questions

do you have children?

do you have a five year old?  or a six year old?

then you must know what i'm talking about when i say that having children this age requires serious patience.  i remember my brother-in-law, john talking about his then five-year-old.  he was saying that he finally understood why his father used to tell him, "because."  question after question after question.  one leading to the other.  other questions having nothing to do with anything else.

these questions happen a lot in our home.  and then there's also the repetitive question.  the one that demonstrates your child's lack of understanding of the value of time.  today, this week, next week, a few weeks, a month, a few months, next year, etc.  because of the confusion with learning time values, i swear i get the same questions over and over and over.  especially from sienna.  it could have something to do with the fact that the girl doesn't listen to me when i talk to her...though she has the keenest ears in the car when i'm talking hush-hush to stephen.  funny how that is!

i'm learning to just have more patience, but i truly do just have to tell her sometimes, "you're not allowed to ask that question anymore!"  for reals.  i do that.  i get so tired of it.  as bad as i feel about that, i need it to be so for my sanity.

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and then....there's those!  yuuuuuum!

my mom has an awesome visiting teacher.  after my stepdad broke his hip (yes, ouch!), said visiting teacher brought dinner and cookies for them to eat that night.  i happened to be there the next morning for chloe's piano lesson and my mom showed me the root beer float cookies.  sounds strange, right?  when she first stated what they were, i thought "ew", "gross."  but no!  stop right there!  if you're saying those same words, take them back quickly.

i took a bite of one of the cookies and was instantly hooked.  it's awesome how it really tastes like a root beer float.  and it's not gross!  it's delicious!

so, to welcome stephen home today, we made him some honorary root beer float cookies.  we'll see what he thinks of them!

holy windy!

the wind is just going craaazy outside at our place right now.  i'm actually really enjoying it too.  we don't get extreme weather here often, if ever (not that i'd consider this extreme weather, to clarify).  so when a little something gets sent to san diego, we either whine about it or bask in it.  right now?  i'm basking.

so this week i received the pre-ordered purchase of joy the baker's new cookbook and ree drummond's cookbook as well (pioneer woman).  i've already completely paged through joy's book.  same old fun and witty writing in her book as in her blog.  i can't wait to thumb through ree's too!  stephen even made joy's browned butter chocolate chip cookie recipe.  oh the divinity!  just smelling the butter browning was heaven enough, then to put it in the cookie?  ahhh!  it was a-maaaz-ing!

and i'm not gonna lie, i've eaten more than my pants can handle already.  eek!

i won't turn this into, yet another baby post (ie. wyatt).  i realize that i can't help myself in sharing his cuteness and lovable-ness.  buuuut, every once in a while i shall venture.  but, real quick before i venture...he just cut his fourth top tooth yesterday night (yes, his fourth top tooth).  that makes six altogether.  the boy is only seven months old for heaven's sake.  give him (me, okay us!) a break!

okay, moving on!

breast infections are no good.  i repeat, no good.  it's not like this is the first time i've had one, but it has been about six years since i'd had one.  it's like i blocked out the real pain that comes with it.  these things are gnarly!  and my body reacted promptly as it usually does when being attacked with sickness...fever, body aches, cold feet and misery.  the perfect combination for a miserable weekend.  oh, and add that on top of a teething baby.  ugh.

hopefully this week can help and show me some compassion.  we shall see...

chubba wubba

this was my chubby little man just four months ago.  it's hard to believe he is encroaching on the eight month mark.  the chub has not moved elsewhere, nor has it significantly progressed, phew!  he is already on the verge of pure deliciousness.  i just can't take it!

unrelated to squeezable and kissable baby, april is almost upon us!  where is march going at such a fast rate?  i feel like this year is trying to sneak away and hide from me.  i'm always lost in a scheduling blur.  don't you dare ask me to have a playdate or to visit teach or to go do something fun unless i have consulted "the calendar."  yes, the mighty one.  if you do, i will inevitably call you explaining that i didn't realize that so-and-so was doing such-and-such on this day or that.  it really must be true that you lose brain cells while pregnant and especially while nursing.  each suck diminishes an IQ point.  i'm starting to believe it.

or maybe it's just that i'm conversing with my seven-month old all day and night.  yes, the optimal four and six-year-old conversations do come up, but those aren't exactly enlightening.  mooost the time, that is.  i will admit that chloe occasionally baffles me with her words.

