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)

happy birthday little brother!

meet derek.  derek porter.  born in 1982, making him 29 today.   yep, it's derek's birthday and i'm here to talk all about him!  (insert very evil laugh)  since derek and i were only two years apart growing up we both loved and despised each other, depending on our stage in life. 

derek was always really into sharks.  actually that's an understatement.  he was completely infatuated with them.  from the age of three up all he drew were sharks and things to do with sharks.  i remember every year when shark week came on whatever channel that was, cause the tv then belonged to him.  nothing else was allowed to be watched.  he knew all the facts about the fish and was sure to also make sure we watched jaws more than a few times. 

derek has also been an artist from the beginning.  as far as i can remember he was always drawing.  during church on sundays he would draw the most awesome caricatures of the bishopric or of the speakers.  he and i also loved playing the "dot game" aside from drawing.  anyway, his drawing obviously served him well as he is now a very talented graphic designer.  he's got skills.

did you know that derek was born with six fingers on one hand?  yes, very princess bride-ish of him, wasn't it?  he actually had two thumbs where any other person had one.  when he was one it was removed surgically.  this was on his right hand, the very same hand his artistry came from.  awesome, huh?

story
derek is the reason i ever started cussing.  not that i still cuss, cause i don't.  but yes, it's true...my first cuss word was "b*t*h".  yes, i called my brother that.  but hey...hold on there.  let me explain.  we were in elementary school and were both very into legos. almost every day we would turn on our beach boys record (record machines rock) and bust out the legos and create away.  one day, derek wanted a piece that i happened to be using.  this was unacceptable to him, so he took it...completely destroying my lego house.  it ticked me off so bad, that i screamed from the very top of my lungs (our parents weren't home at the moment or i probably wouldn't have said it at all from fear of my father's swift hand) the infamous word.  i distinctly remember derek's eyes getting very big and staring at me.  i then remember what followed.  months of blackmail (yes, he's always been devious and smart).  i was his faithful servant.  if not, dad found out what i said and i'd be in for it.  it was truly pitiful folks.  i did everything he wanted.  i got him a drink, i moved off the couch if he wanted to sit there.  this went on for quite some time.  one day i'd had it.  i was playing with a friend and derek wanted me to do something or go somewhere and i said "forget it".  he threatened.  i said "go ahead".  and he did.  and you know what my dad said?  "she's an idiot to call you that, only girls can be that."  hahahahaha....my dad never said a word to me.  that was the extent of my punshiment.  boy, did i get lucky!  (and for the record dad, you're wrong...men can very much be that word)

derek and i served missions for our church at the same time as well.  it was a wonderful time.  we weren't fabulous about writing back and forth, but we did do it.  it was fun hearing about his journey in guatemala and i hope he liked hearing about my experiences in uruguay. 

derek has his bachelor's degree from byu-idaho.

derek is a cancer.

derek likes art.

derek has a girlfriend (sorry ladies)...and she rocks.

h a p p y   b i r t h d a y  d e r e k ! ! !

more memories

as i'm trying to figure out where all this "stuff" is going to fit in our new apartment it has been fun going through bins of memories from my youth.  a lot of what i'm finding is from high school and college.  love notes, regular notes, letters back and forth, random pictures, etc.  it's cracking me up!  above, i filled out this questionairre when i was almost nine years old.  i'm loving the fashion statements that show the period (#4), the wonderful relationship i had with derek at the time (#9) and the clear understanding of what money can buy (#13).  awesome!

kelly hart was one of my best friends in high school.  i have some really great memories with her!  she was one of the sweetest people you'd ever met, but also so fun.  we were common thrift store buddies and had numerous sleepovers.  this is us snowboarding in lake tahoe during our ski club's snowboarding trip during senior year.   her boyfriend was a trooper and stuck with us quite a bit, even despite the fact that he was a seasoned snowboarder.  we were just starting and weren't very good.  we had so much fun though!

miss lauren and i grew up going to middle school and high school together but really didn't even get to know each other until half way through our senior year.  all that time wasted without knowing each other better!  anyway...above is proof that ditching school was worth it for us...a quick ten minute drive to the beach from school.  too perfect!  we were quick ditching buddies.  the beach and power surge cafe were our mainstays, though i've no doubt there were other such wonderful places we ventured to.  she also introduced me to they might be giants, who we saw in concert at street scene in 1998.  i've since seen t.m.b.g. two more times....love them and their music!  below is said concert in 98' with lauren.  ("ugly dog" to come lauren!)

more memories are sure to come with all these bins full of fun things to share!

boots, babies and barbecue!

