a day of hugs and playing with your little ones. Hold the cooking/cleaning/bath duty and butt wiping.

Hello...Goodbye...

Michael spent last week at home with us before leaving on Saturday to start his new adventure in New York City. While we're over the moon excited for him...I miss him already. He's my friend. And it feels like he's REALLY far away. But we expect amazing things for him to happen, because they always do. LOVE you Michael.

 

 

Friday Michael was in one of his best friend Kimmy's wedding. We got to celebrate with them (only bummer, it was FREEZING cold wind).

 

 

 

 

 

And in true Michael Beck fashion, he gave a fabulous toast. He ended the toast with a rap about his bestie, 'The Girl With Good Hair' (she's a hair dresser).

What Kind Of Couple Are You?

A guilty pleasure of mine...PerezHilton.com, celebrity gossip site. It's cheaper than People Magazine (free), and because Perez lives in LA, it feels like local news...totally joking (about the local news). I know the privacy invasion is shallow and unkind, but honestly, I'm intrigued with celebrity couples. Especially the ones that actually last, which aren't many. You know how there are those golden couples that you feel are meant to be? The ones that will make it despite all odds, fame and fortune can't touch them? The ones you're convinced will be the exception? Tom and Rita? Ellen and Portia? Gwen and Gavin? What is about them that makes you  me root for them? They seem...just, genuine I guess. I know, hilarious to even speculate on a stranger's marriage. On anyone's marriage. But it makes me think, what kind of couple are we? What do people think about when they think about Mike and I? (Cue Carrie Brandshaw).

 (Truth: These are engagement photos. Er, ten pounds lighter ago sevenish years old...we need some decent current pictures of us).

At first glance we invite the obvious joke of age difference, that's thirteen years folks. But after that, what else? My hope, what I want for us, is to be a couple that loves and is real. And that's not always pretty. But I want us to be ourselves and to love others. If it's warm outside, and Mike's working locally, there's a good chance you'll find a bit of a gathering at our house. Not every day, but lots of days. Atascadero is like that. It's kind of an 'open door' policy. At least, in our group of friends it it. We are blessed to live on land and we spend the warm nights outside, with our family and friends. Show up with a tri tip, 6 pack of beer, or simply on your own, and you'll be greeted with a smile and pointed to the BBQ. Once you get there, one of us will ask you how you are, and we'll really listen to the answer. So that makes me think, we've got to be half way there.

I always want my house to be relaxed, loving home. The kind that you know you're welcome in, especially if it's a 'stop by,' but you're really hoping you'll be asked to stay. There are many things I admire about Mike's parenting, right now I'm talking about his older kids, but one that sticks out  is that his kids have always wanted to bring their friends home. Michael was pretty much out of the house and on his own when I came into the picture, but Maegann was only 13. With her, I was involved from Jr. High through High School, and those are some pretty big years in anyone's life. Maeg was with us, at the least, every Thursday through Sunday. And many times, on the weekend, she had a friend or two over. We camped, we went to the beach, and lots of time we were just at home. But it was a house that kids wanted to be at (And there's no reading between the lines here, the adult fun was for adults. This was not the teenage party house. Ask Maeg, you DID NOT want to be in trouble with her Dad).

 So is that a reflection of Mike and I? Of us as a couple? Or is that more of a family philosophy. Now that I think of it, this post was prompted by Emily's, at Jones Design Company. Emily wrote about  her sister's 'family moto,' and challenged her reader's to think about their own. (Emily is actually Hillary's sister, one of my best friends...can't WAIT to see you Hill!).

I intended to write about what kind of couple we are. But I guess that can't honestly, fully, be written about in a blog post. We're certainly not perfect, but I hope that when people think of us they will think we are a down to earth, generous couple that loves each other. Back to my frivolous, celebrity analysis, would this be enough to make the people root for us?

Clearly that doesn't matter, but it's enough to make me cheer loudly. What kind of couple are you?