Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Weekend Wrap Up

Memorial Day weekend was fantastic.  Laid back, at the beach or lounging in the back yard........no complaints!

Sweet punks......


I volunteered at Preschool last week and met their two new fish.  Don't you love the names?

This is random......but funny enough I thought to share.  I have more hair than about 22 people put together.  I get it thinned out every time I get it cut.  Never have had a hair dresser not remark on how ridiculously thick it is.  My best plan of attack in order to straighten it is to wash it at night, go to sleep with it damp and let it somewhat flatten out on its own.  Then, I wake and use a flat iron to straighten. 

On Friday, I had to wash it mid-afternoon........dry it with a blow dryer......and then straighten.  This is what it looks like using this method.  Before I straighten it, of course.

It's not good, people.


Blake looked at me in his usual wonder of "What in the hell is she up to now?" and Carter was horrified.  Exactly the reaction I was looking for.

Moving on......this pic is for Julie S.  I bet she's been to Duke's a time or two.

It's officially summer here in Southern California!  Lifeguards are out in full force.

Just discovered a little trivia about the town we live in.  The little bungalow that Kelly McGillis's character lived in during the movie, Top Gun, is still in tact and sitting on private land, with its fate yet to be determined.

It's ocean view property........and is surrounded by a fence and all the houses around it have been torn down.  We've driven by it dozens of times and always wondered what the significance of it was.  Now we know. 

And, just so YOU know, that sign has not been up there for long.  We're not that stupid.

Pretty day.  Love these colorful umbrellas.

Carter brought a friend.  He fit right in with this bunch.


Davidges came over for a Memorial Day cookout.  Lainey was in love, as always, with Ainsley.


Me, too.  :)


Lamb shanks, spicy Louisiana sausage and dogs for the kids.


Mike and Blake.


Kids kept buy in the pool and water table.


It was a good night with great friends!


I have a new obsession.  Weboo shoes.  Already got these for Jack.  Won the pink puffer variety for Laine on Ebay.  I've never made a bid on Ebay before.  That's how much I love these shoes.  Well made, good for growing kids, and super unique.  We'll be getting the dinosaur version for Jack this fall.  Unicorns for Laine.

Been working on a few home improvements.  Since we live in about 90 square feet total, space is limited.  My desk has been overtaken by work, school stuff, medical records, coupons, etc, etc.  I finally created this communication center in the hall way.  Two cork boards and two magnetic/dry erase boards and our family calendar.  Feeling more organized already!

Off to run carpool, bake biscuits for a teacher breakfast in the morning, straighten the house and tackle 5,342 loads of laundry.  I really need an assistant.  Not a nanny.  An assistant.......what was Kramer's intern's name?  Kevin, I think.  Someone like him might work perfectly for me.

Summer List coming soon!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend


Happy Memorial Day, bloggies. Everyone be sure to take a moment....in between their watermelon and hot dogs......to remember why we celebrate.

It's not just a 3 day weekend!

I'm busy scouring the San Diego event sites looking for stuff to do.  Planning our menu.  Getting the house ready.  Adding to Blake's "to do" list.  Washing beach towels.

Saw Hangover 2 last night.  I really enjoyed it, although, most people are saying it's not as good as the first.  NOTHING IS, PEOPLE.  Can anyone name a sequel that was better than the first?  I mean, except for Breakin' 2:  Electric Boogaloo?  Let's keep perspective here.

We're making The Summer List this weekend.  Never done one before.  Are you familiar?  Seen lots of bloggies do it over the years......you take a poster board and write all sorts of plans for the summer.  Kids contribute.  Can't wait to see what our knuckleheads come up with. 

OK, I'm off to the market before 2 rounds of carpool.  Enjoy the sun, friends!  Happy Memorial Day.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Mid-week Scoop With A Sprinkle of Bachelorette Commentary

11 years, baby!

I won't bore you with too much anniversary stuff.  Truth be told, I really just wanted to make it to 10 years.  11 just doesn't have the same zing, you know?  But.........seeing as Blake and I are deliriously happy in southern California with these 3 cute kiddos......I figured I'd stick around for a bit longer.

May 25, 2000
Half Moon Bay, California

In other news......

Brody is becoming acquainted with the family.

Can you hear that?  It's Batman snickering from the garage.


Been spending a lot of time with Rylee lately.  She's recently broken up with Jack and now deems Lainey her Best Friend.  Preschool politics. 

Anyone else watching the celebrity look-alike edition of The Bachelorette? 

