It's been so long!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've really posted anything here! I take pictures all the time and always think of stuff to post but lately life has been pretty hectic around here. Now that Allie is crawling she is keeping me really busy with baby watching. Up till now she has been content to just sit and play which makes it pretty easy on dear ole' mommy... but now the game has changed to a new level and she is mastering the art of transportation. For the first time today she actually tried to climb the stairs... only one step but one step leads to another. I see some baby gates in our future for sure. We also have two teeth so we have had some cranky moments although I have to say she is handling it like a little trooper.


Michael has started 1st grade and seems to really like his teacher and the school work. Today was Patriots Day and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts all wore their uniforms and led the flag ceremony. Michael was all dressed in his uniform and he looked really good. It's so cool to see a kid now instead of a baby. He looks so big to me and sometimes I have to remember he is just a little guy... as much as he would like me to forget it. For the first time he was not too cool on giving me a "have a good day kiss" before school.


Hayden is 3 now! Proud mommy I am. He is really growing well and is just a sweet heart. He has his moments but most of the time he's just a silly little kid who just wants to play. He has his first best friend! His name is Ryan and just happens to be the brother to Michael's best friend so it really works out great. They are so funny when they see eachother... they run and hug eachother, then without a word spoken they take off as if they can read eachothers minds.

So, it's back to school, back to routine, back to the "schedule". Last spring I wondered how I was going to entertain all three of them for such a long time. Well, summer just flew by and we had a great time. Lots of lazy days at the lake and lots of laughs. We never left town or went on vacation but we are so lucky to live in such a great area... it was like a "staycation" all summer long.

Summer 2009

Hair

I know we all have physical atributes about ourselves which we wish we could change. Mine has always been my hair. Ever since I can remember my hair has been an issue. Once when I was really young it got so tangled and snarled at the nape of the neck I had to have it cut off like a mangy dog. Growing up in the 70's when the "look" was feathered bangs and flowing wavy hair, my hair always looked like a brillo pad after a few scrubbings. In photos all I see is a foot ball helmet or a pyramid depending on the cut. Speaking of cuts, I've always hated getting my hair cut because it always seems like a crap shoot on how it would come out. I've left salon's feeling discouraged and dissappointed. To be completly honest, my hair has been a big factor in my self esteem. I think I've over compensated with my bold personality to in some way "hide" how I really felt about myself; the way I looked.

Now, don't get me wrong. There have been a few times when I've been glad for my natural curls. As a teenager I spent most of the summers days at the beach. I would always go in the water first thing to get my hair wet. It always dried looking so great after being in the salt water. I wore it long then and I think there was a couple of years where I didn't hate my hair so much... but really, most of the time I've been unhappy with my fro. Funny thing is other people seemed to love it. People I didn't even know would feel free to touch it and scrunch it... I guess like a Buddah's belly it's just something people felt a draw towards. Let me also state at this time... People with curly hair do not like their hair touched. Touching curly hair only seems to make it frizzy and poofy so hands off!

Anyway, a few years ago I heard about this process of Thermal Reconditioning... aka "Japaneese Hair Straightening". I didn't know the mechanics of it, all I knew is I could have silky-smooth, straight hair. Hair that I've always wished I could have. However, it is really expensive and I never seemed to have an extra $600 laying around so I just chalked it up on the shelf of "wishes" right alongside the tummy tuck and the two week vacation in Bora Bora...

Then a friend of ours, Karen Chacon, said she might be able to help me. She works at Medusa Salon in Long Beach. Well, I lunged at the chance. I was so excited for weeks knowing it might really happen. I felt all sorts of emotion in the days leading up to it. At one point I actually considered not having it done... what if I hated it? What if I needed to have it done again and couldn't afford it? What if it didn't work and I was left with horrible hair evan more horrible than the hair I've been living with for nearly 40 years... yes, I hate it but what if it just got worse? Anyway, I fought these fears and jitters and did it anyway. I couldn't hardly sleep the night before like a little kid waiting for Santa to arrive.

The next day I had it done and I have been amazed at the results. It is so soft and silky. I can't hardly stop playing with it! I've never had silky flowing hair like this with little to no effort. When I get out of the shower and let my hair dry naturally it dries almost completely straight. I like to let it dry then use a flat iron to quickly make it a bit smoother. It's shiny and looks wonderful. I actually feel "prettier" with my new hair, like it's given me extra confidence. I think feel like a girl with size 32A boobies feels when she's gotten implants... I feel more like the woman I've always wanted to see looking back at me in the mirror.

The "Red Plate" Special

It's official! Michael is now a 1st Grader! He passed Kindergarten with flying colors and is well on his way to being an awesome student! I could not be more proud of Michael than I am today. Not only did Michael reach benchmark scores in his studies this year but he excelled. I am hoping this is the way his report cards will always read in the years to come.