example?  the other day stephen took her and sienna on a small puddle-jumping adventure.  this led them to a dirty pathway towards a rope and tire swing in some trees over yonder.  chloe says, "we're heading into deeper terrain!"  no, i don't believe we have any movies that have the word terrain in them, nor do i think we say this....ever.  so the questions is, huh?  chloe is constantly making us ask her to repeat herself, just to make sure we heard her correctly.

last night, after a very frazzling day, she hears me venting to stephen about how tired and stressed i had been that day.  she comes over to me, side hugs me and says, "maybe you shouldn't have any more children mom." dare i take my four-year-olds advice?  though she may have a point after my examples of non-patience that day.  i plead non-sleep.

as a follow up from my most recent, silly post i will tell you that i learned why the lorax is all about lately.  nina was telling me that she and tyler were taking their kids to see the lorax.  the conversation ensued and i quickly realized that there was a movie in the theaters...the lorax.  gee whiz, i'm so out of the loop!  that's what happens when you forget to check out current events cause you're too wrapped up in your happy little  pinterest world.  time to do other things brooke.

ahem.

my poor step-dad broke his hip yesterday.  is that not so horrible?  poor guy fell off a ladder and crashed down onto his hip.  surgery went well though and he was blessed to not have it be replaced.  we're hoping to go see him tomorrow at the hospital.

wyatt is on all fours lately too.  it's so cute to see him push up onto his hands and bring his knees under his torso.  he'll rock back and forth a bit too.  so totally adorable.  i say, take your time wyatt!  no rush.  mommy has yet to baby-proof the apartment and could really use some more time just enjoying your plump little laziness.

here's to a new week with goodness coming our way!

recently pinned:

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what a week

as if cleaning vomit off of two of my children in the doctor's waiting room wasn't enough to deal with this week, wyatt managed to have the poop of his life today as we prepared to shop a bit.  i had all of three baby wipes on me, just enough to be pathetic.  poo was everywhere...up his back, up his front, in his armpits, on his arms.  as i try to minimize damage, it gets on his feet, his hands...somehow on his forehead?  yes.  it was quite the to do.  i had to humble myself enough to enter the small second-hand store we were in front of to go and ask another mom there for a few wipes to save me.

bless her!  that's all i have to say.

on a brighter note, i finally sold the diaper bag that i swore "i must have" on ebay today.  this was my third attempt to sell it.  it really is a great bag, but i didn't need it.  i thought i would, but after two previous children you'd think i would've known better.  one doesn't need a diaper bag.  one just needs a bag big enough to fit baby needs.  to me, these needs are boiled down to diapers, wipes and an extra change of clothes.  so really, you don't need a fancy diaper bag that holds this here, and that there.  i love my urban outfitters black bag much more and it does just as good of a job.  dum---da-dum-dum.

so after a handful of uses, i succumbed to selling it.  i lost about $30 on it, but i'd like to consider that my payment to the bag for its use.  hey, at least i used the diaper changing pad a bazillion times, and then some!  that puppy got used at the fullest potential in the time i had it.  we'll call it $1 per use on the changing pad.  there!

have you noticed that dr. seuss is all about these days?  i kind of want to say, where have you all been?  but really, everyone else has been there too.  it's really just the lorax that's getting all of the attention.  he's everywhere...baby clothes, bibs, bags, etc.  he's even all over wyatt's diapers.  i almost feel like i kind of own some "special" royalties for my love of dr. seuss books because of his affiliation with ucsd (stephen's stomping ground up until december).  i felt a special connection.  i know, i'm weird.  but we knew that.

oh the thinks you can think!

february already?

i find it hard to believe that it is already february.  seriously.  the month of january flew by in a strange, haze-like way.  the first few weeks were painfully slow.  and when i say painfully, i mean it.  now that i'm up and moving around and am able to be more back to normal things are feeling so blah.  feels better!

now if only baby man would stop this coughing stuff.  then he could sleep better and steve and i could sleep more soundly.  i'm just glad his fever is gone.  no fun to have a sick little five month old.

another reason to feel good?  our tax refund is one step closer to being in our account.  YAY!  i finished filing last night.  yippee!

