T-Mac and the Booger

Well, we are back from the fabulous trip we had.  It was a lot of fun, involved lots of beach and pool time, some time with good friends, lots of time with family, TONS of bugs and a hurricane…

But it was a lot of fun.  The first few days were rainy and humid, Tuesday we got hit by tropical storm Andres, that was later upgraded to a hurricane, luckily we were on the edge of the thing, so that we just felt like we were drowning when we walked outside, but didn’t get the huge winds or anything like that.  After that, the weather was perfect (if not almost too hot), unfortunately without the rain to tame them, the bugs were out in full force… our hotel was basically surrounded by jungle and nothing else, so the bugs were happy, free critters… ick!

To cut down on how long this post could be, I am going to just post A LOT of pictures with captions… that may save some of you from hating my “come-back posts!”

One of the days we were in Mexico we drove to Nuevo Vallerta to meet our friends J.M. and April for a day, and to let our kids wear each other out, without wearing us out as well.

 L-R: Sophie mothering Michael (she later ate the treats she gave him), Sophie and Carter in the sand, Sophie lounging, Coming down the slide (she also went down the big slides with Dad, but all I got were splash pictures).

My favorite picture from the trip, April, Carter, Sophie and I in the penthouse hot tub, drinking smoothies that tasted like Pina Coladas, looking out over the ocean (thanks Ken for letting us use your hot tub and bringing us our drinks during happy hours!):

One day we travelled to Puerto Vallerta, to a restaurant that was a set from Predator, and had a natural water slide, which they eventually kicked us off of, stupid.

L-R: Rachel and Sophie displaying the pretty princess flowers, Jeff headed down the slide, Sophie swimming around the pool at the bottom of the slide… the water was freezing!

We ate at this lovely Italian restaurant… with delicious homemade riccotta cheese and good pizza (especially for Mexico), the best part is, it was right on the beach.  So we took some pictures of the sunset:

The last day we took a boat out for some snorkeling,, I don’t snorkel and Sophie can’t, obviously, so her and I stayed on the boat and watched everyone else look at fish.  The guide was nice and dove down to get neat things for us to look at, and made sure that we went to an area where we could see the tropical fish from the boat.  Sophie liked seeing her granola bar feed the fish, they jumped out to get the pieces.

Most of the rest of the trip involved the beach or our pool… Sophie loved both, she spent hours every day in both places.  The only time she took a willing break was when she painted ceramics with me, her pig turned out super cute, the paint man added cute flowers and hearts (I will have to get a picture some time soon).  So for my records and Grandma’s enjoyment, here are some pictures of Sophie swimming and on the beach:

It was a great trip, and like last time, was a great relaxing place to visit while being pregnant.  It may turn into a tradition… we’ll have to see.  But, we are glad we got to go and play and relax.  Can’t believe we are back to real life already.

Filed under: My crazy life on June 30th, 2009 | 3 Comments »

While the internet in our nice (but with sad internet) hotel is working I thought I would give a shout out to 2 of my favorite Dads, (Gerry would be included… but he scoffed at my blog)!

First of all, my Dad… OGO to my little Booger.  He is super fabulous, so much fun, and probably feeling pretty overworked… new calling and all!  But he always makes time to talk to me and help me figure stuff out… besides which, my daughter can’t stop asking to talk to her OGO… she pretty much adores him, and his crazy sense of humor.

To Jeffrey: Love you tons, and you are a fabulous Daddy… and because you are yelling at me to go eat… I will leave it at that.  But Sophie loves her Dad and has him wrapped around her little finger.

Filed under: My crazy life on June 21st, 2009 | 1 Comment »

I have been MIA the last little while, and will go away again for a week… yeah for Mexico!  So I leave you (AKA my mom) a little something to tide you over while I enjoy what I hope to be fun in the sun!

First off, I have some pictures from our first time out on the boat in a LONG time… It was too cold to get in the water… the wind was crazy and between the 1, 2, and 3 years olds and the pregnant me, we couldn’t do too much.  But it was fun to get out and “cruise” and Sophie liked the boat, and the snacks that I packed!

