Say it, don't spray it!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: On your toes

2012-01-25T22:15:00.000-08:00

Em loves herself some puzzles. She can do this one all by herself.

Braids

Giant necklace city, population: 1

Ballet class

Puddle jumper

Stuff Em Says

2012-01-23T22:49:00.000-08:00

Brent: Tell me a story...about a duck.

Em: Once upon a time, there was a duck in a beeeautiful castle. It lived happily ever after. THE END.

Brent: Tell me a story...about a kitty.

Em: Once upon a time, there was a kitty in a beeeautiful castle. It lived happily ever after. THE END.

Brent: Tell me a story...about a horse.

Em: Once upon a time, there was a horse in a beeeautiful castle. It lived happily ever after. THE END.

*****

Em (to Brent): High-five, man!

Em (to me): High-five, woman!

*****

Em, whenever there's a lull in conversation, every day for weeks: What happens when the fire stops?

*****

Brent, singing: No woman, no cry.

Em, singing: Woman, just be happy.

*****

Em: In California, we lock the doors.

*****

Me: Yes, I'll get you some more milk. Just give me a second.

Em (mimicking my exasperated tone): Ok, ok! Just chill me.

*****

Em, just after goodnight kisses from Brent: Thanks so much for the kisses, Daddy! I'm going to dream about flowers growing.

My mom's the bomb

2012-01-22T21:30:00.000-08:00

When we broke the news of our big Los Angeles-to-Portland move to my mom, I assured her that the flight up here was short -- just a little over two hours versus the three hours it takes to drive from her home in Central California to our old place in Los Angeles. I found her a great flight deal, and my mom found herself here last week.

Despite the miles between them, my mom and Em are a dynamic duo. They crack each other up, and my mom is an eager playmate.

Her visit was a nice mix of relaxing at home and exploring the city. We visited the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, which had a ton of Em-friendly exhibits.

Wildlife

Not-so-wild life

Giant frogs

Seriously big!

Enjoying snakes from afar

We found a great, new (to us) brunch place, which happened to be around the corner from a tiny Filipino market. My mom went nuts over these two products, and she couldn't buy them for us fast enough.

It's a sweet yam and coconut ice cream, as well as some sweet corn puffs. Both were delicious!

We also took the opportunity to enjoy the re-release of Beauty & The Beast in 3D, which long-time friends might remember is one of my all-time favorite films. I was worried it might be too scary for Em, but home viewings of the DVD proved to be just fine. I was also afraid of how she'd do with having to wear the glasses for the duration of the film, but we'd talked up the "special glasses" for weeks prior. She kept them on the entire time -- the popcorn distraction probably helped.

It meant a lot to share the magic of this film in the theater. When I fell in love with the movie on my very first date when I was a wee 14 years old (shhhhh!), I never would've imagined I'd get to take my daughter to see it on the big screen someday. She loved it, and during the big ballroom dance scene, she popped up out of her seat to give me a kiss and tell me that the dance was "beautiful!"

Another highlight from my mom's visit was her insistence that Brent and I enjoy dinner out not one, but TWO nights. We have a great date night sitter, but it was still nice to have someone watch her free of charge. We had a decadent night out at Portland's popular Beast, and another night at our new favorite Italian restaurant, a Cena.

Phone calls and the internet help keep us in touch with my mom, but visits like last week keep us close.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2012-01-15T23:39:00.000-08:00

I never have to wonder about the weather back in Los Angeles because folks are either gloating (it's GORGEOUS!) or griping (it's WARM on CHRISTMAS! THE NERVE!) Today, however, I realize that you can take the girl out of Cali, but you can't take the Cali out of the girl.

We had our first snowy Portland day.

And I may have been more giddy about it than I should have been.

:::cue the snickers from folks in cold climates:::

It had snowed a bit this morning before I woke up, but it didn't stick. Brent and Em watched it fall, and it didn't last more than a few minutes.