okay, off to get the kindergartner dressed and to school!

up and up

yes, yes...it's true.  things are finally looking up!  now that i've written that, i realize it's only been 3 1/2 weeks since i had surgery.  yes, i had surgery.  i had something evil taken out of my body.  feels like it's been much, much longer but really it's not been that long.  time drags when you're confined to miserable-ness in your bed.  what made that whole experience (which i will expound more upon next time, okay?) so difficult, besides what it actually was, was the not-being-allowed-to-hold-my-5-month-old-baby rule.  i hated that rule.  i understand, but i hated it.

so, here i am.  it's saturday and i'm happy for that.  my baby, who was running a lovely fever all day yesterday among other things, is fever-less today.  this makes today even better.  i was expecting to have quite the miserable weekend with a very congested, feverish baby...but i've been blessed yet again.

sienna got her birthday bike today.  very exciting!  we wanted her to pick it out so we opted to take her today.  the choices were dismal at toys 'r' us, as expected.  nothing but character bikes and hideous colors.  we chose (when i say "we", you know what i'm saying, right?  yes, of course you do) the least of the evil bikes.  it's an eighteen incher, so sienna will still be able to grow into it some more too.  it still has some color combos that are not kosher in my book, but what can you do?  (yes, spray paint did cross my mind)

okay then, off to enjoy more saturday!

bleep

hi.

just a little bleep to prove that i am indeed alive.  over the past few months i was seriously considering dumping the blog.  i love blogging, but was longing for more privacy and for more time to spend doing other things.  i'm still considering this.

for now....bleep.

gratitude

once again, i see that my gratitude may seem a little bit lacking in my lack of actually telling you what they are, but i assure you (and myself) that i am so grateful that i am too busy to tell the blogging world about it. nonetheless, i find myself the only one awake in my apartment at the moment.  i'm waiting for my apple pie to come out of the oven, so i'll go ahead and tell you more.  this time it will much more abbreviated so as to encourage me to actually write them down:


day 8 - blankets...i love to cuddle up in a blanket and watch a movie, read a book.  i love to picnic on them.  i love to sew and make them.  i love handmade ones by my mom and my grandmother.

day 9 - movies...especially when i am sick and have to just lay in bed all day long.  movies sure come in handy at those moments.  i love to see them in the theater, where the volume is loud and the screen is big and you're surrounded by other movie-goers.  i love how they can make you happy, sad, mad, uplifted and/or inspired.

day 10 - water...that might sound silly, heck...you think everyone might be grateful for that.  but i know a few who don't like it (well, more particularly to drink it i guess).  i LOVE water!!  i love to drink it, swim in it, take a shower in it (especially when a little extra filthy).  i love the water in the ocean, in beautiful lakes, rivers and streams.  i even love it in rain form.

day 11 - nail polish...trite and silly, perhaps.  yet i find that i like to look at my feet a lot more when they are painted with a nice color!

day 12 - springtime...it's the only time when san diego is actually green!  it doesn't last long, so you really have to make sure and bask in it and enjoy it fully.  so i do!  i picnic in it, i plant things during it, i take pictures of it, i try to smell it wherever i go.

okie dokie...bed time for me.  more tomorrow?  i say no...i'll be too busy baking and eating and (hopefully) napping.  maybe friday i'll do a post-thanksgiving gratitude wrap up.

sound good?

bien.

hello there!

well...the weekend has come and gone and i sit here before my computer with a still growing belly!  it's amazing to me that this little guy isn't ready yet.  but alas, he's not...and that's okay.  july has come and gone (i was due july 23rd) and our family welcomes in the month of august.  there are very few birthdays in august on either side of our families, so i'm thinking that this is great!  (i think it's great til my hormones force an emotional break down each day)

in other news...sienna starts soccer practice today!  how cute will that be?  i'm so excited for her.  she has been looking forward to wearing her cleats, shin guards and "long socks" for a while.  i think she's going to do great!  makes me want to play too.  soon enough i will be with her!  she also starts kindergarten two weeks from today.  that is so crazy for me to think about.  that i have a child starting the beginning of twelve years of schooling in a few short weeks.  she is definitely ready.  and i can't deny, that i am too...though i really will miss her here a lot and so will chloe. 

oooo, a contraction!  how fun.