Here are some pictures of the conundrum that is my child…

Here we are twirling in a tutu (notice the bracelet on the elbow and the giant flower she is dancing with):

Here she is taking a break from the dancing to play a little golf…

And here she is cooking a little dinner for the post party meal:

Lastly, here is Sophie in her new princess dress (thanks Grandma!):

Filed under: Odds N' Ends, Sophie on June 19th, 2009 | No Comments »

My Dad sent home a couple dresses that I wore when I was Sophie’s age, and wanted pictures of her trying them on.  Sophie loved the purple one (princess color don’t you know) and so for an early Father’s Day present her are the pictures of Sophie in my old dress (my mom made this dress… she made such great little girl dresses… oh wait, she still makes the greatest little girl dresses…):

Filed under: Sophie on June 19th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

This afternoon my mother-in-law picked up Sophie to go to Shrek and popcorn day at her first grade classroom.  So, I leisurely arrived home, made lunch and prepared to enjoy my So You Think You Can Dance and pack up some books.  Half way into my lunch I got a phone call from Kelly… Sophie has lice.  Kelly said that she saw little black specks moving in Soph’s hair, took her to the school nurses, who said, take her home now… and then I did what was to be expected… FREAKED OUT.  I started pulling sheets off the beds, picking up clothes to wash and crying… (stupid meetings at work, and bugs will make me not a happy camper).  I called Jeff, crying, and he offered to come home, so I said yes (he wasn’t upset, it is his Friday, and he was done with his projects), and then called Brittany (Sophie’s babysitter) so that she could check her kids.

Justin brought Sophie home, she was a little freaked out too, and I saw little black specks in her hair, and started itching bad… ick!  Jeff finally came home and says “Where are the lice?”  Kelly comes over with all the special shampoo… and we show Jeff the black spots… he swears it is nothing.  Then Brittany calls to say, I don’t see anything but dirt in my kids hair… they were playing in the tan bark and throwing dirt at each other today (Sophie was in on the fun).  Then we all start questioning the school nurses… is there really no lice?  So we plop Sophie in the tub (Web MD says that a wet combing is the best way to find out about lice) and comb through with the special nit comb.  No lice… in the bath were little black spots of dirt… At this point the bag of chocolate that Kelly brought over to commiserate our awful afternoon, was merely a good prize.  So I called Brittany back claiming school nurses not being thorough enough… or possibly too freaked out to get close to my kids head.

All I can say is that I am so, SO pleased that there is no lice in my house… my house is now super clean, all the sheets cleaned, and the living room clean as well as the couch (thanks Kel) and my bathroom is clean ( Kelly was on a roll).  I would also like to apologize to Brittany for freaking her out (I assume) and having her clean all her sheets before calling her to tell her it was a false alarm.  And, if you ever need lice supplies… I am well stocked.

Filed under: My crazy life on June 4th, 2009 | 4 Comments »

It was again my turn to bring a birthday cake for my friend Judith at work… but you know me, I am not content just buying a cake (see last year) I had to make something creative and crazy.  So this year I was inspired by an Enrichment night that I attended with my friend Tara.  They had a retro Enrichment night and we learned how to turn cupcakes into cute flowerpots with fondant, and then we learned to make fondant roses.  My results:

So for Judith, Tara and I came up with a bigger better idea… make a large version of the cute little flowerpot.  So I used the bottom of my giant cupcake pan and made myself (or Judith) a bigger version.  I didn’t have the brown food coloring to make a terracotta pot, but made a cute green one instead… and then made cutesy daisy like flowers instead of the roses… because I like doing new things!  So here is what I came up with:

And here is the birthday girl with her cake… yea for Judith!!!

Filed under: My crazy life on May 21st, 2009 | 4 Comments »

Today is Jeff and my 6th anniversary… I can’t believe that it has been that long.  Time has flown by.  We have come from this:

To this:

And finally to this:

So this weekend we celebrated at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco.  Our view was pretty awesome…

Then we saw all the new movies that we wanted to see (Wolverine, Start Trek and Angels and Demons)… it was great.  Thanks to the in-laws for watching the Boog.

I am so excited that I was able to be sealed to my best friend for all time and eternity… I can’t wait for the next 6 years.  It’s gonna be crazy and great!  I love you Jeff!