In celebration of his promotion I made his favorite dinner, Chicken Alfredo with Bow Tie Pasta and Garlic Bread... some grapes thrown in for good measure. Not only did he get his favorite meal but he got to eat it on the "Red Plate". What is the Red Plate you ask? Well, when I was a kid my mom got this plate. I don't know exactly where she got it but it's beautiful! It's a happy shade of red with white script that says "You're special today". Each time it was our birthday or if we had done well at something we got the honor of eating on the "red plate" for dinner. A few years ago my mom passed it down to me so I can share that memory with my own children. So, today was Michael's special day... it was a "Red Plate Day".

And now it's summer so I'm looking forward to lots of fun days in the sun with my kiddos. It already feels different... we can take our time with dinner and putting the kids to bed a little later. If things go my way we'll have a lot to blog about in the coming months so stay tuned!

Friends Forever

In 1975 when I was 5 years old, my parents bought a house in San Juan Capistrano. The house was brand new and had never been lived in. I think I can honestly say those were the happiest years I ever had growing up. My room had yellow and green decor with built-in's along the wall to put all my books, toys, and what ever other things a girl of five years collects. I loved that room. I remember laying on my floor listening to my Donny and Marie album and dreaming of being in love with Sean Cassidy. We had to actually turn the knob on the TV...oh yes, TV's had knobs back then and we only had 13 channels to choose from. Oh, wait, I'm getting distracted....

As much as I loved my room, the absolute best thing about that house was the neighboors. Just within a few houses were six families with daughters just my age. Quickly we became friends and had a blast riding our big wheels up and down the street, taking turns spending the night at eachothers houses, and marching in the Swallows Day Parade with our Blue Bird troop. We had no idea we were beginning friendships that have lasted 34 years and most likely will continue until there are none of us left. I have memories with each of them. There's Tara, best friend grades 1-3, who to this day is always laughing and excited; Kim, my first best friend in kindergarten; Dani, the shy smart one; Terese, who had the first microwave of any of us and learned about life before any of us was ready; Sheila, the fun one who you never knew what to expect from; and Tiffany, the youngest of us all who had the Barbie doll looks we all loved and admired. We've grown together though grammer school, junior high, and high school. After that we all drifted in and out of circulation with eachother and some live far away now. Terese is in Bend, OR and Sheila is in Virginia. No one knows where Tiffany is, and I can't forget Nicole who didn't live on our street but was part of our group none the less. Kim, Tara, Dani and I now we have kids of our own and we are enjoying this stage of life with each other having play dates and celebrating birthdays. Tara, Kim, Nicole and I try to meet once a month at El Torito in the harbor for Taco Tuesday. Someday I hope we'll be enjoying eachother's company while telling stories of our grand children together.

I'm lucky to have them in my life. It's rare to have a friend who has known you as long as you can remember but even rarer to have as many as I do.

Disneyland

We took the kids to Disneyland yesterday and had a wonderful time! I have always loved Disneyland ever since I was a kid. It's gotten so expensive it's not often we get to go but lucky for us we have a connection who works there and we are lucky to be able to get in for free. Thank goodness for good friends because at $70 per person it's a huge expense to go.
I remember as a kid being picked up from school early by my parents and heading to Disneyland. We would play a fun game on the ride up which only took about half an hour. I would get so excited I could hardly sleep the night before. It always felt like Christmas Eve to me knowing the next day I'd be having the time of my life. So, that was our plan. We picked Michael up from school early and got there in the middle of the day. Michael was so excited at school all morning in anticipation. He's been several times but he was young and didn't really remember much. Hayden had only been once when he was two months old so it was a completely new experience for him, and Allie, well she wont remember but she had a blast!


Now, I like amusement parks in general... fast rides, junk food, games... the whole bit. But, NOTHING can compare to Disneyland. It really is a magical kingdom and I personally believe if you can't go to Disneyland and have a great time then you have lost all sense of imagination and I feel sad for you. Young and old can find something there to enjoy. I hope even when I'm old and can hardly walk that my grand children will take me there... they can feel free to park me on a bench in the shade so I can watch the people and enjoy the view of the boats near Pirates of the Caribbean or they can use me to their advantage and cut in line with me in the wheelchair... either way I'll always love that park.



I took Michael on Space Mountain for the first time. He was so funny. I think it kind of scared him and he looked pretty green when the ride ended. He declared he didn't want to do that again! I think I'll have to wait for Hayden to get older to ride those kind of rides with meNow that I'm grown with kids of my own I love Disneyland just as much as ever and it's actually gotten better now that I get to watch the excitement and awe on my kids faces. That in itself is worth the price of admission.