on a side note, i, like the rest of the creative world, am addicted to pinterest.  i just love that there is a site that i can catalog ideas and awesome things that i find on the internet.  especially with my lack of doing too much (for my ankles' sake) lately, i am finding myself loving that site even more.  if you're not on pinterest yet, you might want to check it out.  it's just fun!

and i've been looking for the perfect clock for our living room.  i finally found what i want, only to discover that it's only sold from france for a hefty price (42 pounds/roughly $90).  ouch.  so i'm wondering if anyone else finds a clock like this in the US (and cheaper please!) if you could advise me immediately!  if you're rummaging around at a yard sale or antique store or thrift store and you see this clock or something similar, be a pal and send me a picture!  i'd love it!

instead of giving birth...

...i sewed.  =)

i know, i know...i need to stop talking about the fact that i've not had a baby yet.  you just don't understand what it's like for my brain to wrap itself around that fact.  my first baby came two months early, my second baby came two days early, my third.....?  well, we shall see.  at my doctor's appointment yesterday doctor cobb said i'm still a 3 and 70% effaced, which i have been for at least three weeks now.  i was a little disappointed, especially after monday's ALL DAY contractions.  i thought for sure i'd at least be a four...ha!  wyatt is showing me.  so i had dr. cobb strip my membranes which resulted in lots of cramping the rest of the day, but nothing else.  there's my update for the night.

anyway, i spent my night doing two things that i've been meaning to do for some time.  i finally made myself a new camera strap.  i've been meaning to for over a year.  pathetic, huh?  i really like it.  i really liked my old one, but it was time.  kiersten had made me a cute one too, but it is too short for my current strap taste.  or maybe it's that my bust is too big so if i shortened my strap it really wouldn't fit around me at all.  oh the issues big busts give you.  that's a whole other post though.  anyway, i think i have an idea of how to use the one kierst made now!  i'll let you know how it works out.

the other thing i'm working on is the crib bumper for mr. wyatt.  what's more appropriate than a western theme for him?  penny pinching (and time pinching) leaned me in ikea's direction where i bought a plain white bumper for $10 and i'm sewing on strips of fabric.  super easy, inexpensive and personalized...i love it.  now if only my dang sewing machine would cooperate!  we ended the night at odds with one another.  i think i need a new one.  sad day.

over on the other side of the room from me was cute hubby applying for real-life jobs.  what!?   yes, he's almost a graduate-graduate (masters in electrical engineering...mr. smartie pants), so he's been applying for jobs here and there.  and yes...i am looking through the kitchen to where he is.  awesome, huh?  oh apartments, i'm sure i will miss you eventually.

here's what kept me going tonight as i battled it out with my sewing machine....1) the three amigos, and 2) peanut m&m's.  what would i have done without those?  shout-out to derek for the birthday movie!  i love it!

anyone else been crafting lately?

four days late

i am in awe that my body can be so tricky...honestly.  i never imagined, after my first two babies, that i would ever reach or pass my due date in a pregnancy.  shows you just never can tell!  i'm feeling great though!  i'm just anxious for his arrival.  can't wait to meet wyatt!  the girls are anxious too...they keep saying how naughty he is that he didn't come out at my birthday.  we had told him that that was when he was coming so they were confused why he was still in my belly days later.  i have a doctor's appointment in about an hour, so hopefully i will have something to report next post, about a baby being born!  we'll see if we decide to strip my membranes today.  at my last appointment my amniotic fluid levels were still okay...so we'll see if those have gone down at all too.

i tried eating most of a pineapple yesterday.  we'll see if that helped at all.  i opted out of taking shots of balsamic vinegar, taking castor oil and other such "tasty" tasks to get him out.  i just can't bring myself to do that.  plus, if he's not ready, he's not ready.  i'd rather him come when he is ready in hopes that my labor and delivery goes more smoothly.  i was thinking that other day how i totally willed chloe out of me.  i wanted her out so bad that i practically put myself in labor.  that labor was long and the delivery wasn't ideal at all, so i'm hoping that my patience will be rewarded this time in just hanging in there.

not the best pictures, i realize....but the girls both had haircuts yesterday.

chloe mainly needed a trim.  i'm really not sure i could ever bring myself to cut it short....ever!  even if she were to get lice or something i would probably just spend the next weeks of my life dedicating myself to removal of said bugs. 