my amazingly awesome bff threw me a honky-tonkin' baby shower a few weekends ago, and i loved it! unfortunately i don't have many pictures of it either.  i'm so grateful for so many wonderful friends who came to celebrate little wyatt's upcoming birth and arrival!  four weeks to go, possibly less.  we'll see! 

my sister (step, but still...i always wanted sisters, and now i have kari and shawna, yay!), kari, came and hung out for a while.  aren't we cute in our pregnant-ness?  kari is a few months behind me, due with little cali later in the summer.  i don't know how she works as hard as she does plus being prego.  she is a professional chef and has her hands full.  rest kari!

nina is so dang creative! where do i even start?  wish i'd taken pictures of the food tables and such...she is amazing.  we ate homemade pulled-pork sandwiches (yum nina!), homemade cole slaw and baked beans (thanks lucynthia!...seriously, your beans ROCK) and my family's potato salad (gracias mom!).  nina also had my favorite, and constant craving...chewy chips ahoy.  so bad.  i could eat a whole bag in a day.  easy.  there was also old-fashioned coke in glass bottles, lemonade, strawberries with the dip from heaven and the DELICIOUS chocolate and oreo moose mason jarred dessert.  i'm still dreaming of just the food.  

there were also quilts laying about on the grass for us all to sit on, not to mention the cute gift holder and awesome "wyatt" sign.  oh!  and then the peonies, roses and hydrangeas!  my faves.

nina...seriously?  i heart you way too much, for obvious reasons.  and also for the not-so-obvious reasons.  

now wyatt is much more ready to come!

friday randoms

as we have just moved it has brought me to this deep-cleaning, re-organization state.  not to mention i'm nesting, which has turned out to be a huge blessing with the move as i have plenty to do in that aspect.  i have been going through tons of plastic bins of things i'd been keeping, through three-ring-binders full of random papers, and so forth.  i can't remember where i got the paper above, but i'm pretty sure i was in high school.  i found it funny then, not quite as much now....still....funny enough that i wanted to share it.  it's not great quality and i considered re-typing it up for you, but changed my mind.  see if you can do that math!

stephen found this last night while going through one of his random bins of things.  he wrote this on 9/17/1995 during third period at school.  awesome, huh?  i think my personal favorite is the last entry...which is yours?

then some recent artwork by the girls.  both of them love to draw and create, especially sienna.  it seems like she is always coloring something.  now that our patio is more cleared out i need to get them painting again.  one of my favorite things about these drawings (aside from the cute manner in which they each wrote their names) is the color schemes.  sienna has been using all kinds of really great color combos which i'm really digging.  sometimes they also write a bunch of random letters in a row on the page.  i'll ask them what it says, and most of the time they say they don't know.  occasionally it'll be a made up word that they come up with.  love my creative little girls!

a small little sidenote:  yesterday while chloe is coloring some alphabet pages that we bought them, she decides to add eyelashes to a character.  she says, "i'm going to add some eye-blinks."  haha....love my bug.

the fair

just a few kangaroos hangin' around at the fair that i ran into.  we bought some battered potatoes from them...YUM!  nina introduced me to them last year and i was so excited to get some more this year.  i actually didn't anticipate going to the fair at all this year to save money and to avoid pregnancy woes from walking around for hours, but we decided to introduce my step-sister, shawna, to the fair.  glad we did!  we had a lot of fun with her!

AAA

are you a triple-a (AAA) member?  if you are, and you're only using it for emergency roadside assistance, think again!  i just did!  maybe i'm a bit slow...it's possible i'm the only one not using it for all it's worth.  i finally went on their website and looked up all the discounts available for dining, entertainment, etc. and was excited to see that there are some pretty good ones.  

some that i wrote down for my personal future use:

Regal Entertainment Group

Save up to 40 percent on movie tickets and gift packs, good at Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres or Edwards Theatres nationwide. Regal Entertainment Group discount movie tickets are available at Auto Club branches only. Members may purchase a Premiere Super Saver Movie Ticket (unrestricted) for $8.00, a VIP Super Saver Movie Ticket (restricted) for $7.00, or a Regal Ultimate Premiere Movie Gift Pack which includes two Premiere movie tickets and a $10 Regal gift card for $28.00. No expiration dates. Must purchase a minimum of 4 tickets.

Amtrak

Save 10 percent on Amtrak’s lowest available rail fare at time of booking. Three-day advance reservation required. For reservations, call 1-800-USA-RAIL (872-7245) or go online.

Catalina Express

Save $7.50 on Adult and $2.50 on Child round trip boat transportation to Catalina. To download coupon, click here. Coupon required.

