The Wondrous World of Capt. Lukey Duke and Miss Brookie

M.I.A

2011-10-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm not going to go through the hoopla of explaining why or where I've been, but I've been pretty bad about updating the blog.... What can I say, living life instead of blogging about it has been more important lately.

On that note, we've officially entered my favorite time of the year and I am rushing about decorating the house and carving pumpkins and planning my fall recipes. I'm on the hunt for a new fridge for the garage and just purchased a FoodSaver that I can't wait to try out. My Hubby has also been flexing his caveman provider muscles and has managed to catch close to 30 pounds worth of salmon from our beautiful American River in the past month, hence the FoodSaver to pack away what's left of the catch. He's also been experimenting with our smoker and made an amazing whole smoked chicken last weekend. He's promised me more Salmon so I can't wait to fill the chest freezer with fresh Salmon for winter.

The babies are growing way to fast, with Capt. Lukey Duke a few months into Kindergarten and Miss Brookie enjoying her one on one time with Miss Carrie at daycare. Pictures to follow of our adventure at the pumpkin patch last weekend :)

What is wrong with the world today?

2011-07-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

I am physically ill. How can someone blatantly murder their child and walk away from our justice system completely unscathed? I can't even put into words the amount of disgust I hold for that piece of trash that I refuse to give the honor of calling by name. I'm ashamed for the members of the jury that just let her walk out of that court room.... Why? There isn't a hell horrible enough for her and I only pray that Kharma will make her pay for her shameful disregard for innocence and the love and mother should hold for her child.

Laguna Beach

2011-05-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

On our way back from the Vegas drive, we made a little side trip to Laguna Beach for some ocean and relaxing to the sound of the waves. We had an amazing time.... Our balcony door opened to the crashing waves and we laid a beach towel out and enjoyed quite the room service picnic for dinner :)

Here's a link to the amazing hotel we stayed in. Rooms directly on the beach, amazing restaurant on-site, and the entire place is decorated like a surfer's paradise....

http://www.pacificedgehotel.com/

Day 6 of the Sin City Diet

2011-04-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am proud and a little astonished to announce that I am 10 pounds lighter as of this morning!!! I'm past the crazy carb and sugar cravings and feel really, really good. Next week marks the beginning of workout time ( I waited until I felt good and alert... Atkins can put you in a sort of funk with flu-like symptoms, ie. sore muscles, fatigue, headaches) and I'm excited and motivated to get up and get moving and watch that scale move! Going to aim for 30-45 minutes on the treadmill followed by 10 minutes of push-ups, crunches, planks, squats and arm workouts with weights. I'm debating staying on Induction (the most restrictive and weight-loss rewarding stage of the diet) for an additional 2 weeks, so 4 weeks total just to see how much I can lose before switching over to the easier, and higher carbs allowed per day stage right before we leave for Vegas. Wish me LUCK!

Day 2 of the Sin City Diet

2011-03-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

So far, granted we're still very early in the game, I feel pretty good and the scale showed a 2 pound drop this morning! It's probably just water weight but it's a start. The last time I did Atkins I was much more haphazard about it and pretty much winged it without really researching the diet and reading the book. I was still able to drop a bit of weight but the food just felt so heavy since I was basically only eating protein (no healthy green veggie carbs like the book stresses) and bogging my system down. This time I've read the material and have been pre-packing my meals the night before so I don't really have to think once I get to work, I just grab my pre-made meal or snack and munch away. I also decided that I wasn't going to fill my daily protein allowance with red meat like I did last time. I don't eat much red meat normally so no sense in forcing myself to eat something all the time that I don't like very much :) I stocked up at Costco this weekend on lean ground turkey and salmon and am on the hunt today at Trader Joe's for nitrite-free lunch meat to fill any gaps while at work. I'm also picking and choosing my full fat condiments carefully since I'd rather get my fats from avocados, olive oil and fatty fish than from butter and full fat mayo. My only full fat total indulgence is Philly cream cheese since I adore it and usually only buy the low fat or fat free version... I'm going to get my butt back on the treadmill tonight and try to incorporate a 30-45 minute walk in every day for the first 2 weeks and then kick it up to a jog for the following weeks.

My menu for today:

* Breakfast *
2 scrambled eggs with mushrooms, spinach, and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese

* Snack 1*
1 cup of English cucumber rounds & cream cheese

* Lunch *
4 oz. Baked salmon with lemon pepper, & asparagus

* Snack 2 *
Mini Tillamook "Tilla-Moo" cheddar cheese, broccoli florets & blue cheese dip

* Dinner *
Roasted chicken breast, sauteed spinach w/ garlic & lemon juice

All in all sounds super yummy, totally satisfying and crave-worthy :)

I HATE diets...

2011-03-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

I may hate them, but I definitely need to be on one right now... The winter is always time for tons of baked goodies from the oven, thick sauces and gravies and everything comfort. This equates to an additional poundage that starts to make me feel like I'm dragging and drowning in my skin by almost spring. One of my very good friends is getting married in Vegas in May and I need a solid kick in the ass to fit into my lovely dress and feel comfortable rockin' it in Sin City. So, effective tomorrow morning, I'm officially on Atkins Induction for the next 2 weeks, maybe longer. The last time I followed the diet I wasn't really committed to it but was still able to lose about 15 pounds. This time, I've planned ahead, purchased all of my lean proteins and healthy green veggies and am going to see this through to the day we leave for Vegas. Don't get me wrong, I want to be leaner and firmer but mainly I just want to feel good in my skin. I'm not a girl obsessed with the scale nor do I really care how others see me, but I feel slow and self-conscious and I don't like it. Cheers to lean protein and healthy vegetarian carbs and a little less wiggle!

Sunday To Do List

2011-03-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sundays are my day to cook.... I usually make some kind of soup and I try to prep my lunches, and a few for the Hubs, for the following week. I used to neurotically plan out 7 dinners for the following week but realized after wasting quite a few meals that our life sometime doesn't follow my color-coded plan. Now, I plan for 4 meals for the work week including 1 basic recipe that can change to accommodate the left overs on hand and 1 night for "clean out the fridge dinner." Basically anything leftover from the previous days goes into a bowl and that's dinner :) The last night is usually breakfast for dinner or delivery pizza to give us a break.

On tap for today:
   * All veggie Minestrone soup for the week (clean out the veggies heading south)
   * Green eggs and ham roll-ups for me for the week (egg and pureed garlic spinach    crepe/omelet wrapped around a turkey sausage and a sprinkle of cheddar)
   * Already made biscuits and gravy for Sunday sleep-in late breakfast :)
   * Cranberry & Almond Granola for the kiddos to snack on all week
   * Turkey, ham, spinach and Havarti roll-ups for lunch with leftover soup

** What are you doing with your lazy Sunday? **

Ready for Spring

2011-03-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's the rain, the cold weather, but I am so READY for Spring... Ready to re-plant our garden and make meals from our harvest, ready for BBQ and picnics in the backyard... Ready for evening walks ans planning camping trips. Don't get me wrong, I love the cold windy rain of winter and blaring my oven for a few months but I think I'm over it. I've already set my planting list and just waiting for the last blast of cold weather to ring in a long weekend of getting my hands dirty. There are many things I need to get done this Spring including a major cleanup of our toy room and the kiddos closets... It's crazy how fast they grow. We've also got 2 weddings lined up in the next 6 months including one in VEGAS. Is it totally lame that I'm almost 30 and have never been to Vegas? I know it sounds crazy but Vegas without the kids sounds like a little too much for us. We're home bodies and we've been that way since we got together. We don't enjoy going to clubs and bars together since it's just a chance for problems and it's way more fun to be home curled up on the couch with homemade mac n' cheese and Toy Story 3. Maybe before I had kids Vegas would have been a crazy weekend, but now it's kinda like walking into a war zone. Too many overly-drunk people, too many chances for crazy crap to happen and far to much risky business for our happy little life. We'll go, driving in our rented mini van, man we're cool, but I doubt we party very hard.... I can't even stay up past 11 without yawning every 5 seconds. Cheers to a happy, quiet life :)

Presidents' Day

2011-02-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to snag 4 tickets and a parking pass to take the monkeys to go see Disney on Ice and they had a blast! Amazing how expensive everything would have been if we had paid for the tickets ($69 each for 3 of us!), the parking ($10) and then all of the overpriced goodies inside... We even got to sit in a suite so the view was incredible... Brook spent the majority of her time teetering on my lap while trying to jump the rail and bum rush Minnie Mouse. Every time Minnie would get to our side of the rink Brook would scream and wave at the top of her lungs, "Hi Miiimi! Hi! Hi Miiiiimiiiii!!!" It was so frigging cute. They spent the end of the show inhaling a bottomless carton of popcorn with Mikey ears on their heads swaying and rocking to the music.... Oh to be a child again :)

Super Bowl 2011

2011-02-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Did anyone else notice that all of the stations other than the one running the game yesterday weren't allowed to say "Super Bowl?" How silly is that?

