Lovely L

My friend L and I have been friends since we were 10 and 11. We went to the same elementary school. We went to music camp together when we were in middle school. We also went on a really fun business trip with our fathers (they work together) to London when we were 13 and 14. We worked together at our Dads' office in highschool. We spent most of our weekends in college together. We've had numerous movie nights, sleepovers, shopping trips, sushi outtings, concerts and fun weekends together. We got married 5 weeks apart, planned our weddings together, and were eachother's maids of honor. I've gone to visit her (sadly she moved away right after she got married) a couple times and plan to again this fall. So basically we are the best of friends. A couple days ago she found out she is having a little girl. Now our girls will be exactly (down to the month) as far apart in age as Lovely L and I are. Only my daughter will be the older one this time. I look forward to our girls having adventures together and hopefully having as much fun as we have had in the last 16 years.

PS- L I think we need to plan something killer for our 20th anniversary - what do you think?

Oh too many pictures to pick from so I'll just post a few.London 1994

My 20th birthday eating my favorite sushi. 2001Tea in Beverly Hills 2006

Cabin Fever

Well our family weekend was a blast. On Friday afternoon, the girls (age 6 and above anyway) left to go shopping at the outlet mall while the Dads stayed back with the kids. It was a marathon event. We were gone for almost six hours. When we came home Uncle V had made some yummy dutch oven treats. After dinner we broke out the games and the kids played Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Go Fish, and Old Maid. Twister as mentioned below was a big hit. The kids read a few stories including the infamous "8 Silly Monkeys" book which is Red Fish's absolute favorite. Then the kids started a movie and the adults played Pounce. We didn't get alot of sleep but the kids had a great time having their giant sleepover in the loft. We spent the next day playing games, munching on snacks, and giving rides on the four-wheeler.Red Fish adoring her older cousins.

Story Time.Grandma and baby R- the newest addition to the family.

Uncle W giving four-wheeler rides.

D enjoying his dutch oven dessert.

S playing Chutes and Ladders

Movie Time

Little S wanted a 4-wheeler ride so bad! I took her on a little 2-mile an hour ride in this giant helmet. She kept yelling Wee! Helmut!Bed time in the loft.

Twist and Shout

We just got back from another weekend at the cabin. This time we went with Two Fish's family - 11 kids, and 9 adults. We had such a great time! Right before we left I found some games on sale and bought a few. Among them was Twister- the main event at the cabin. Just about everyone got in on the action. It was so funny to watch and we all got a really good laugh out of it. We will definitely be bringing this game to a few more family functions.

The couples challenge.

Brother against brother.

Keeping Moving Along

Lately I've felt a little overwhelmed by everything I want to improve on as a wife, mother, home maker, company president, artist etc. Today I'm trying to concentrate on the things I do well. So if you don't want to hear me brag to myself move on to another post.

• I read to Red Fish everyday. Sometimes for up to an hour.
• I play music for Red Fish everyday.
• I give hugs and kisses in copious amounts.
• I take Red Fish to a lot of different places and introduce her to alot of different people.
• I've designed some really awesome CD covers in the last year.
• I try to make alot of time for family. I'm really good about calling everyone and visiting and planning fun things to do.
• Yesterday, I taught a whole lesson on ocean conservation at a local aquarium (that was supposed to be an hour long speech to adults) to about 20 four year old kids yesterday with no notice that the audience was changing. It's shark week people!
• I try to be a good friend.
• I keep a good journal.
• I dream big.

I'm feeling better already.

Calling All Mothers

I have a question. Red Fish will NOT stop trying to stick her fingers into every electrical outlet she can find. I have put the plastic protectors in the outlets in our house but she finds them everywhere we go! The cabin, grandparent's, friends houses etc. I cannot protect them all nor do I spot them as fast as she seems to. Anyone have any brilliant ideas of how I can encourage her to leave them alone? The no no route doesn't seem to be working. She just shakes her head no at me and continues to try and jam a fat finger into the outlet.

Cabin Weekend

We spent Wednesday through Saturday at my parent's cabin enjoying the mountain air. Red Fish has been soaking up the attention. She had 24/7 entertainment just the way she likes things. We went shopping at the outlets (they have a big sale on the 24th of July) and sat on the porch a lot. My parents brought their dog to play with Blue Fish and Red Fish wanted to be right in the middle of them most of the time. It felt so nice to take a break and get away for a few days. Two Fish still had to work on Friday but the cabin is sadly closer to work than our house is.

Red Fish has finally found a way to express her satisfaction with something. She has been shaking her head no for some time now so it's fun to see her clap her hands with joy. She uses it to say yes to things as well. On Thursday she got tooth number two on the bottom and the top two are showing signs of coming through soon.

