M.I.A

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 :)

Gone for a while

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

Father's Day @ the River Cats Game

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 :)

SUPER GAMMY!!!

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...

Why I love weddings

* 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!

Our busy "down time" weekend

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!

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

Mel's Bridal Shower: The Prep

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

Final Countdown

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!!!!

Gettin' Dirty

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!

Grateful

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...

My Roots

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!!!

How LOVED

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

Countdown to B's B-Day

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!! **

Where We've Been....

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

Dream of Whirled Peas!

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

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.

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm Photo Mash-Up

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My Birthday....

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!!!

Fam Love

My awesome aunts and cousin from LA are going to be here tonight!!!!!! I'm so excited I just might do a little jig... Well, maybe not... Wouldn't want to scare the guys at work with my killer dancin' skills! Anyway, we don't really get to see them as much as I wished we could, and I can barely sit still knowing that they are going to be here in 12 hrs... And, it's the first time that they get to meet Miss Fancy Pants! I bet they are going to melt when they see her laugh like a munchkin crazy person!

On another note, I want to gush about my sis for a second. This girl has endured double shifts, all-nighters cramming for tests, and some much medical jargon memorization that I'm sure my head would have exploded trying to keep track of it all, and now she's done. My baby sister, the little chatty Kathy that used to get notes sent home with her from school for talking to much, is graduating nursing school tomorrow. I'm so proud of you Mel. You have done what I knew I never could. You endured all of the hours of hell to reach your goal and I am swelling with pride. You decided that you wanted to help people for a living, something that most people could never handle, set your feet on your path, and never gave up. You are going to be a great nurse because you are truly a great person. I'm so very proud of you that I can barely find the words... And as I write this with tears in my eyes, I just want you to know how grateful I am to have such an amazing sister. Oh, and I hope I don't embarrass the hell out of you tomorrow by sobbing through the entire graduation ceremony. I love you Melanie...

In the great words of my brilliant little boy, "Aunt Melanie, you're a ROCK STAR!!!!"