Anyway, the game was awesome and the food was plentiful and grubworthy :) Turkey chili and all of the fixins, baked ziti, buffalo chicken dip, chips, salsa & guacamole, salami & jalapeno roll ups, you name it we had it!

Hoping for my vodka & cran hangover to go away so I can sort-of enjoy my Monday!

Happy, Happy 2nd Birthday Miss Brookie!!!

2011-01-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday my funny-faced little love :) 2 years ago we dropped Bubba off to daycare and you were born just a few hours later!

Why I love this time of year

2011-01-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

The holidays are over allowing me to breathe in the cold wet air and cook my heart out. My mother instilled in me at a very young age that cooking a meal for your family is love at it's purest form. Caring about every little detail, making sure the seasoning is right no matter that it may take hours and your picky children my push it away, wrinkle their nose and say something to the effect of," why broccoli? You know I hate broccoli!!" Cooking is therapy. Cooking is creative and heartwarming and passionate and emotionally charged. It provides me with a creative outlet to create healthy comforting meals for my family and center myself.

When I moved out of my parents' home and in with my hubby, he actually did most of the cooking. In the beginning I was worried I'd screw up and burn something or make it too salty, etc. It took a lot of practice and a little self-confidence and now I do about 95% of the cooking in our house... Daddy will take about a meal a week to lighten the load for me and allow me an hour to chase the kids around the house or build a fort with them or play legos, which I appreciate immensely.

Though they may grab their nose and refuse to even try my creations occasionally, I know in my heart that the time and energy spent feeding my family meals that I've made is well worth it. Knowing that it didn't come out of a box or from a drive thru window is very comforting and reassuring to me. Don't get me wrong, we do order pizza a few times a month, but I hope to teach my children a love for cooking just like my mother did for me.

Happy Thursday! Go make something yummy!

Moms ROCK

2011-01-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Just got this from a friend and was the perfect pick-me-up I needed this morning (and my 5 shot latte)!!!

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what
The vacuum just sucked up...

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
And get their answer when a little
Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth
Is not measured by height or years or grade.
It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother.

The Images of Mother:

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't know everything!
14 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother? She wouldn’t have a clue.
.
16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's so five minutes ago.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she
Shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

2011-01-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

This is what I get when I ask my kiddos to pose for our Christmas card... Notice the nudity! Thank God for creative cropping!

:)

Christmas Decorating -- The Lights

2011-01-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to get many photos as our area went through a few doozy storms and we managed to get the outside lights up just in time for a nasty rainstorm to hit annd send us running inside :)

Lukey Duke's Birthday Party

2011-01-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Luke's birthday was wonderful and I think that everyone had a blast, especially the adults! We were all sore the following day from jumping all over the place and it was nice to not have to clean up after the party for once :)

Been far too long...

2010-12-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a while huh? This time of year is always so nuts for my family with all of our birthdays, our anniversary, as well as the holidays to contend with... Looking forward to breaking out the Christmas decorations this weekend and decking our halls. Hopefully the rain will hold off for a bit so we can go and find the perfect Christmas tree. I'll post a few pics once we get it all set up :)

5 years ago right now...

2010-10-09T08:40:00.001-07:00

My beautiful baby boy was being born....

Happy Birthday big boy!!!!!!!!

Questions

2010-09-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

I feel like a ball of questions today...

I've had a few questions lately from folks around me as to why we decided to foreclose on our house, so I'm going to answer them as best as I can...

When we bought our home we both believed in the American dream; a house, a white picket fence and 2.5 children. What we didn't know was that the housing market would implode on itself within a year. Believe it or not, I was the hold out for quite a while hoping that we wouldn't have to take it to the extreme of having to file for foreclosure. I hoped, with no evidence supporting those hopes, that the market would rebound and we'd be ok. What's funny about it all is that I work in the real estate business, generating new home loans and basically have my finger on the pulse of the real estate industry. I heard folks around me talking about flipping, buying a new home and then foreclosing on their existing property, but I knew that that was not for us. We had the money and could have done it, but it's downright lying on a credit application and I'm not ok with that.

When we realized that this was our best option to eliminate our house as a liability, we only assumed we'd be in the house for a few months. We never dreamed that 12 months later there would still not be an NOD (Notice of Default) on file with no clear cut end in sight. We've been saving all of our regular mortgage payment money, as this will only happen once in our life. We were both raised to fulfill our obligations and trust authority, but sometimes you need to trust yourself. We know that in the long run what we did is the best for our family, but people still choose to judge. If your choice was to pay into a losing investment for the next 30 years, or cut bait, take the hit on your credit, and start to re-build, what would you do?

Car Envy

2010-09-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

We are only a bit more moolah away from my dream car. I can't wait for the chance to not have to duck and tuck kids into the Camry 4 times a day. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Camry, more than I've ever loved any other inanimate object, but it's time for an upgrade. It's time for DVD players and movies on long trips, room to stretch out (and not be able to touch each other while in their car seats!), and space to finally be able to take the dog on trips again. She's just getting too old to be wedged into a one foot space between the kids' car seats anymore. So, hopefully in a few months I'll be able to post pictures of the kiddos in the back seat of our new baby!

That Time of Year Again

2010-09-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Anyone else heading into the busiest time of the year for their family? In the next 4 months, we will celebrate all 4 of our birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, 8 close and extended family birthdays, and the birth of 2 close friends' babies. Stress and anxiety abound :)

Luke's B-Day is up first so I've got invitations ordered, waiting on arrival to mail out ASAP, the bounce house place booked, decor ordered, his birthday boy T-shirt is ordered, and I'm scoping out presents on my lunch hours. He made me a pretty good list this year, so if you need any ideas, feel free to ask.

Did I mention that I LOVE this time of year (since fall only really last here in CA for about 2 months if we're lucky!), but who the hell decided it was OK for it to be 95 degrees outside?

Planning ahead is key; if only I could remember to plan ahead?

:)

Gone for a while

2010-08-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Our vacation went great until the last day and then I think we'd just all had enough and wanted to be home... The aquarium was beautiful and breathtaking as usual and the kids loved the giant kelp tank which has always been my favorite. The beach house that we rented was prefect for the 4 of us and it was really nice to have a "home base" to go back to during the trip... It's just too difficult to not have a full kitchen with two small children on vacation.

Being able to blog and download my pictures on the new laptop was perfect and I'm so happy Hubs convinced me to pull the trigger before we left :)

Have you gone on vacation yet this summer? Where did you go? What was your favorite moment???

Luvs!
Mommy D

Cioppino: Best Ever!

2010-08-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

We got a sweet tip off from one of the girls that I work with about a fish market in Marina that won the Cioppino battle on Bobby Flay's "Throwd@wn..." So, one our way down to Pacific Grove we stopped off at Phil's Fish Market for a little grub before checking into our hotel. The Cioppino was AMAZING, to say the least. They serve it family style, one giant bowl and two serving bowls for each of us.

We sat out on the deck, watching the fog roll in and allowing my crazy munchkins ample room to run around like crazy people. The clam chowder was, wait, I have to whisper it, it tasted like something my mom would make (in her less healthy cooking days), but better. I tasted clams, potato, carrots and celery, and a TON of butter and cream. It was beautiful.

I can't even begin to describe the Cioppino. It was tomatoey, and fishy and crabby and all so amazing. There was a TON of seafood in each bowl and I only wish we had had time to savor it. I can tell you that I think it was the best I'd ever had, even if I was trying to catch run away kids the entire time :) I think we did pretty good with our meal :)

In Transit

2010-08-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

We made it up to Vacaville yesterday in time to cook a yummy meal and settle in to watch a movie with Grandpa on travel day 1. I was kinda worried about the multiple stops before we actually touch down in Pacific Grove, but so far, it's been more than good.

We are on the road in our greatly appreciated extra cab, long bed F150 (borrowed from Grandpa John), the kiddos are comfortable and not crammed in with all of our crap like in the Camry, snacking on Pirates Booty and watching all of the cars pass by. While I am feeling very spoiled as I ride shotgun and blog at the same time! Rare is the trip that I don't do much of the driving, but who knew how much you could get done while sitting in the passenger seat? I've already updated my facebook, pulled directions to the place we are headed to for lunch (PHIL'S FISH MARKET in Moss Landing, CA), balanced my checkbook, finalized reservations for the hotel tonight and am know halfway through a blog post.... Crazyness and we are only in San Jose!