Great Grandparents

Red Fish, Great Grandma, and Bockum

Some of the great memories I have from my childhood involve going to see my great grandparents. I had three living until I was eight years old. Two great grandpas and a great grandma. Red Fish is lucky enough to have three living as well. We went to see her "Mimi" last Sunday and Great Grandma and "Bockum" today. (Bockum is the name I gave my grandfather as a child and it has stuck!) It's so fun for me to see her interact with them. I hope she gets as many wonderful memories with them as I had with mine.

Drive In

Lovely N, her hubby, and baby A

This is not a great picture of me- I know.

The other night we decided to go to a drive in movie because we figured it starts late and Red Fish would go to sleep. We also wanted to control the volume because I haven't wanted to take her to a really loud movie theater. IT WAS A DISASTER!!! The first 45 minutes we were there Red Fish delighted in the jungle gym of blankets, pillows, and bodies. She climbed all over us. Then her gums started to swell and her teeth must have been really uncomfortable. She cried and moaned and groaned the rest of the time we were there. The radio in my 10 month old car has some sort of issue and wouldn't work. We were trying to hear the movie from the cars around us while trying to comfort Red Fish. I thought Walle was really stupid but it might possibly be because I missed a good chunk of it. Next time we go to a drive in we will make sure nobody is teething. Poor little baby!

Breaking Red Fish News

This afternoon Red Fish's first tooth popped through! I didn't even realize it had come through until I felt it on my arm when she bent over to try it out. It's one of her bottom front teeth. I'm still trying to get a picture of it. Then yesterday she stood up in the middle of the room without anything to pull up on. She is changing so fast I can hardly keep up with her!

Red Fish's First Boating Adventure

We had such a fun day today. We went out on my parent's boat for a couple hours. Red Fish loved it! She was standing up in my lap in the front of the boat squealing like a noisy, happy hood ornament. She eventually dropped off to sleep from the movement of the boat just like I used to when I was little. I even got up on the slalom ski which I haven't done in forever. Two Fish went wake boarding too.

Red Fish has had some crazy hair lately. I think it's so cute standing up all over her head.

Ready for the boat!

The three of us on the boat.

Red Fish striking a model pose with Uncle J. We went to see the Dark Knight (I HATE the clowns- gives me the shivers just thinking about it) last night while Uncle J took care of Red Fish for couple hours. Red Fish is his biggest fan.

Two Fish getting ready to wake board.

Two Fish

One Fish - water skiing for the first time in about 10 years. I have wake boarded more recently but the new bindings don't fit my little mini feet.
I wasn't too bad! I can't do any tricks but I was cutting back and forth across the wake pretty good. I was afraid I might not even be able to get up!

Red Fish asleep in Gammie's lap.

Fun In The Summertime

We've spent alot of time playing with friends lately. Baby A has come over to visit a couple times. We also had some friends over for a BBQ. Two Fish has a new grill and we need to put it to good use! We've also discovered the joy of bubbles. Red Fish wasn't too sure about them at first especially when they landed on her skin and hair. When Blue Fish started chasing them and biting them she decided they are hilarious.

We have discovered the joy of bubble baths. Red Fish loves splashing and moving the bubbles around. I LOVE this doggie towel. Red Fish's Grandma made it for her for Christmas. Red Fish thinks it's hilarious to put the hood up. I'm not sure if she recognizes that it is a dog but she loves the ears.

I took Red Fish to a gymboree class. We had such a great time! (If you have never been to one there is a coupon on the internet to try a free class- I highly recommend it!) The most fun part was just watching Red Fish with the other babies. She is such a social girl! She just took off crawling with all the other babies and gave everyone in the class a big kiss. She has become quite the little kissy girl lately. She practically smothers everyone in kisses.

Red Fish loves to go grocery shopping. I've finally gotten beyond my paranoia of her sucking on the bars of the cart and now wrap them in a blankie and let her sit in the seat. She thinks rolling down the aisles and examining everything I put in the cart is great fun. We went shopping in Costco yesterday and spent some time with Gammie. My Mom helps me make these meat packets that help me make dinners faster. We cook a whole bunch of chicken and a bunch of hamburger up with spices etc. and then divide them into packets for the freezer. This also limits my contact with raw meat. (shiver)
We've been swinging in the baby swing in our back yard. Red Fish thinks this is great fun. She is so light that one push keeps her swinging for a long time. The people who lived in our house before us left this swing set in our backyard. It's been a lot of fun for our nieces and nephews but I wasn't sure it would last for our own kids to ever use it. At least the baby swing is still in great shape!

Stair Master

Today Red Fish discovered the stairs. I spent all day following her up one stair case or another in our house. There was no hesitation at all. She just went straight up. My only concern is her coming back down. She seems too little for this! She just barely turned eight months.

I haven't had alot to update lately. Basically Red Fish has had a particularly nasty bug and I've been elected the mayor of poop town. I'll spare you most of the details but let's just say things hit a whole new level of fun when you have to clean the ceiling!