Capturing Your: Heart

I have always been super girly. Not super princessy, but girrrly! My first picture as a brand spankin’ baby, literally just hours old, I was wide awake and even smizing (Smile with your eyes…for those of you who do not watch ANTM) for the camera. I remember when my grandma would sit me on the counter bathroom, put my hair in piggy tails, curl my long hair and put bows at the top…. I was just in heaven! I loved wearing dresses, playing with my mom’s makeup and even putting so much lipstick on that it was still there days later…even after wiping it off. And don’t even get me started on my Barbie collection! Before I was even born, my mom started collecting Barbie furniture, clothes, dolls…you name it. I would spend HOURS and HOURS playing with them….dressing them up, designing their home with all my furniture, combing their hair…and of course, making Barbie make out with Ken. I don’t even know how many times Ken and Barbie took a walk down the aisle in my house, but it would definitely put all these celebrity serial wedders to shame!

Never in a million dreams did I think I would be good friends with a true life Ken and Barbie. Never. Just look at the following pictures, and you’ll know exactly what I am talking about. I actually met Janet when I was pregnant with Derek at our school park just months before I was due. We spent the whole time talking and at that time, I really didn’t know that many people in our new city. When she walked away, I was bummed because I didn’t offer my number or attempt to make arrangements to meet again…even though I totally felt she would be a lot of fun to hang around. Fast forward 6 months….I ran into her again…this time at our church. It still took some time before we set an “actual” play date, but ever since then, she has been one of my dearest friends. We’ve had so much getting to know each other, going out after the kids are asleep, watching chick flicks together, shopping together…and even getting in trouble for shopping together! We are so a like in many ways, it’s definitely been easier to feel really connected to our home because of the friendships we have built here. Not only are they beautiful on the outside, but truly beautiful on the inside. I look forward to a lifetime of play dates together!

Capturing Your: Feature

I think one of the toughest times in my life, was going from one child, to two. With Travis, although I only slept in 2-3 hour blocks for the first few months, I knew that I could make up for the sleep by napping whenever he napped…which was often. Even after he began sleeping in longer stretches, I was still exhausted from not consistently sleeping…and still, I took advantage of the nap time. This is where having two kids became hard. I could not nap whenever Derek napped, despite how lousy the night was. I had a 2.5 year old who was fully charged from a good nights sleep and ready for some playtime. My sleepless night was not on his radar, nor was my desire to take a nap when Derek napped…which was all.the.time. Not being fully recharged really took a toll on me and I could not thank the makers of the movie Cars enough, for creating the 116 minute movie…designed just for little boys just like my son. It allowed me to lie on the couch and wake up every 116 minutes, to push play again….then catch up on some more zzzzzzzzzz’s. And on some days, Travis watched it more than once….but that’s where I draw the line on divulging how many time he watched it…it’s between Travis and I….and we’re.not.telling.

Well, I don’t expect any brownie points, or pats on the back. There are millions of moms everyday who do exactly what I do. And I especially don’t expect to get sympathy from our next family….since they were recently blessed with twins! Yes, not one, but TWO newborns! I have so much admiration for Halle and her husband, their sleepless nights, their diaper changes, the feedings…all times two! I had so much fun visiting them and meeting their two new beautiful boys. And for parents of twins, they couldn’t have been more laid back. Ever. I felt so comfortable holding the babies and taking their pictures, because everyone was just so relaxed. I loved seeing how different their personalities were and how they bonded with each parent differently too. It may be hard now, but the payoff in the end is so worth it. Two beautiful boys who will be the best of buds and who will fall asleep each night knowing that they are completely loved. Congrats Halle and Marcus!

Travis’ First Baseball Game

While we out visiting this past month, I thought it would be fun to take Travis to his first baseball game and give him a taste of an favorite American pastime. I remember being little and attending quite a few baseball games, particularly with my grandparents. In addition, having two brothers, has always kept me in the loop with sports. Unfortunately, for me, I got duped a few times by my brothers who knew WAY more about popular baseball players, so when it came to trading baseball cards with them, I usually got the short end of the stick. When it’s too good to be true…chances are, it probably is….like trading my 1 baseball card for 10 of theirs? That should have been a red flag to me that my ONE card, was, well, pretty awesome.

So, who better to have us join us on our first adventure, other than, Travis’ Uncle Richard…who successfully duped me out of my fabulous baseball cards and who is a lover of sports. I do have a little confession. To all the die hard Dodger fans…you may want to skip a few sentences. I would have much rather gone to an Angels game….they are after all, my favorite team. However, they were on the road that week and so we went to a Dodgers game…instead. Ok, so now that I got that off my chest….here’s a few pictures of Travis’ first baseball game. Since Dodger Stadium is super old school, I decided to go with an old school look.

Can you BELIEVE that Travis did not like the Dodger dog? Dude, I think that is one of the things I was most excited about him trying. I know they is nothing special…but it IS a DODGER dog! He said that it was too big for him to eat. I think he was weirded out because it was a lot longer than the JennyO turkey dogs he normally eat. Oh well, he said, he LOVED the bun. YAY for carbs! mmmmmmmmmmm…..Dodger Dog buns are soooooooo good!

If you are a native Angelino, you’ll totally get this. If not, don’t hate. Just representing.

So I am not sure exactly how much cotton candy Travis ate, but boy, it was enough to keep him up until midnight.Uncle Rich…the baseball card con man. Travis and Soren doing the wave. Friend’s of Rich’s from Finland attending a baseball game for the first time. Their impressions? Boring. I agree…but hey, it’s all about atmosphere and pastimes.