More to come from lunch.... Stay tuned for the best cioppino on the West Coast!

The Prep

2010-07-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

*Clean out car and car seats (no week old Cheerios or pirates' booty from April allowed!)
*Pack mondo bag for all 4 of us, try to make it all fit in one bag
*clean house so when we return exhausted, we can crash, not clean (re-visit idea of cleaning lady... Oh how I need you!!!!)
*Empty garbages, an 80 degree house that smells like week old diapers is NO BUENO
*Kiss big, spoiled pup: sad she can't come with us, set thermostat to keep DIVA comfy
*Write out, scratch out, re-write packing lists: panic over forgetting something
* Sit, chill, and enjoy a beer... Anything forgotten (other than baby bear or Lukey's B) can be replaced, the only thing that matters is time with my babies.

*** See you there! ***

Trip highlights and photos to follow as soon as we can figure out how to fit all of our crap into our car :)

Fridays suck

2010-07-30T23:36:00.000-07:00

Why is it that one crappy day can just bury you in black rain clouds? I wonder what would happen if I didn't take pride in what I do for a living? What if I could give a sh!t? Then what?

I wish others could appreciate what I do...

Anyway, in the words of Bob Marley, " One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

Tomorrow is another day and I am bigger than what I'm feeling.

Vacation Next Week!

2010-07-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

So we are headed out for our yearly 1 week vacation as of this Sat and we are so excited! Matt & I have both been totally checked out at work for the past few days and are starting the daunting task of packing... We're still trying to figure out how we are going to get 2 kids, 2 car seats, a tandem stroller, a cooler full of a weeks worth of food, toys, clothing, beach toys and ourselves into our Toyota Camry!!

Our itinerary:

** Sat night into Sun morning: Head to Vacaville and spend the night at Grandpa's new house :)
** Sun morning: climb back into the car and drive from Vacaville to Marina (right outside of Monterrey)
** Sun night: Spend the night at hotel on the beach in Marina, play in the sand and enjoy some seafood
** Monday morning: pack everything back into the car and head up to Pacific Grove to our beach house on Lover's Point

** Monday night: Dinner at our favorite restaurant in Pacific Grove, Fishwife

** Tuesday morning: Spend the morning / afternoon @ the Monterrey Bay Aquarium

** Tuesday afternoon: Lunch at the Fish Hopper and then back to the beach house for a nap!

** Weds: Play on the beach and enjoy some relaxing kiddo time :)
** Thurs Morning: Going to attempt a hike at spectacular Point Lobos; we'll see how far we can get with 2 kids!

** Thurs afternoon: Pack everything up and head back home... Boo!

The girls from work

2010-07-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Why I love them:

* They put up with so much crap and always seem to have time to listen to all of mine
* They are CRAZY hilarious and make work so much more do-able
* The stories that we tell are Hollywood worthy
* They are the most sarcastic, and loving chics I've ever met and I love them for that
* Not even stand up comedians can hold a candle to the speedy comebacks and jabs that fly out so effortlessly
* They have my back 100% as I do theirs and we are the most solid of teams

** I couldn't ask for better chics to work with, and I couldn't get better friends **

I'm in LOVE

2010-07-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Best Buy with a new baby! We've been without a computer or internet access at home for almost a year, and to have it again is a beautiful thing. It's fast, it's red, and ended up being $100 less than when we originally decided on buying it 6 months ago. By the way, wireless internet is the Sh!t!!!!! My kids are inhaling edamame and soy sauce while watching "Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift" and I'm blogging... How behind the times was I?

Monster to Flea

2010-07-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Funny how facing down a fear and coming to terms with it makes it almost inconsequential.

Now 3 months post discharge of our BK, we are 40 points shy of a 700 credit score, just like that. Crazy, huh? I've been spending a lunch a week at work correcting mistakes on our credit reports and disputing errors with the 3 bureaus and I've managed to FINALLY get everything to report correctly. Funny how trying to convince banks to report your account as included in your BK is ten times harder and time consuming than the actual BK.

We've been saving the equivalent of our mortgage payment plus some every month, and have built up enough to be at peace with leaving this house and heading forward on our journey. I will be sad the day we lock the door for the last time, but losing the house doesn't mean we lose our memories....

Father's Day @ the River Cats Game

2010-06-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

The game was great, aside from it being pretty hot outside (thank GOD for umbrellas!!)and everyone had a blast! I took a bunch of photos so here are a few to tide ya'll over :)

2000 HITS!

2010-06-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

We did it! Well, the majority of those hits are probably from me logging in to post, but who the hell cares! My cute little munchkin worshipping site has achieved 2000 visits! Yay for us!

SUPER GAMMY!!!

2010-06-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

After both kids coming down with the flu last week and puking all over every soft surface in the house, the hub and I managed to both catch it at exactly the same time, laying us both up to the point that "SUPER GRANDMA" had to step in and save the day earlier this week...

We both were shaking with fever, not able to keep ANYTHING down and still had two munchkins that felt great and wanted to play. In true super trooper fashion, my mom was there with bells on in a flash! It's hard for me to imagine NOT having my parents there for me whenever/wherever. Their support is so amazing and so appreciated and so selfless that I can't truly explain how lucky I really am.

Anyway, my mom showed up at my house like super nanny with a bag of their favorite foods in hand after a shaky call begging for help feeding/bathing/chasing my super active children. She plopped my icky-sick butt onto my couch and ordered me to let her take care of everything as daddy-o couldn't even make it out of bed except to puke. Food, games, baths, teeth and bedtime all handled, she demanded to do the dishes (like I'm going to say no)and then headed home leaving me a quiet house and the chance to head off to bed and finally pass out.

She's amazing ya'll, a true rock star of a mom and grandma...

A day in the pool

2010-06-09T13:52:00.001-07:00

Cheap entertainment rocks! A $10 kiddie pool, $2 worth of goggles for both squirts and a beautiful sunny day, who could ask for more!

I'm bad and I've neglected you!

2010-05-26T11:44:00.001-07:00

I've been patiently waiting for photos from the wedding to post and after some technical difficulties I have a few to share, of my kiddos of course! I can't get over how handsome my little guy looked in his mini tux! ENJOY!

Why I love weddings

2010-05-18T14:55:00.001-07:00

* I bet I'm not the only one who cries at each and every wedding I attend
* The glitz and glamour of it all is enough to make anyone feel like a princess
* There's nothing like wedding cake.... YUM!
* Watching a bride and groom dance together for the first time and witnessing the looks exchanged is magical
* I love the teeny little ring bearers and flower girls: They make we ALMOST want to have more babies :)
* Watching love gush from a crowd of family and friends is incredibly humbling
* They always seem to make me want my hubby more and more, and I LOVE seeing my cargo short and flip flop adoring man all gorgeous in a suit :)

Pictures to follow as soon I can get my camera plugged in and the photos downloaded!

OMG

2010-05-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

The wedding is SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!

Do I really need to say anything else?

My, how your garden grows!

2010-05-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

The garden is LOVING the last few weeks of weird weather we've had here in Sacramento... It's been 2 or 3 days of beautiful 70 plus degrees followed by several days of rain, wind, you name it... Check out my happy little veggies!

How is your garden doing???

2 Weeks to GO!!!

2010-05-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

We are only two weeks away from the wedding and I can't believe we're here already!

My dress finally made it in to the alterations lady this afternoon and I got exactly what I was thinking... Rebuilding a dress from the inside out can be kinda costly :) But, I was planning for the cost and more than willing to do anything and everything to make my dress look lovely and this wedding go off perfectly. So, in the end my dress needs to have the existing darts on the bust line ripped out and re-done (as the maker of the dress was so kind to put them on the outsides on my boobs so they look like they are running away from each other!), The sash removed, shortened and re-attached, a good chunk of the width removed as the A-line right now makes we look like I'm wearing a Hefty bag, the train removed, and the dress length shortened. Once I was all pinned in to it, it looked AMAZING.

I can't wait to wear it and see all of the girls lined up looking fabulous! The countdown has begun.... Are you ready??

Being a girl is hard work!

2010-04-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

I swear, in the past month I've spent more time waxing, tanning, smoothing, exfoliating and bleaching then I ever thought possible.

I've never been one of those women who dedicate a large amount of time to my appearance, until lately. I mastered the art of the 10 minute makeup application after Luke was born, and have worn my hair scrunched with gel and still wet from the shower to work more times than I can count. Not that I don't CARE about how I look, I just value my sleep more than manicured nails and a perfect blowout.