Filed under: The Mayor, My crazy life on May 17th, 2009 | 4 Comments »

An update about Sophie’s going ons in the last little while.  Between Sophie being sick, Jeff being sick, Mother’s Day and monster 30th birthday parties (so fun April, you should turn 30 next year again!) I haven’t had the energy to post (there has also been that little issue of the pregnancy, I find that makes me lacksidasical).  So here are some pictures of Sophie to 1. satisfy the grandmas and 2. make a new first post… something that has NOTHING to do with puke… I hope!

Sophie recieved an easel and new bedding for her birthday (Pretty Princess… thanks Grandma and Ogo)… she has thoroughly enjoyed them both…

When Sophie got sick, we were stuck inside for a couple of days, so on Sunday I made her cupcakes so that she could frost and sprinkle them (she really just likes sprinkles).  She did a pretty good job.

Uncle Andy (whose name Sophie will now say) and his buddy Quinn came to visit last weekend (thank heavens, extra hands with a sick husband can never be a bad thing).  When they arrived Sophie decided to play ball with Quinn.  So, she would stand on one leg and throw the ball to Quinn (why one leg?  I have no idea!).  Then he would tell her to get ready and she would stand with her hands out, and balance on one foot waiting to catch the ball.  When she caught it, she would run to Uncle Andy and throw herself at him for a big hug.  It was great, and I don’t think Andy minded all the hugs!

Sophie is becoming quite the character!

Filed under: Sophie on May 13th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

2 A.M. is not the time of the day you want to wake up just in time to hear your 2 year old throw up on the back of your head…. ick.

Filed under: Sophie on May 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment »

It’s my birthday, and well, we will celebrate for at LEAST 4 days, if I want to.  And so we did.  This last weekend we went to LA for my fabulous (AKA free) birthday celebration at DisneyLand… and ended up with a seriously packed weekend of fun.  I know I usually break up these posts, but I decided just to go for it.  Take a break in the middle, grab a drink, a snack, take a nap and then come back and finish if you have any desire… this blog is for me and the grandmas, you all are just along for the ride!

It started Friday after work, Jeff and Sophie picked me up and off we went.  It was a dream drive, seriously.  Sophie napped, watched Beauty and the Beast 2 times, and we listened to a book on the Ipod (or more accurately, Jeff heard it all, and I slept through the middle of it… I am such an exciting driving partner).  We made it to my brother’s house in about 5.5 hours… not too bad.  Then, because Andy was out on some date thing… (he loves me so much, he left when I came into town!) we met Sean, Rachel and Justin for dinner at one of my favorite Westwood restaurants, Mr. Noodle… yummy, I got this wonton noodle soup, and it was delicous.  And if we are eating at Mr. Noodle then you have to get dessert at Diddy Riesse (how can you pass up 2 fresh baked cookies with ice cream in between for just $1.50?!?!)  Then we headed back to Andy’s to visit a little before we went to bed.  See how productive we were?  All three brothers in just one night… we are AWESOME!

Saturday we headed off to Universal Studios (the last time we will probably use our season passes) and took Sophie to see the Shrek show… from the instant we walked in and saw the 3 piggies hanging from the ceiling she was excited.  She also was so happy when they did the recap of the first movie, I think everyone was looking at us when she started yelling “Nanny, Shek, Nanny, yea!!!”  She was excited.  She also kept the 3-D glasses plastered to her head THE WHOLE MOVIE, it was funny.  When we met up with people later she was telling people about “Nanny and Shek” and then would lift her hands up in the air (which is what she does at the end of the first movie when Fiona flies up and changes into an ogre for the last time…).  Also, did you know there is a playground at Universal Studios?  Behind the water playground is a normal playground and ball room.  Great place to let the kids just run crazy… it was nice, except for the dad who insisted on climbing up the tunnel slide next to the sign saying only kids under 40 inches tall allowed on equipment…

We then met Jeff’s brothers at ESPN Zone (in LA) for lunch and to watch the first part of the NFL Draft.  FYI the ESPN Zone in LA is not the best one.  2 big complaints.  1.. The girls bathroom had ZERO tvs in the stalls (one of the best parts of ESPN Zone) and 2. My cookie dessert did not come in its requisite skillet… still delicious, but lacking the delicious bubbling effect.  After lunch we headed back to Universal Studios for the Animal show (which Sophie loved) and the backlot tour (during which Sophie fell asleep, in the middle of a flashflood of all things!).  She woke up during the Waterworld show and was very unhappy about the noise, so we decided it was time to take off.