~before~

~after~

 

sienna, on the other hand, has needed more intervention.  she's had quite the mullet since her last self-inflicted haircut.  since i couldn't handle it i'd been putting her hair up every day, including her bangs.  so when kim said she could make it cute and fix it i was ecstatic!

 ~before~

~after~

 

kim did a great job!  sienna looks adorable with short hair and it will be perfect for the rest of the summer heat.  yay for new hair-dos!

baby

if you're wondering (and you may not be)...no baby yet.  he's making no sudden movements, but i will keep you updated!

i had a wonderful birthday yesterday, so thanks to all involved!!  i can't believe i'm not even just thirty now.  thirty-one feels no different really, but it's one step further from immaturity hopefully...right?  sometimes i think i'm so mature and then something will happen (usually of my own accord) to make me dumb and young again.  not that i don't want to feel or be young, it's just that sometimes i feel like i haven't learned much.  but i am learning.  and growing.

i had a wonderful breakfast to start the day out yesterday at pipes cafe in cardiff with nina.  she's the coolest, really.  never eaten there?  neither had i, and it sure didn't disappoint.  yum!  i ate a breakfast burrito with green peppers, ham, onions and pica sauce.  it was delicious....and HUGE!  the girls split french toast, which i'll admit i ate a bit of because it was pretty yummy.  nina had some yummy looking potatoes and eggs...i really wasn't paying attention to what she was eating cause i was so into my burrito.  it was all delicious though, and a wonderful way to start out my birthday day.

my kids were driving me a little crazy so we opted to head over to cottonwood creek park, a local park that we have quickly come to love.  we let the kids run around and get some energy out, giving us time to chat and catch up.  we don't see each other every day anymore and we mustn't let it take it's toll.

after that?  a nice trip to target.  the encinitas target finally finished it's food area re-model, so now i can semi-grocery shop there now.  love that...especially with all the great coupons they offer on their website.

the rest of the day was pretty normal.  but dinner was delicious with my mom, mike, my dad, derek and my little family at bucca di beppo.  their food hasn't disappointed yet...yum, yum!  my mom surprised me, ordering a bag that i was admiring on etsy (from france!).  i had NO expectation of getting it at all.  i expected to admire it from (very) afar for the remainder of my life, but mom really treated me...and she got it!  i'm in love! (pics to come).  after dinner we came back and ate some yummy pound cake with caramel icing and vanilla bean ice cream (unfortunately no pics of that...i was so proud of my creation).

anyway...it was a great birthday.  between all stated here and facebook, one feels very loved!

loves to all!

happy monday!

i'm very glad to see monday this week!  i had a great and relaxing weekend!  how about you?

i was thinking to myself earlier how ridiculous gas prices are.  i recently filled up my gas tank for around $70 (18 gallon tank).  that's a lot of money!  then i was thinking about how i had also recently signed up sienna to play soccer through ayso for only $50.  doesn't it all seem a little bit backwards?  gas, that will last me about a week if i'm lucky, is costing me more than a full season of soccer for my child.  something has to change!

my future sister-in-law, miss courtney, celebrated a big birthday this year.  according to the girl herself, it would've been a very miserable birthday had derek not proposed.  you see...she was hitting one of those landmark birthdays, i won't say which one.  she was quite sad and bummed about it up until there was this really pretty *bling* on her finger all of a sudden!  yay!  so we held a little birthday party for her at mom and mike's place the day after the big event.  her only request?  an oreo cookie ice cream cake from baskin robbins...yum!  we are so happy to be getting courtney as a part of our family.  she is wonderful!

isn't her ring just beautiful?  derek did good.  ~pat on my brother's back~

h a p p y   b i r t h d a y   c o u r t n e y !!


aaaaaaand......everyone will find this hard to believe, but it's the truth.  i finally pulled out my sewing machine and made something!  yes, i know.  pathetic that i'm proud of this, especially when you consider what i made took me hardly any time and wasn't difficult.  but i'm proud of myself!  it's been a busy few months with moving and unpacking and being as pregnant as i am (i'm 39 1/2 weeks now!).  the last thing i felt like i had time for was crafting.  but i did it, and it felt goood.