In preparation for my sister's wedding I re-opened my tanning membership 3 months ago (from when we went to Mexico 2 years ago)and got right down to the task of not looking sickly and pale by D Day. This task is probably pretty easy for most people but thanks to my mom's french skin, low and slow has been the name of the game. I've learned through horrible experience that attempting to rush a tan on my skin can result in purple-toned sunburns followed by weeks of itching and peeling, followed again by sickly pale skin.

I know it's not very good for my skin but I'm really enjoying the little kick in my self-esteem's ass that it has given me. Riding the self-esteem high, I then began bleaching my teeth about a week ago and have a shopping trip planned for my lunch on Friday to go pick up a new pair of Spanx. What, you don't know what SPANX are? Where have you been? My Spanx and I are BFFs. I actually bought my Spanx right before I returned to work after Miss B to give me a teeny bit of extra confidence in my pre-baby work clothes. Boy do they rock!!!! Off to buy a brand new one for the wedding!!!

LUVS!

March of Dimes March for Babies Re-Cap

2010-04-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

The walk went awesome, the weather was amazing and the crowd was immense like last year which always makes it feel so motivating. Our team managed to raise nearly $8000 and bested our record from last year.... I put my sister on picture duty as she is madly in love with my digital Canon (if I had the funds sis, it would be your wedding present!!), and she took some great shots of our fellow walkers and the kiddos as they were pushed about in their double stroller. I promise I'll post them as soon as I get a free moment... My time right now seems to be inordinately preoccupied with primping, something I'm not readily used to spending a ton of time on.... More on this later...

LUVS!

Last Call for March of Dimes Donations!

2010-04-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! Last year I was invited to join Team Matthew to walk in the March of Dimes March for Babies here is Sacramento in memory of a mutual friend's baby boy who passed away in his sleep from SIDS. Here's a little background on baby Matthew, the motivation behind our team to walk and raise money for March of Dimes:

In January of 2007, we were blessed with the amazing news that we were pregnant and expecting our second child!

Kaitlyn was already 2 when we found out and considering how easy the pregnancy with her was, we expected nothing different. Boy, were we wrong!

At 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant, my water unexpectedly broke (preterm, premature rupture of membranes, pPROM) and we were given the news that survival was not likely since there was no fluid to assist with lung development or growth. We made the difficult decision to continue on with the pregnancy.

After 10 weeks of strict hospital bed rest, that tested our family time and time again, Matthew was born at 33 weeks gestation weighing in at a healthy 4 lbs and 14 ounces. He cried at birth.

Matthew endured a 26 day NICU stay before coming home to his adoring family. He spent the next 10 weeks being loved, spoiled, kissed, hugged, played with and adored before falling asleep on the night of October 14, 2007. Matthew never woke up, he passed away in his sleep and became a victim of SIDS.

Losing Matthew has been a tragedy to his entire family. He left behind parents who love him, a big sister who adored him, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

In April of 2008, we started walking with March for Babies as Matthew's Team. It is a way we can not only honor Matthew, but we can also help raise awareness to prematurity and raise funds to help research find cures and screenings to prevent more families from suffering through this loss.

Please, if you can, donate to this extremely worthy cause in honor of Matthew and all of the other babies and families touched by the tragedy of SIDS, pPROM and infant mortality. The walk is tomorrow, and I'm so grateful to be invited to walk with this team in honor of baby Matthew...

LUVS!!

The Weekend

2010-04-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

So the Davis Picnic Day thing was a bust...

We made a valiant effort to pack a picnic, dress the kids comfy and get down there, but the traffic and weirdo Gods were against us. For my hubby, if a trip starts out with 30 minutes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, count it as a bust. He was actually texting me from the drivers' seat that "Davis and traffic suck," and he wanted to just keep driving straight to Vacaville and find a park for the kids to play in there...I asked him to suck it up and try to muscle through just a drive-by to see what the campus looked like and we'd decide then.

We were totally expecting this:

But got a lot more of this than we wanted:

We were watching beer pong tournaments on the lawn of the frat houses across from the campus, and were amazed to see kids kicked back in lawn chairs in the center divide enjoy a few beers and acting like they were tripping and falling in front of the oncoming traffic!! How fun, NOT!!!

We kept driving.

By the time we hit Vacaville, Lukey Duke was beyond antsy to get out and run... We parked at a park by Grandpa John's house and saw a beautiful site... A baseball field, open to run on, with the bases still in the ground! Most fields are open to the public but rarely do the little league coaches leave the bases, so we took full advantage of the rarity!

Check it out!

Photobook design created with Smilebox

Please watch and tell every parent you know...

2010-04-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Our busy "down time" weekend

2010-04-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, a few weeks ago Matt and I decided that this weekend was going to be our big deep breath before the final sprint to Melanie's Wedding May 16th.

I think somewhere along the line we've forgotten what "down time" means. Tonight we are headed to Raley Field, one of the most beautiful minor league ball fields around, to watch the opening night of River Cats baseball. Saturday we will be up bright and early for Picnic Day @ the UC Davis campus, followed by a BBQ at Grandpa John's new house in Vacaville Sat night and I'm hoping to squeeze in dropping my maid of honor's dress off at the alteration shop and a 10am appointment to be fitted for my bridesmaid dress for my friend Tami's wedding in August.

TONIGHT

Luke is jumping out his skin to go to the home opener for the Sacramento River Cats tonight. We've gone to many games over the years and we've yet to have a bad time. What's not to like about cheap grass seats, hot dogs, beer, AMAZING garlic fries, kids rolling down the giant grass hills and laying out on a blanket watching great baseball in perfect weather? The field is located right near the American River so you get a nice breeze at night which is a huge relief when it's 105 out and you're sitting in the sun all game long. We've packed up the backpacks and are counting down to the end of the workday!

TOMORROW

We're hoping to get up and out of the house by 10 am to drive down to the UC Davis campus for their annual Picnic Day. This is an open house event, run entirely by students, to showcase the many aspects of study and student life available at UC Davis and is open to the general public, free of charge. This year's line up of activities available to watch/participate in/enjoy are extensive and are all over the board. We're hoping to catch the sheep dog exhibition, tie-dye station, cockroach races, giant bug display, as well as the tour of the famous arboretum. There are actually so many different things to do and see that you need to schedule out your time so you don't end up missing something simply because you were on the other side of the campus.

Hopefully the kids won't be too cranky after their long day and we'll pile back into the car and head a little farther toward SF and stop off at Grandpa John's new house in Vacaville for a BBQ with Matt's dad and sisters. Luckily we got to skip out of bringing anything, which makes life much easier so we don't have to stop and buy something on the way there...

There's more, but I'm exhausted just writing about it...

Here they are!

2010-04-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

The much anticipated photos from the bridal shower are here!!! We had so much fun and I'm so thrilled that it was just what Mel wanted...

This free digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

Best Party Throwers in the West!

2010-04-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Mom, you rock. I try to tell you that as often as I can, but you REALLY rock! The house was crazy clean, the food was amazing, and everyone had a blast.... Kisses!

Mel's Bridal Shower: The Prep

2010-04-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how amazing my family is? Not only did my parents cook/prep the majority of the food for my sister's bridal shower, but they also came to my house Friday afternoon and helped me de-kid my house and empty out ALL of my furniture! Then I dragged my exhausted mother to Ross and Walmart to try and find decorations for my bathroom and living room, had her drop me back off at my house and then she had to feed/entertain my aunts and my cousin Summer who flew in for the weekend from LA around 10:45pm that night. My mom later told me that they stayed up until almost 2am slicing bread, mixing fillings and assembling tea sandwiches.

Saturday morning was a whirlwind of assembling centerpieces, greeting the caterer, arranging and prepping food, setting up the "registration area" with name badges and everyone's wine glass for the wine tasting, and then rushing to get ourselves ready in time for the party. After a nervous glass of wine for my mother and a beer for me, we smacked a high five and headed off to the crowd to conquer the party!

Pictures of the day to follow

Freaky Friday!!

2010-04-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

I think she was hungry!!

My mom is hot!!

I love this picture... It'll probably end up in his high school yearbook!

Baby Lukey Duke rocking my favorite beanie....

Final Countdown

2010-04-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

T-minus 2 days and counting until the bridal shower! My crazy list-making mother sent me the official itinerary/shopping/to-do list yesterday and in true list maniac fashion it was 4 pages; and not even just 4 pages, it was 4 pages, 3 columns per page! We laugh and joke about our manic addiction to list-making, but it really is a rough one! I have pre-designed grocery lists, packing lists, gift buying lists, you name it, I've got it. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I even have a notebook full of my unibomberesque lists tucked away in my purse at all times. I don't function without my lists.... I know, I have a problem :)

Anyway, we are well on our way... Caterer is ready and cooking, house is ALMOST clean, plans are set on how to hide the massive explosion of toys that has overtaken my house, and I think I may have actually found something to wear! My mom is a ROCK STAR and has this thing planned to the minute and I know it's going to go off without a hitch and be everything my sister ever wanted....