Location Count:  4  |  Distance: 30 miles

Courtyard by Marriott

Save 5 percent on the best available rate at the time of booking. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Hampton Inn

Save up to 10 percent on the best available rate at Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites at the time of booking. Satisfaction guaranteed. For reservations, call 1-866-AAA-SAVE (222-7283) or go online.

Hertz Car Rental

Exclusive savings and benefits on daily, weekend, weekly and monthly rentals. For reservations, call 1-800-654-3080 or go online (CDP #004). Save 50 percent on the Hertz #1 Club Gold membership fee when enrolling online.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Save 5 percent or more on the best available rate at the time of booking. Satisfaction guaranteed. For reservations, call 1-866-AAA-SAVE (222-7283) or go online.

1-800-FLOWERS

Save 20 percent on products. To purchase, call 1-800-356-9377 or go online and mention promo code 20AAA.

Banana Republic Factory Store

Save 10 percent on all purchases, including sale merchandise. (um, hello?)

Barnes & Noble.com

Save 10 percent in addition to the lowest current price on all online purchases and receive FREE shipping on orders of $25 or more. Shop online at AAA.com/barnesandnoble.

Carlsbad Premium Outlets

Show your Auto Club membership card at the Information Center and receive a VIP coupon book. (yes please!)

Gap Outlet

Save 10 percent on all purchases, including sale merchandise.

Kmart.com

Save 5 percent on your online order.

Payless ShoeSource

Save 10 percent on all regularly priced merchandise.

Target.com

Save 10 percent when you shop at AAA.com/target.

all of this, not to mention these:

• 10% off at the Getty Museum stores, cafe's, etc.
• 15% off Hornblower Cruises
• 30% off Knottsberry Farm admission
• $1 off entry to the Maritime Museum
• cheap movie tickets for Regal Cinemas
• 10% off your meal at the Chart House, El Torito, Hard Rock Cafe, Mimi's Cafe and Wetzel's Pretzels
• a free chocolate fondue at the Melting Pot when you buy at least one entree

pretty awesome, huh?   

so go start saving people! 

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!

let's do some math

moving + pregnant =  a very tired mama-cita with swollen feet and ankles and a sore lower back. 

the remedy? 

help!  what's a good remedy?  i'm drinking extra water to help with the swollen part, but i still have so much to unpack that it seems like my back is destined for misery.  luckily the girls are extra self-occupied the first few hours of the morning so i can get stuff done.  then they start bickering just after lunch and drive me crazy until bedtime.  it's a good thing they're so cute. 

the girls' last swim lesson is today...boo-hoo!  we loved having swim lessons at murray callan.  i love their teaching method and i love how much the girls loved it.  their teacher, miss delaney, was very patient and so sweet too.  sienna is practically swimming now, though she still needs to learn a lot.  she's okay if she can touch the bottom to push herself up after swimming around.  if she didn't have that, she might just drown.  she still has to work on her "digs" (first swimming strokes), which then leads to other things.  chloe too.  they're basically at the same point in their progression.  hopefully today delaney can give me some pointers as to what to help them with this summer!

have a great mid-week day!

girlies

let's do some updates on the kiddos shall we?

good.

miss chloe

me- chloe, you need to learn to blow your nose.
chloe- (very matter-of-factly) when i grow up i will

chloe- isn't this funny mommy?  my hair is going for a little ride (as she runs about watching her hair swish back and forth)

chloe- mommy, you're a goopy (run-off from the little mermaid calling flounder a "guppy")


photos by:
blackbird ink photography












chloe is in the 97th percentile still for her weight...not shocking.  her height is in the 75th percentile.  love my big, growing girl.  she loves to sing and memorizes the words to songs quickly and easily.  she is almost always singing one disney song or another.  every where we go she begs to listen to the tangled songs, she knows every word...it's so cute.  she is a very good and obedient girl, though occasionally rather dramatic.  she is still very much obsessed with stuffed animals as well.  for whatever reason she hates to go to the bathroom, and i basically have to demand that she goes, or she waits til the last second and runs in there just barely making it.  she also bats her eyes when asking for something she wants from you.  huh?  where did you learn that child?

 miss sienna

still quite obsesses with tank tops and shorts, she'd wear them continually if i let her. she now knows the rules...if it's warm outside that day, she wear them...so she swears every day it's going to be really hot.  good one sienna...you're not far off...just be patient.  june gloom will end some time soon.  this girl also loves salad (hold the dressing...say what? yes).  never expected that one!  she has a decibel range in her voice that exceeds that of a soprano.  while driving in the car i can rarely hear anything but sienna.  she is quite loud.  she loves to draw and color and her drawings are becoming quite colorful and elaborate lately.  i love the designs she makes!  i should scan a few of her latest that she made for me and post them.  she is also quite in love with slurpee's.  i made the mistake of letting them have their first during that really hot week in february or march.  ever since then she's constantly asking for one, especially after swim lessons.  being that their last swim lesson is this week, grandma generously offered to pay for their last slurpee.  no wonder sienna loves her grandma!