Our next stop was to visit one of Jeff’s converts from Guataemala.  Hugo moved to the LA area after arriving in the states a few years ago and called Jeff out of the blue last week.  Talk about good timing.  So we got to visit with him and his family.  I think it was Jeff’s favorite part of the trip.  Hugo had gone inactive and was living with his now wife, when SHE ran into the missionaries.  After a long time of taking the discussions they told her she wouldn’t be able to go any further unless she stopped living with Hugo.  Hugo didn’t like that and said they should just get married.  So they did, and last year they were sealed in the temple.  Jeff was pretty excited to hear all about them.  He was also really excited when Gloria (Hugo’s wife) made us pupusas (Jeff’s favorite mission food).  She made it look easy, and I know it isn’t, but I just might have to try my hand at making some myself.  Gloria’s 3 teenagers were there, and were so nice, and it was really nice that they spoke English, so I had some conversation also… I can follow enough Spanish, but it is a little tough to keep up.

Sunday was nice.  I made breakfast for Andy and Jeff, so we could hang out some, and then Jeff and I left for Anaheim.  We walked around Downtown Disney and played in our (not so nice) hotel pool.  We weren’t staying in the Grand Californian until the next night, unfortunately.  But Sophie loved the pool regardless of the slightly shabby nature.  Luckily the room was decently nice.  That is really all that matters to me.  Also, the hotel was within walking distance to the park.

The next morning we left early to get to the park and buy our passes (you can’t upgrade the free birthday passes until your actual birthday) and get into the park right at opening.  We got into the park and it was nice.  Not too busy, we got through a lot of stuff (well, Sophie and preggo Tammy stuff).  Sophie enjoyed the Disney Playhouse show and all the rides over in Bug’s Life land or whatever it is called.  We went on 4 rides in less then 40 minutes… not too much traffic.  Jeff was super nice and got me reservations at the Blue Bayou for my birthday (it is the restaurant inside Pirates of the Carribean) and it was really nice.  A little pricey, and really only on our list for special occassions, but fun.  We then checked into our fabulous Disney hotel.  I opened up my new Le Creuset pot (thanks Mom and Dad) and some musicals from Jeff among other things.  Put Sophie down for a nap… and then Jeff left for his time on the big kid rides!

We headed back to the park later that night.  Basically lots of playing.  We ran into our friend Teri and her kids, always nice to see friendly faces, and just enjoyed hanging out the 3 of us.  I realized that that was the 1st time that we have ever gone to an amusement park just us… we usually have one set (or both sets) of parents with us.  It was fun having time with the 3 of us, especially as our time as 3 is rapidly coming to an end.  Sophie really loves the rides and acually insisted that we take a picture with Minnie Mouse, even though she was kinda scared of being next to her.   She shows off her personality quite well… she hates lines and has little patience when things don’t go her way… she could have gotten that from Dad (just maybe…).  Tuesday was more fun playing in the park… we knocked out most of Fantasy Land before the general public was let in (the whole reason we stayed in the Disney Hotel) and eventually left when Sophie started getting tired and cranky.  It was a long drive home, but we had a lot of fun, and I am so glad that we did it.  Enjoy all the pictures (is it weird that my kids favorite ride is the Tea Cups?  She likes Dumbo too, but LOVES the Tea Cups… crazy girl).  Thanks Jeffrey for such a fabulous birthday weekend!

I love Sophie on the rides… she says “Whee” A LOT… in fact, that is how you know she enjoys it, that and the tantrum when the ride stops… I just started promising the next ride as soon as the ride started slowing down.

Do you see the pure joy on Sophie’s face in pic #4… that is the joy of the Tea Cups… told you she liked them!  Also, that rope bridge totally freaked me out, but my child has no fear and when her foot fell through, she just pulled it out and kept going… Grandmas, this girl has NO fear of heights.

Thanks again Jeff, I loved my birthday celebrations!

Filed under: The Mayor, My crazy life, Sophie on April 30th, 2009 | 1 Comment »