Wish us luck!!!!

Our Victory Garden

2010-03-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

So, here are the pictures of our newly planted veggie garden! ENJOY!!

Not the garden... This is Lukey Duke's "construction site," aka the mud pit NEXT to the garden :)

Kids+Mud=HILARIOUS

2010-03-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

I love my kiddos and I LOVE that they've never met a piece of mud they don't want to wear/throw/eat....

Of course I didn't make this giant puddle....

Me, throw mud at Lukey Duke, NEVER!

I heard mud is good for clothes!

Hmmmm, I wonder what would happen if I clapped?

Tasty, with an essence of earthworm and leaf!

Gettin' Dirty

2010-03-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

We've dug up the earth and are excitedly counting down the hours until veggie garden planting day tomorrow. I caught Luke laying out his chosen get-dirtier-than-hell outfit along with his gardening gloves and camo rain boots this morning... Nothing cuter than my skinny little guy laying out his outfit with a level of care usually reserved only for the careful arrangement of dudes and matchbox cars in perfectly straight lines on the coffee table (yes, he's probably got OCD a little, we know).

The line-up for the veggie garden: 5 varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, carrots, strawberries, arugula, edamame (soybeans),and maybe eggplant and fennel if I can find it at the nursery.

Line-up for herb garden: Basil, dill, chives, oregano (from last year, still going strong), flat leaf parsley, cilantro, and green onions, so far...

I'll try to snap a few pictures of the kiddos all dirty... Wish us luck!

Testing the density of objects with her head

2010-03-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

My poor baby girl looks like I've beaten her with a baseball bat... In the past few days she's fallen.run into. smashed her forehead into countless objects around the house and it's giving me a heart attack. I'm trying to remember that it's just part of the walking/running stage and she'll be fine, but it's hard to watch. I try to keep her away from things that look like they may wreck her tiny head, but she always seems to smack into them. Her latest talent was acquired by watching her brother climb onto our well-loved leather couch, and then run back and forth across the cushions before throwing himself backward onto the couch... I went to refill her sippy yesterday and as I turned around I heard her mischievous little giggle and saw her pull her booty onto the couch and proceed to wobble back and forth from end to end... I luckily got to her before she attempted her back inward triple axle onto the cushions but it about stopped my heart.

The girl has NO fear. I mean none. She runs full force down the driveway toward impending doom if she manages to get out of our front gate and loves to attempt somersaults over the dog. I'm seeing many trips to the Er in our future. It really helps to have a nurse in the family!

Wedding / Bachelorette Maddness

2010-03-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

I know I've been a bad blogger, but this wedding stuff can keep a girl pretty damn busy! My little sister is getting married in May and time is flying as we get closer and closer to the big day.

So, as Matron of Honor, it's my responsibility to plan and execute a killer bachelorette party and through hell and high water I plan on making that happen. Through wishy-washy RSVP's, and various other issues, I've actually planned 2 entirely different Bachelorette parties in the past 3 months. It was originally supposed to be one wild night in San Francisco: Dinner and stage show at the world famous AsiaSF, followed by bar hopping until we were partied out, but we couldn't get enough girls to confirm and we had to back out of our reservations. I've heard so much about AsiaSF and always wanted to go and am bummed we won't be able to make it...

After much back and forth, my sis finally decided to bring the party back to Sac so we could get better attendance and hopefully bring the cost down a little. We decided on a lovely newish restraunt called Ella that I adore and I booked the hotel room today. (HUGE SIGH...) For now, I'm done and I can actually look forward to partying with the sis and the friends and not have to stress out about planning.

Now if only I could manage to find a dress and a pair of heels to wear to this little shindig...

Random late night thoughts

2010-03-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

Have you ever caught yourself hovering over the crib, watching every breath praying to yourself that you'd never forget? Have you ever caught yourself, rubbing your nose along the top of their head, praying you could keep that clean, new baby smell forever? Ever been totally distracted while changing a diaper by the chubby little toes flailing in your face? Ever wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with your quiet, sleeping cherub, nose-to-nose just to feel the chubby fingers brush against your face?

She's growing so fast and I wish their were a way to keep her my tiny baby just a little while longer....

On a Happier Note....

2010-02-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

Our yearly pilgrimage to follow the world's best band DMB is nearly upon us. We missed it last year as the show we had purchased tickets for was cancelled due to the untimely death of LeRoy Moore, one of the founding members of the band following an ATV crash on his ranch. We were heartbroken when we heard the news that the show was cancelled and vowed that there was no way in hell we'd miss it in 2010.

Tickets officially go on sale tomorrow morning @ 7:30am and you know I'll be logged in and waiting and so very excited!

And in parting, the lyrics to our (currently) favorite Dave Matthew's Band song that will (hopefully) become the song we have our first dance to whenever we manage to get around to renewing our vows...

Wanna pack your bags, Something small
Take what you need and we disappear
Without a trace we'll be gone, gone
The moon and the stars can follow the car
and then when we get to the ocean
We gonna take a boat to the end of the world
All the way to the end of the world

Oh, and when the kids are old enough
We're gonna teach them to fly

You and me together, we could do anything, Baby
You and me together yes, yes (x2)

You and I, we're not tied to the ground
Not falling but rising like rolling around
Eyes closed above the rooftops
Eyes closed, we're gonna spin through the stars
Our arms wide as the sky
We gonna ride the blue all the way to the end of the world
To the end of the world

Oh, and when the kids are old enough
We're gonna teach them to fly

You and me together, we could do anything, Baby
You and me together yes, yes

We can always look back at what we did
All these memories of you and me baby
But right now it's you and me forever girl
And you know we could do better than anything that we did
You know that you and me, we could do anything

You and me together, we could do anything, Baby
You and me together yeah, yeah
Two of us together, we could do anything, baby
You and me together yeah, yeah
Two of us together yeah, yeah
Two of us together, we could do anything, baby

to reach the end of the world

Grateful

2010-02-25T13:10:00.001-08:00

I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful and supportive family. I can never truly express the amount of gratitude I feel for the ones I love.... I'm at a loss...

Financial Woes...

2010-02-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

I've been mulling over whether or not to chat about this on the web but I feel at peace with it now and I hope that my issues might help someone else going through the same thing.

When we bought our home in 2007, we thought we were getting a great deal. A beautiful, spacious home right across the street from a park for under $300K, which was a steal back then. So we decided to bite the bullet, and signed our name to loan documents for a 7/1 IO ARM first mortgage(mortgage-speak for an adjustable rate mortgage that is fixed for only the first 7 years and carries an interest-only payment for that term as well)and a 30 year fixed 2nd mortgage to cover the remaining 20% of the purchase price. At the time, that was a very safe ARM-style loan as the market was at an all-time high as far as value and we just "assumed," like so many others, that we'd wait a few years, build up a little equity and then refinance the house into a traditional 30 year fixed or sell it and buy a new home.

Fast forward to about a year ago when we finally agreed that the house would probably NEVER be worth what we paid for it and that we could and should be renting a much larger and nicer home in a much better school district for the kids for what we were paying for our current mortgage payment. We took the logical first step and called our mortgage company about our available options and were pretty much told to get the hell of the phone and that there was no help, what so ever available because "we made too much money." We make ok money, but nowhere near an amount that I would call "too much" for a family of 4 in California.

I'm condensing this quite a bit because I don't want to share my guts completely, but this was an EXTREMELY difficult agreement for my husband and I to come to as we'd always made every payment on time or early, but we knew that we'd lose the house, whether now or when the rate started adjusting in a year. We made our final payment Oct 2009 and starting looking for an attorney to retain as we had to claim Bankruptcy (in addition to eventually heading into foreclosure and losing the house)to protect ourselves from retaliation from the bank due to us getting a 1st and 2nd mortgage when we bought the house and it's a tactic to stall the bank from filing an NOD (notice of default) and beginning the Foreclosure process... We are now several months into all of this and it's only become slightly easier for me to say the words foreclosure, bankruptcy, and the like. I know that there are people out there who may judge those who've lost or are losing their homes and it really bothers me. We never intended to have to go this route nor did we want to tarnish our virtually perfect credit but we had to make a really tough choice for the better of our family.

To Be Continued...

Photos from Stinson Beach Trip

2010-02-18T12:59:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is a photo collage of our trip last weekend to Stinson Beach....

Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Stinson Beach for Vanetine's Day Weekend

2010-02-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

We decided to fore go the traditional over-priced flowers, chocolates and dinner for a family trip to Stinson Beach this Valentine's Day and it was more than we could have hoped for... The weather was perfect (hey, it's California... We're spoiled), the kids were in a great mood during the drive down and the beach was beautiful. Stinson Beach is located off of highway 1 on the California coast about an hour outside of San Francisco.

As usual, I took WAY too many photos that I will share as soon as I get them organized!

My Roots

2010-02-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd pay a little homage to the love that made it possible for me to be here today. My parents have been married forever, and probably should hate each other buy now, but I've never met two people more in love with each other. Love you Mom and Dad!!!

Why I Love Him

2010-02-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

He's sexy, and sweet and the best dad any kiddos could ever ask for. Oh, and he's willing to take topless photos for me!!! I should so stud him out huh?!

For the love of my Mei Tai Carrier!

2010-02-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant with Brookie I decided that I wanted to buy myself a new baby carrier and was hoping to find myself something more comfortable than the Baby B*jorn that I used with Lukey that always seemed to kill my back if I wore him for more that an hour. At the time my sister was purchasing a bunch of handmade items for her upcoming wedding from a lovely website called ETSY.COM ,so I logged on to see if I could find a carrier. I came across a woman who made BEAUTIFUL, REASONABLY-PRICED, HANDMADE carriers and placed an order for my one-off mei tai carrier. What is a mei tai carrier you may ask? Well, a mei tai carrier is, in it's most basic form, a square of fabric with 4 straps, one at each corner that you tie onto your body to carry your baby. The one that I ordered was so much more than that. I was able to chose two different fabric patterns, one for the inside and another for the outside, and she sewed it with a pocket in the front for anything you may need to bring with you as well as a handy little binkie strap so the munchkin could reach it and not be able to throw it! Anyway, it turned out beautiful and the turn around time from order to receiving it was super speedy. Here's a few pictures of the sample and the finished product.

ENJOY!

Here's a link to her store on Etsy:

My Blessed Baby

Tuesday's Nuggets of Wisdom

2010-02-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

Bullets for good measure:

* It's virtually impossible to get smooshed sweet potatoes out of an Australian Shepherd's coat after it has been rubbed in by baby fingers

* Who knew athlete's foot cream can cure a wicked diaper rash?

* Before babies, the chances of being crapped on and thrown up on in the same day are slim to none unless you're a nurse. Once you have kids, it's rare when it doesn't happen at least once a week!

* There is no limit to the number of "why's" and "how's" you will answer when conversing with a toddler/pre-schooler... Be prepared, but I doubt you can ever really prep for the number of times you'll hear it in a day.

How LOVED

2010-02-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

Finally 4: Brooklyn's first photo shoot March 2009 (6 weeks old)

First Family Photo with Baby Luke (2 weeks old) Oct 2005

Grandpa John & Luke @ Brookie's 1st birthday party

Aunt NeNe and Lukey Duke - Snow Trip 2008

Grandpa and Brooklyn

Aunt Melanie & Brook

Grandma & Miss B

3 Generations: Lukey Duke, Daddy & Grandpa John

Mom & The Duke

My gorgeous aunt and Miss Brooklyn

March of Dimes March for Babies Walk

2010-02-05T15:16:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Last year I was invited to join Team Matthew to walk in the March of Dimes March for Babies here is Sacramento in memory of a mutual friend's baby boy who passed away in his sleep from SIDS. Here's a little background on baby Matthew, the motivation behind our team to walk and raise money for March of Dimes:

In January of 2007, we were blessed with the amazing news that we were pregnant and expecting our second child!

Kaitlyn was already 2 when we found out and considering how easy the pregnancy with her was, we expected nothing different. Boy, were we wrong!

At 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant, my water unexpectedly broke (preterm, premature rupture of membranes, pPROM) and we were given the news that survival was not likely since there was no fluid to assist with lung development or growth. We made the difficult decision to continue on with the pregnancy.

After 10 weeks of strict hospital bed rest, that tested our family time and time again, Matthew was born at 33 weeks gestation weighing in at a healthy 4 lbs and 14 ounces. He cried at birth.

Matthew endured a 26 day NICU stay before coming home to his adoring family. He spent the next 10 weeks being loved, spoiled, kissed, hugged, played with and adored before falling asleep on the night of October 14, 2007. Matthew never woke up, he passed away in his sleep and became a victim of SIDS.

Losing Matthew has been a tragedy to his entire family. He left behind parents who love him, a big sister who adored him, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

In April of 2008, we started walking with March for Babies as Matthew's Team. It is a way we can not only honor Matthew, but we can also help raise awareness to prematurity and raise funds to help research find cures and screenings to prevent more families from suffering through this loss.

Please, if you can, donate to this extremely worthy cause in honor of Matthew and all of the other babies and families touched by the tragedy of SIDS, pPROM and infant mortality.

She Speaks!

2010-02-03T16:15:00.000-08:00

So, over the weekend the kids got to hang out at Grandma & Grandpa's house so mommy and daddy could have date night. When we came to pick them up on Sunday, Miss Brooklyn looked right at my mom, handed her a toy, and said "thank you" clear as day! She's been wandering the house all week saying thank you over and over again.... I think she's pretty proud of herself! She's also currently a big fan of "Oohhh," "hi doggy," and of course, "mama" and "dada." Crazy how fast they turn into mini adults :)

The Cake Pictures

2010-02-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

"Wait...I'm supposed to grab it with my hands? But then they'll get all yucky!"

"What is this stuff all over my hand? I wonder what it tastes like?"

"What! There's more than just frosting?! Woo Hoo!!"

"I wonder if it will all fit in my mouth at once??"

"Ummm....Dis es gooood!!"

I'm lame.... I know....

2010-01-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

My beautiful B's birthday came and went without me blogging about it: Bad Mommmy! Her birthday was awesome, quieter than usual, but still awesome in the same. My sis had one of our friends use this crafty scrapbooking tool thing to cut out Dr. Seuss-ish styled letters in the phrase, "Oh, the places we'll go!" which looked awesome as a backdrop to the food table... She received a ton of super cute clothes as well as a bunch of toys that have been keeping her quite busy for the past few weeks. We took a few photos but I haven't had a moment to download them to post. I promise to get them loaded soon and posted here so everyone can see...

I can't believe she's a year old.... Wow, that went by so very quickly. Now on too wild and crazy wedding prep for my sister's big day in May!!!

DeLurking Day!

2010-01-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I forget that the regular old day-to-day of my life probably isn't that riveting of a read.... To me, the trials and tribulations of everyday mommy hood is both a blessing and a curse and it's fun for me to look back to the beginning of my blogging adventure and re-read the day-to-day. So, in honor of DeLurking Day, I'm going to attempt to "out" myself at least once on ALL of the blogs that I follow.... Bear with me that that is a pretty damn big list and it's gonna take a bit... Thanks Lora over at FEVER for hooking me up with the DeLurker Badge.... Luv ya Chic!

Countdown to B's B-Day

2010-01-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

I can't believe she's going to be 1 on Saturday.... Where the heck did all 365 of those days go? In the mad rush of planning and executing her birthday after spacing on all of that throughout the holidays (NOTE TO SELF: Next year, don't wait until two weeks before the big day to plan and figure out a theme!!!), I've been a bad blogger and just noticed I haven't posted anything in almost two weeks. I'm going to try to post at least a few more times before the big day....

Birthday Plans:
(Theme)Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the places you'll go"
(Colors) hot pink, lime, teal and violet
(Invites) template designed/ordered, addressed and sent out
(Food) Still not 100% sure, but will probably do a make-your-own sandwich bar
(Decorations/Supplies) Bought and waiting for Friday night
(Cake) Gotta order today, thinkin' maybe cupcakes for party-goers and a mini cake
for Miss Brooklyn
(Prep) Still have to clean off the back porch, sweep, mop and clean the bathroom, but other than that we're good!
(Weather) Good thing we planned to throw the party inside because it's been raining all week and it doesn't look like it's going to let up until early next week

** Wish us luck for a beautiful, fun first birthday for our baby girl!! **

Happy NEw YEar!

2010-01-01T00:20:00.000-08:00

Lukey Duke made it to the ball drop this year! Happy New Year all!!!

Hug your spouse, kiss your babies and live in the moment!

Where We've Been....

2009-12-23T15:19:00.001-08:00

I am so blessed and there is no other way to say it.... I can't even remember my life before my babies.

Good Deeds

2009-12-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

What is it with people?