so i now have some lovely little boy burp cloths that wyatt will surely soak quickly.  my sister-in-law robin had made me some awesome burp cloths just like these, only with girly fabrics sewn on.  they were very quickly my favorite burp cloths ever.  she made me a ton and it was a god-send.  so i knew i had to have some more for when little man arrives.  i've only made about twelve so far, which won't be enough....but i'm already making more.  yipee!

the sewing machine lives!

i'm still here

no baby yet!

honestly?  i'm shocked.  i don't know why exactly.  i guess i was starting to feel entitled to having all my kids come early, but that's not exactly what i want, nor is it what i deserve i guess.  so here i am, 39 weeks and gettin' large.  large and in charge!  my poor feet and ankles are having swelling issues.  in the last week they've not swelled up maybe once.  and i honestly can't contribute that one-day success to anything inparticular.  yikes.  it's weird to see the flip-flop imprints on top of my feet.  i'm like a putty ball.....for real.  stephen pushed his thumb into the top of my foot last night and after five seconds of pressure i had a thumb in the top of my foot for minutes.  i remember that happening with chloe too, but it's like a whole new experience this time.  it's not, but you truly do forget.  pregnancy is funny. 


question:  to those of you who have, currently use or have previously used a moby wrap, i'd like to hear the good and bad things about it (if there are any bad things).  i'd like to get one, but before i spend that kind of money on a wrap, i'd like to know that they're really that great.  i found some on amazon for $40-45.  should i buy?

following are a few more pictures from our sunday dinner with my grandma, who was visiting her friend marv, who has been recovering from a broken femur (OUCH).  it's always fun to see grandma and to catch up. unfortunately the only pictures i'd taken of grandma her eyes were closed...thus i won't embarrass her by posting them.  your welcome grandma!

oh, the faces of sienna!

happy mid-week!

isn't it always nice to reach a middle ground when you're employed outside the home?  well, i still find that i like that point in the week being at home with my kids.  it's one step closer to stephen being home with us during the weekend.  time to spend together as a family and just relax a little.  especially now that summer is here. 

so i had a doctor's appointment today!  dr. biter is still out of town due to a family emergency, so i was lucky to get in with dr. cobb.  he's just so nice!  i'm really looking forward to this birth with both doctors.  as it happens, i am currently dilated to (almost) a three and am effaced 70%.  woo-hoo!  mr. wyatt has felt so low lately that i figured something must be going on down there.  and you add on the pelvic pressure and the extreme waddling and it's all coming together.  we'll see how long it'll take for wyatt to make his entrance to the world.  i'm taking guesses, by the way!  leave a comment and guess:

• what day he'll come
• how much he'll weigh
• how long he'll be
• what color hair he'll have (sienna came out with red, chloe with brown...yes!)

i give the winner a little surprise!  it'll make it all more fun.

time to go lift my swollen feet.  ta-ta!

swollen

my poor toes, ankles and fingers.  when it's bad, it's bad.  i'll survive though.  true story!

i liked this blurry photo of chloe getting ready for church on sunday.  not sure why that includes toilet paper, we'll have to ask her about that. 

have you ever noticed how much music affects you?  maybe it doesn't affect you like it does me.  it can really cheer me up when down, bored, unmotivated, etc.  i find that it can make a world of difference.  likewise, some music can make me depressed.  i always think of the the cure in the wedding singer and it's effects on robby.  haha...the 80's were awesome.  i love pandora, speaking of music.  not a fan of the ad pictures they have on there now, but it's still a great resource to hear new bands and enjoy music of certain genres.

anyway...here's some of my favorite artists lately...some older, some newer:

joy williams

  keane

regina spektor

cake

two door cinema club

the kooks

on another note, all this nesting that's been taking over my life you'd think that i'd have crafted.  no, unfortunately...no.  unpacking and organizing has taken it's place.  i had all these plans to have a baby quilt ready for little man when he arrives, as well as some burp cloths and some other cute baby boy things.  no such thing has happened.....yet.  there's still time right?  right!  so hopefully tonight i can bust something out.  wish me luck!

a few things this friday

welcome weekend!  i welcome you with gusto!