Tell me if you see the resemblance:

JP........

Looks like that dude from 3rd Rock and 500 Summers.

Constantine......

Looks like Judd Nelson......Breakfast Club.

William.......(my fave so far).....

Looks like Josh Lucas......Sweet Home Alabama.

Is it just me?

That picture of William doesn't do him justice.....he totally favors Josh Lucas.  And, that's a good thing.

Can I also ask, Why in JCPenney $7.99 Ghetto Hell did they use that background for the Bachelor mug shots?  Must have been some budget cuts.

This might be the worst season I've seen.  Bentley looks like a well crafted publicity ploy (since Wes brought so much press to Jillian's season). 

And, the mask dude? 

What. The. Hell?

It's almost enough to persuade me to stop watching.

Almost.

Oh, who am I kidding?  I'm going down in flames with this one.  Love, love, love it.

While we're talking about The Bachelorette that dude from 3rd Rock and 500 Summers, let's enjoy two of my favorite clips from that movie.

:

.

Love!!!!!!!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Blogger Book Swap - Join Me!



This looks like fun, yall.  And, easy peasy!

If you are interested in participating, here's the rundown:

1. Email Claire (kieferclaire@gmail.com) or Lindsay (undomesticchica@gmail.com) with your name, address, blog url, and reading interests. Email us by May 30th!


2. We will email you with your partner's info on May 31st.


3. Once you get your partner's info, send her a book or two that you have around your house that you think she might enjoy. It could be something you've read and loved, or just something you've heard great things about. All genres are welcome, just try not to send something suuuuper popular (so that you don't end up sending books your partner already has). Mail your book(s) out by June 4th!


4. A week or so after the books have been mailed, Lindsay and I will host a little link party and showcase the books people sent/received. Fun, right?


Please spread the word and put our button on your blog! We're so excited about this and can't wait to pair you up. We hope you join us!!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Scoop

Lots going on, guys. 

On Friday, Melissa (my super cool boss) and I attended MamaFest at the La Jolla Country Club.  Swanky and fun......we met lots of peeps and hopefully got some business, too.


Our table.  Isn't her photography fabulous?

Our view.  Not too shabby.


Since I wore heals for the first time in forever, the little ones were fascinated and had to find their own pairs.

Blake is so proud.

Don't you love how they're holding hands?  Such good buddies. 

Volunteered at school recently.  I'm going to miss it next year.  Jack will go to Kindergarten and Lainey is moving to another school.

Here are the punks playing a "pin the fish in the ocean" game.  They were hysterical.



I took my 3 + Rylee out to the harbor last week for dinner and sea life watching.  Everyone wanted sunglasses for some reason.

Preschool buddies.


Rylee and Laine will be in the same school next year. 


They are quite the pair.


Saw lots of critters. 


Another day at the beach on Saturday.  This visit came with a bonus.  A hovercraft and several Marine/Navy vehicles were parked on the beach.  Kids went nuts over them.

I showed up to check out the service men in jumpsuits.

Kids don't know.  They just think I am a huge supporter of our troops. 

Don't judge.

As always, I was delighted they let us on the boat.


And, around all of the weapon stocked vehicles.





The hovercraft took off in the water about an hour after our stop to check things out.  Those things go 60 mph!  Seems crazy for such an enormous ship.

They put on a quite a show.  Very cool to see.

I am completely mildly obsessed with buying Lainey cute swimsuits.

Exhibit A:


My favorite thus far.  Cutie Roxy "swim kini".  I almost always buy 2 pieces now......otherwise, she has a hard time going potty by herself. 

Me and my little punks.


We headed home for pizza and smores.



Kids love fire.  No other way to say it.


What else?

*Carter heads out for his spend-the-night field trip this week.  I'll give you details on what he's doing once he returns.  All I'm saying is that I want to be a 4th grader in California.

*I just booked a sunset cruise for Blake and me for our 11 year anniversary.  It's not available for our night out this week, so we'll schedule it for a later date.  2 hours on the ocean, cocktails and appetizers.  Watching sea life and the sun set.  We haven't done this since Hawaii.  Can't wait!

*I am so ready for summer.  The little ones wrapping up the preschool year is not so taxing, however, Carter has this field trip, a huge report to write, a year long reading goal to complete, and 2 big events at school......all before they let out in a couple of weeks. 

I think that's it for now.  The Bachelorette starts tonight.  I refuse to miss a season. 

Later!