In an attempt to do something merry and generous this morning, I decided that I would pay for the car behind me in the Star.bucks drive through in addition to my own cup of goodness. I've actually done this a few times before and it's a really simple way to make someone else's day and fill your Karma cup all at the same time. I mentioned to "Christina" while ordering my coffee that I wanted to pay for the car behind me and that all I asked was that she tell the woman behind me in the shiny BMW SUV Merry Christmas and to pay it forward. When I made it up to the window Christina told me that she attempted to tell the woman behind me twice that I'd payed ahead for her coffee, but that the woman cut her off while trying to speak twice. I payed for both of our coffees and headed out of the drive through with no wave, no thank you, no nod, no nothing. Really? Did she think it was appropriate to ignore the nice gesture or was she just such a crabby grump that she felt it beneath her to acknowledge that someone who didn't even know her just payed for her morning cup of coffee?

Anyway, enough ranting.... Off to see beautiful Christmas lights in Rocklin tonight off of Stanford Ranch and Sunset Blvd. This will be the 2nd year we've gone to see them and they are absolutely amazing. It's an entire neighborhood of about 100 houses that go all out with full yard displays, wooden cutouts, life-size Santas and everything else Christmas you can think of!

Merry Christmas All!!!!!

Birthday Theme Ideas

2009-12-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

HELP! I need ideas for Miss Brooklyn's first birthday and stat! With all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays I spaced on planning my gal's birthday party!

I've been kicking around a few ideas but am not sure on how feasible they are in the time crunch that I've created for myself.... I love the Dr. Seuss book "Oh, the places you'll go," and was thinking that that might be really cute but am not sure on what to do for decorations, cake, invitations, etc. I was also thinking of maybe doing a winter wonderland theme being as it is winter here and it would be VERY easy to find cute decorations. My thought was maybe buy cheapy plastic snowflake ornaments and spray them light pink, light green and silver and then glitter them and hang them throughout the house and have her cake done all white with silver glittery snowflakes all over the top.... Anyone else have any cute ideas??/ I cutting it really close on time to plan, buy everything and get invitations out and I've totally learned my lesson for next year.

** Note to self: Plan and shop for Brooklyn's birthday BEFORE Thanksgiving and Christmas so it's not a mad dash right before the party!!!! **

Jared Boxes Delivered!

2009-12-18T14:02:00.001-08:00

So, after much buying, packing, labeling and delivering(thanks daddy!), all of the Jared Boxes have arrived @ UC Davis into the arms of the very deserving Child Life Dept. Director who was absolutely thrilled to receive them. She mentioned that due to the H1N1 virus, there were plenty of children in mandatory isolation that would be overjoyed to get the boxes of goodies. Dropping those boxes off and knowing that something as simple as a box of crayons, a coloring book and a few toys would totally make a sick child's day made this one of the most fulfilling charitable acts I've been involved with. I'm hoping to make Jared Boxes again next year for the holidays and maybe make this something that my family does every Christmas.

Thank you again to everyone who donated time, money and supplies.

Luv,
Mommy D

I heart my Babies

2009-12-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

What's not to Love?

Jared Box Build Day Approaches!!!!

2009-12-11T12:22:00.000-08:00

I am so excited that our Jared Box build day is this Saturday! We gathered all of our goodies/toys/activities for the boxes and it looks like we will be able to build 50 or so for sure with the supplies we've amassed. My mom and sister, as well as Lukey Duke, will be helping me build the boxes this Saturday and we will hopefully be able to deliver them to UC Davis sometime next week. It's kind of amazing the amount of support we received from family, friends, and coworkers which is making this entire project possible.

What charitable deeds are you doing this holiday season? Has the economy greatly affected the amount of money you were able to raise to support your cause?

Good luck on all of your fundraising efforts!

Love,
Mommy D

Dream of Whirled Peas!

2009-12-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

I set myself a goal this year of not letting myself get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and let the stress cloud my vision of what this time of year truly means. It's very easy, especially in this economic meltdown that we are in at the moment, to let yourself lose the spirit of Christmas, making the entire month seem more like a chore than the one time of year where you should strive to get lost in the moment.

We've spent lazy Saturday afternoons decorating the house, the tree is flodded in lights and ornaments, Christmas parties have been RSVP'd to and I think we are actually ready for Christmas.

Wish us Luck!

The Start of Holiday Mania

2009-11-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in what feels like forever and that sucks. The holidays are always crazy and this year it seems like they are double the norm. Thanksgiving, Christmas, shopping, cooking, planning my sis' bachelorette party, financial crap that I wish would just go away, and plenty of other small things crammed into my overflowing list of things to do.

On a happy note we took the kiddos to the snow last weekend and though there wasn't much snow on the ground (probably only a foot or two) all had a blast. Brooklyn spent much of her time cuddled into her pink bear snowsuit and laughing at her brother as he threw himself down hills head first on his groovy new snowboard-style sled. Matt and I even tried out a few runs with him and that things really flies! I'm pretty sure we slid into the parking lot a few times because it was almost impossible to slow down! I'll be sure to post a few pictures as soon as I get a moment to download them from my camera.

My goal this holiday season is to forget all of the stressful crap and focus on what really matters: Creating lasting, beautiful memories for my children of what the holidays mean to our family.

10 Months

2009-11-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

She's now got all four of her front teeth (2 top/2 bottom), after 2 weeks of crappy sleep, crankiness, really bad diaper rash and LOTS of frozen washcloths. Hopefully she'll be taking a break on the popping out new teeth front for a while so we can try to get her back onto some semblance of a sleeping routine again. And our major milestone that she decided to hit around 8 pm last night.... Drum roll please....

She STANDS! Fully un-assisted, and can even drop it like it's hot while standing! Nothing better than watching your baby shakin' it like a fly girl and laughing her head off!

I promise I'll snap a few pictures as soon as I can catch her in the act again!

Nov 11th, 2008

2009-11-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

This is what my ankles looked like Nov 11th last year.... Crazy to think my girl's going to be 1 in only 2 months!!!!

Tooth Action

2009-11-09T12:58:00.001-08:00

We now have 3 teeth through, and another preparing to make it's big entrance sometimes this week. With the entrance of these beautiful pearly whites we've seen consistent sleep fly right out the window... For the past few nights it's like she's got a tapeworm. From 7:45 to 11pm (now her usual party & pig out time) she's drinking (2) 4oz. bottles and eating a half cup of cereal while laughing at my futile attempts to get her to go to sleep. I guess to most people this really isn't an issue, but my girl's been sleeping through the night (7:45pm to 6:15am) since she was about 2 1/2 months old so I've been really spoiled and thrive on the consistency of her routine. The growth spurt plus tooth cutting have been crazy and I feel so bad for her and just wish all of those teeth would just bust through already. I'm going to attempt to snap a picture of those pretty pearly whites and hopefully I can do it without putting my finger in there... She just may chomp it off!

Freaky Friday!

2009-11-06T09:46:00.001-08:00

What is it about Fridays that just make everything seem so much better? That extra jolt in the morning to get up and get movin' and get this day over with so I can come home and spend some real time with my kiddos. We'll probably bit the bullet this weekend and take Duke in and get his hair cut on Saturday morning. A local boy was paralyzed while playing on his high school football team and a barber shop downtown is doing a fundraiser for him, so we'll more than likely take him there. We also have a birthday party to attend on Sunday as well as the normal weekend chores of laundry, making Brooklyn's baby food for the week, sweeping/mopping the floors (that seems to get dirty the second after they dry), making lunches and as always, hosting football Sunday.

Have I mentioned how much my hubby adores football? He's actually obsessed with it and the TV pretty much doesn't turn off from Sunday morning to Monday nights' game. I hate it, but it's his thing so I put up with it....

What are you doing this weekend? Anything fun and exciting? ENJOY!

Apology

2009-11-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to be super helpful as always, I'm 99% sure that my sweet boy threw away the gift list and all of my thank you cards from his birthday party, meaning no thank you's to send out for all of his awesome gifts. Usually I'm neurotic about sending out thank you's but I think I'm going to skip it this time as I REFUSE to send out generic thank you notes. Hopefully everyone will understand and not be too upset. Note to self: When you ask a 4 year old to clear the dinner table, be prepared for him to assume that that means "throw everything on the table into the garbage!"

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

Big Boy Curls

2009-11-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

I can't help it, but I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and get the Duke's hair cut. He's verging on a mullet and I don't want him to be "that" kid. His hair is just so darn cute all curly and soft and beautiful. It's that shade of slightly reddish blond that women spend plenty of good money trying to obtain. He came out of the bath last night and I kid you not, his wet hair reached almost all the way down his neck to the tops of his shoulders... He keeps telling me that he wants his hair to look like daddy, but daddy Bics his head, and I'm not about to shave munchkins head bald. I'm thinking military short buzz cut that will grow out nicely and undoubtedly be thick with curls again in just a few months.