first off...i'd like to thank my wonderful mother and stepfather mike.  they are exactly what i needed today.  they came and picked up my kids about twenty minutes ago to take them to a movie and keep them until we meet them for my brother's birthday dinner tonight.  HALLELUJAH!  it is exactly what i needed today.  it's times like that when i break down crying with gratitude (for real, i did).  very grateful.

another thing.  we are truly blessed.  it's the little things, isn't it?  well...we won $50 off our rent next month by correctly guessing how many skittles were in a jar.  i never win anything!  and we could use saving money anywhere right now. 

there are no plans this weekend.  i repeat...no plans.  this is a very rare thing.  i'm very excited to just do nothing or do whatever feels good at the moment.  and?  it's the fourth of july weekend!  i love july for many reasons.  a. celebration of our country's independence, b. my birthday is in the third week of july, c. my son is due in the third week of july, d. there is usually summer weather to be had finally (and indeed it is here!).  j u l y = beautiful.

something no so fun, but that is a nice sign of a baby preparing to enter the world.  pelvic pressure during pregnancy.  i'm sure most of you women reading this have experienced this; maybe not though.  when your baby is finally putting serious pressure on your lower pelvic area it feels like the bones in your pelvis are gonna break.  they hurt!  that plus your ligaments and such down there, are being stretched and relaxed from hormones preparing for the upcoming birth of mr. baby.  thus have i been experiencing since early last night (and off and on over the past weeks).  all night long i slept horribly because every time i tried to turn over or move at all it was a serious ordeal.  OUCH.  i figured it would feel better after resting all night.  wrong.  same old.  that and..."resting all night" was not restful.  i seriously woke up at least five times for a potty break and then woke up at least two or three other times just because.  you truly do block these things from your mind after having the baby.  that way you're willing to engage in future pregnancies.  let me express to future self....pain.  not that reading this later will really stop me from getting pregnant again, if that is truly my desire in the future.  funny how it works, doesn't it?  anyway...if you see a penguin waddling around san diego, be careful...it could be me.  me, prego brooke trying to make it til mr. wyatt decides to make his debut. 

flashback friday:  five years ago today, sienna was a chub-a-wub.  considering she was born two months early at four pounds, it's amazing that at this point (at six months old) she weighed twenty pounds.  chub!  sometimes i forget about all the amazing rolls she had going on on her arms and legs.  that cute round little face is still sienna, but she sure has transformed now.

she was such a sweet little baby.  she played scrabble many a time with us. 

any-hoo...hope your weekend is dandy! 

planning ahead!

do you live in san diego?

wondering where to go see the fireworks this fourth of july?

star 94.1 has a great list of all the displays that will be taking place on monday (the 4th!).  i'm still not sure which location we'll be going to, but i'm looking forward to just hanging out this year and watching the fireworks.  last year we were driving from one location to another in utah.  we saw a bunch from a distance on the freeway...not very patriotic.  especially for someone like me that really likes to celebrate holidays and such.

on another note, i need a shelf like this.  only i need one that isn't expensive...preferably one that is old that i can refurbish myself.  my kitchen is in dire need of shelving space as our cabinets really limit what we can put away.  if you have one or see one or know of one...pass along the happy information!  gracias!

 

(excuse the blurry stolen picture.  i think it was from pottery barn kids from a few years ago)

today

on the agenda today we will be seeing nanny mcphee returns for a dollar with grandma.  regal theaters offer movies for a dollar all summer for kids, which we fully took advantage of also for the last two years (only it was free then).  we absolutely love the first nanny mcphee movie and were so excited to see that the second one was first up on the movie list this year.  so we'll join the throngs of cheap-movie-goers and enjoy a cheap flick this morning.

then? 

more of what we've been doing for the last week or so....organizing.  most of the main unpacking is done.  what really needs to be done is more organizing and figuring out where to put things...or to get rid of them.  we already have a growing pile of things we are getting rid of.  just no room!  keep in mind that i'm having to leave some room for a baby and all of his things that will soon be taking over.  yay!

also today?

i've been promising the girls that we would paint their nails today, so that is a must.  i don't mean to keep putting it off, but things keep coming up.  i think things are finally slowing down enough for us to actually do it. 

tomorrow?

i need to just DO it.  i've been meaning to trim chloe's hair.  yes.  her ends are raggedy and needing a trim, so i will be attempting that fun feat tomorrow.  wish me luck!