where i've been

in case you have been wondering, i've been...

organizing

packing

cleaning

registering for fall classes

taking kids to swim lessons

going to pre-natal doctor's appointments

packing more boxes

reading jane eyre (which i finished two nights ago!)

editing photos

trying to rest somewhere inbetween

and packing more boxes

i forget what an ordeal it is to move, and half of my stuff is already in boxes in storage.  i'm very happy about that.  unfortunately, being prego (and having pre-term labor history) makes it difficult to be uber productive...not to mention that i'm due in 5 weeks.  i've had to force myself to rest and lay down occasionally to keep from over doing it.  when i over do it i tend to contract and get lower back pains.  lately i've been a little nauseous too, i so thought that was over.  boo.

we move into our new apartment tomorrow morning, and i'm so excited!  a new chapter in our lives will be exciting.  it's too bad that chapter doesn't include a three-bedroom apartment instead of a two-bedroom (with two, almost three kids), but i'm really not that concerned.  i can totally make this work.  i always think of a family in la jolla that we lived near who had four kids in a two-bedroom for years.  i've no doubt it was crazy, but they made it work.  so can i!

off i go to hopefully be productive.  but first...i should brush my children's hair or something silly like that.  ha!

a memorial swim

luckily for san diego memorial day turned out to be a rather nice day!  we enjoyed it with family (as we live with some) and were able to dip in the pool.  well, they did, not me.  during said time sienna was able to practice her "digs" in the pool with daddy.  the girls have been taking swimming lessons at murray callan in san marcos and have been doing great.  i love m.c. because they teach the kids to have confidence in themselves in the water right away.  both of the girls aren't afraid to put their faces in the water anymore and are taking great strides towards become real swimmers.  it's fun to watch.

sienna swimming to daddy, doing her "digs" (long arm strokes).

stephen guiding her back towards the steps in the pool. 

stephen also took this opportunity to get his children used to the surfboard.  he's been claiming for a few summers now, that he's going to teach them to surf.  i have no doubt he will now that they're learning to swim finally.  sienna had fun on the surfboard, as she is pretty fearless (except if you're talking about splash mountain or the matter horn at disneyland...weird).  she even stood up a few times before falling into the water. 

chloe, our not-so-fearless child takes a casual ride around the pool, begging to get off most of the time.  silly girl.  daddy claims he will conquer that obstacle.

sienna also demonstrates her awesome front flip into the pool from the diving board.  i love that she can do it!  i don't even do it, but she does...and easily!  see....

1.

2.

3.

and last but not least, stephen provides a real-life ocean for the kiddos in the pool.  it was crazy big swells in the baker pool that day.  i'm glad sienna didn't stress about it!

tough mudder 2011 (part 2)

if you haven't seen part one yet, see here.

after exiting the boa constrictor, all three guys decided they were sick of wearing their shirts.  oh, boys!  stephen had no sunscreen under his shirt, so it really doesn't need to be said, but i'll say it...he got toasted!   in fact, he's still suffering the consequences of his action.  his shoulders blistered and everything.  yuck, and pain.

this guy (above) both grossed me out and cracked me up.  he ran the whole thing in....a speedo?  yup.  he did.  at the end of the race it was pretty funny cause he was scared to run through the electro-shock area...gee, i wonder why.  a little exposed, i would say.

nina took the sequence of shots of stephen's flip and i managed to catch this one shot of him upside-down during his flip.  the guys just in front (in blue) blocked the rest of my shots unfortunately. 

i'm sure it was an accident (riiiight honey?), but as stephen climbed out of the ice bath (obstacle 4) he mooned everyone watching.  quite entertaining really.  poor tyler probably got the best shot as he was waiting behind stephen to climb out of the icy water.  here stephen is correcting the oops.

then up the nice steep climb...

electro-shock!  yay!!!!  so as the runners come running towards their last obstacle they are sprayed by a fire hose.  isn't that nice of the volunteers?  they cared just that much to make sure the runners got shocked.  i loved the black sign off to the left that you see as you're coming towards the shock wires, "do not pee on electric fence."  now that's some good advice!

post-race...and talking about the race and all the craziness. 

me and prego belly very happy to have husband be done (after three hours and forty minutes!).  i needed to sit down, and not on dirt.

the siebert clan!

thanks nina for finding the tough mudder and inspiring our crazy husbands to partake.  you rock!