My Favorite Shots from the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-28T12:13:00.001-07:00

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm Photo Mash-Up

2009-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My Favorite Place in the World

2009-10-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to my favorite place and the family from LA were able to join us, making it even better. We've been going to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland for the last few years as a sort of family tradition to kick off the fall/winter season and I'm so thrilled my LA family made the trip to come with us this year. It was a large family affair, with the four of us, my parents and my sister, Grandpa John and Auntie NeNe, her boyfriend Anthony and his two kids Molina & Noah, my aunt Annie, Uncle Craig, Summer, and Aunt Jeannie all there for the pumpkin farm festivities. It was a long day of hay rides, picking out the perfect pumpkins, playing on all of the different activities and TONS of picture taking!

There is nothing better than family, pumpkins and photos!

My Birthday....

2009-10-23T09:10:00.001-07:00

I almost forgot about my own birthday.... Sad huh?!

Good thing my hubby reminded me and the only reason I'm really excited about it is we are going to my favorite place in the whole world Sat: Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland. We've gone every year since Luke was born and it really is just a blast to wander the fields and pick out the perfect pumpkins. Some of my favorite photos I've taken over the years have been taken there and I can't wait to break out the new Rebel there this weekend. Oh, and did I mention that my amazing family from LA is driving out here to go to the pumpkin patch with us????? How awesome is that? I love them so much and wish they lived closer, but I'm so grateful that they come up to visit so often.

Can't wait to see you there!!!

9 month doctor's visit

2009-10-21T08:37:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn had her 9 month well baby visit yesterday. She is 16lbs. 10oz. (30% percentile), 27 inches long (50% percentile), and has a 45.5 cm head circumference (90% percentile). They gave her the mandatory 9 month vaccines that she took like a champ and then did a blood draw to check for anemia as she is a breastfed baby and I guess anemia is quite common for breastfed babies. The blood draw came back negative for anemia and then we headed off to have her hips X-rayed to check for any issues related to her frank breech positioning while in the womb. Her hips checked out just fine which means we have a happy, healthy growing girl!

Yesterday also marked the end of our breastfeeding. I was getting to a point where I wasn't really producing much during my 3 pump sessions at work during the day and it was really starting to wear on me. Though I LOVED breastfeeding her and she made it ever so easy, we decided to start weening a few weeks ago and she had her last taste last night and it made me a little sad. It really is quite an amazing thing and it is incredibly empowering and I am quite proud of myself for making it so long. We kept on going through growth spurts and 3 outbreaks of excruciatingly painful thrush, and I am sure that it is the main reason she hasn't had anything but 1 cold in her first 9 months of life. Cheers to Boobies!

I Heart my Pup

2009-10-19T12:07:00.001-07:00

9 Months Old

2009-10-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

I say this everytime but wow, 9 months have gone by already?

Luke's Birthday Party

2009-10-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

First off, Mom, Dad and Mel, You rock! Thank you for all of your help before during and after the Duke's party!

Aside from the bounce house delivery guys getting stuck in traffic and showing up a little late, the party was awesome and I'm so happy it went off without any real hitches. All of the little ones had a blast and Lukey Duke made out like a total bandit! I'm not joking, it looks like Toys*R*Us threw up all over my toy room. We have Tech Decks, and army guys, and Transformers, and race cars, and, and, and! Thinking that Luke would be exhausted from the party I mistakenly assumed that he'd crash in the car and take a little nap after the days shenanigans, but boy was I wrong. Not only did he not take a nap, but he stayed up until 10:30pm taking dudes and trucks out of boxes and racing them around the toy room.

The cake was awesome (and free I might add! Cashier error, oops!), the skull and crossbones pinata was a big hit and everyone raved about the burgers. Thank God for my fam and their help with keeping the thank you list, refilling food as it got empty and supervising kiddos as they attempted to smash the pinata. Without them it would have been absolute hell.

And an extra huge THANK YOU to my sister for being the paparrazi! You took some killer pictures!!! Luv Ya!

Oct 9th, 2005

2009-10-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Right about this time, 4 years ago, I was pushing and about to welcome my baby to the world. I remember my doc saying that it would probably be a while before I was at 10 and ready to push as she headed out the door so we could wait it out. About 5 minutes later I remember looking up at my mom and telling her "I NEED to push NOW." She hurried out the door to find my doc and as she and the nurses rushed back in to break down the bed and get ready for my impending delivery, I pushed 3 or 4 times and he was out right as my doc finished snapping on her gloves. My mom was ready to push her out of the way and catch Luke herself. The sound of him crying was both scary and thrilling all at the same time. They wiped him up quickly and laid him on my chest and I remember just starring at him in pure amazement that I just pushed this beautiful little thing out and now he was finally mine to hold.

I remember Matt telling me how proud of me he was and both of us hugging and crying all over each other. It still amazes me that we walked into that hospital as a couple and left the next day as a family.

Happy birthday my beautiful boy. You are everything I ever wanted. I never really knew life until the day you were born.I love you Bug!!!!!

Oct 7th, 2005

2009-10-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Right about this time 4 years ago I was laid up on my couch on mandatory be rest hating life and praying to go into labor. The day before I'd had what would become my last prenatal appointment with my doc, over 2 cm dilated and nearing 100% effaced, having gained another 5 pounds of water weight in 7 days, my BP resting well over 165, and my ankles swollen so badly that my doc was afraid that the skin would split, she sent me home with the phrase, "well, if you happen to go into labor this weekend I'm on call so I'll be the one to deliver you." As luck would have it, I did just that. That pregnancy pretty much sucked the entire time but it was SO worth it and we were so lucky to have a healthy baby after the pregnancy induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia. It was so rough to be terrified at every doctor's appointment, wondering if this would be my last day up and walking around and worried that I'd be put onto bed rest in the hospital.

Crazy that it's already been 4 years... It flies by so damn fast...

(picture is of my last day at work... About 2 weeks before he was born... Check out my ankles! I had to wear flip-flops to work for more than half of my pregnancy from my feet being so swollen!)

Party Prep

2009-10-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Done:

Buy party supplies
Buy/Wrap/Hide Presents
Write out invites
Order Cake
Order Bounce House
Reserve park space
clean BBQ
Buy pirate gear for Fam

To Do:

Buy/Prep Food
Un-hide presents
Pick-up Cake
Decorate Park Space
Set up Games
Stuff pinata
BREATHE

Sick Babes....

2009-10-02T08:48:00.001-07:00

What is it with having the kiddos get sick that makes my heart hurt so damn much? Maybe it's the OCD control-freak in me, but I HATE not being able to make things "all better" for them when they feel icky... What's really funny is that both of them have been sick for over a week but I doubt anyone would know from their outward appearance. They both seem to keep going a million miles an hour, even with sour tummies and fevers. Is it wrong that I don't handcuff them to their bed and FORCE them to sleep it off? How am I supposed to be nursing them back to health when they are running and jumping and climbing all over everything like they aren't even sick? And on top of it all, I'm trying to ration my PTO time so if/when they get REALLY sick, I can stay home for a few days without having to worry about not getting paid. Being a mom is fun & stress, all rolled into one...

When Luke was a baby it seemed like he had croup at least once a month for over a year. It would start with a stuffy nose and a slight cough and turn into a wet, scratchy seal-bark of a cough that would stick with him for over a week. I can't tell you how many times I would go into his room, late at night, bundle him up into my arms, throw the shower on as hot as it would go, and rock him while sitting on he toilet seat, hoping that the warm, moist air might miraculously open up his lungs and allow him at least a little sleep. It was so painful to have to sit there, with my hand on his chest feeling the rattling and rasping effort that it took just for him to take in a breath. His pediatrician later identified him as a "trigger asthmatic," but his trigger wasn't dust or dander, it was a cold or any other bug that decided to settle into his chest for the long haul. He was given Prednisone a few times to clear his lungs to keep him from getting bronchitis or pneumonia, and oral Albuterol , which did help him breath better, but left him a jittery, wired mess for 3 or 4 hours after taking it.

He's since gotten to the point where we don't even notice anything asthma-like is his day to day doings, but every once in awhile he starts barking again and it reminds me of how rough it must be on the little guy to have a cough for 3 weeks at a time. It makes me sad to have him ask me everyday when his cough will go away and he'll be all better. Cross your fingers that he won't sound like a seal for his 4th birthday in 8 days!