Not long after we put Em down for her nap this afternoon, we watched as the light rain turned into light snow.

Then it stopped melting as it hit the ground and started to stick!

Just as fast as it arrived, the snow stopped, the clouds parted and the sun burst through. Not wanting Em to miss her first snow, we cut her nap short. She was surprisingly willing to get up from her snoring slumber (toddler snores are THE cutest, by the way) to head out to play.

When I told her we were going to see some snow, she exclaimed, "I want to throw it at your face!"

Um, ok!

Check out our little snow bunny.

She was into it at first.

We made some mini snowballs and threw them around a bit.

We took a little stroll.

When I explained to Em that we couldn't fulfill her request for a snowman because the snow was too slushy, she decided she was over the snow and would rather head back inside.

Inside, Mommy!

Portland doesn't get much snow, typically, but weather forecasts say it's supposed to continue the next couple of days. Hopefully Em will warm up to it a bit more and we'll get enough to make her snowman dreams come true.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Pic Me Up

2012-01-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering, I'm a big fan of this kid.

Friday Five: Put a bird on it

2012-01-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

1. Last weekend while visiting our friends, I slipped down half a dozen stairs of their. The stairs were carpeted, and I was wearing socks, so I assumed it was just a poor fashion choice on my part. I was sore for a day or two, but thankfully it wasn't worse. Today, while carrying a laundry basket with both hands, I slipped down half a dozen of the wooden stairs at our place. I was also wearing socks. Lessons? I need to start wearing my grippy socks down damn stairs, and I'm getting a new laundry basket stat!

2. Tonight is the second season premiere of the sketch show, Portlandia, which as you might guess from the title, is based here in Portland. Brent and I are still catching up on the first season, but we're fans so far. And that's not just because it's a fun way to see and learn about our new town. (This "Put A Bird On It" skit is one of our favs.)

When our in-laws flew up to visit us for Christmas, they were seated behind the show's co-creator/co-star, Carrie Brownstein. My brother-in-law wasn't convinced it was her at first, but then he caught a glimpse of her phone and saw she was texting with the show's other creator/co-star, Fred Armisen. Apparently she gave my father-in-law the stink eye when he used her seat to leverage himself out of his own seat. Quite the stink-eye appropriate offense, truthfully. So be on the lookout for a future episode with those plot lines.

3. My mom will be here in FIVE days!

4. The other day I showed Em our wedding photo.

Em: Oh! So pretty! I wish I could wear that dress!

Me: [panicking on the inside because I donated my dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer years ago.] Yeah...We had a big party, and all our friends and family were there to celebrate. Grandpa gave a speech, and then we kissed...

Me: You KISSED? [shaking her head, giggling, lightly touching her forehead] Oh, GOD! That's so silly!

We're trying to break her of the "Oh, God!" habit, which she obviously picked up from us. We have to stifle our giggles when she does it, though, because it really is adorable.

5. If you have a spare moment, please check out my friend's post here. It's heartbreaking, and they could use your support.

Wordless{ish} Wednesdays: Be our guest

2012-01-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

When Jen, her husband and son took us up on our offer to crash at our place on their way back from California to their Seattle home on New Year's Eve, I was thrilled. I don't think Brent and I had seen them since their wedding, maybe, in 2005!

That means this was the first time we'd get to meet the other's kiddos! Em and Jen's son are just a couple of months apart.

We met up for dinner, which started with Rowan slipping Em a mini bag of M&Ms. He knows the way to her heart already! It also earns him big points with her sweet-toothed mama!

Then they spent a few hours after dinner at our place, plowing through Em's vast collection of toys. It was the first time we'd had another kid at our house, and Em was so excited to show off her room and share all her toys. Suddenly 2 shopping carts, 4 baby dolls, 223 pieces of play food, 2 dozen cans of Play-Doh make total sense -- plenty for them to share, even if it didn't prevent all battles over certain toys.

The next morning the kids were up bright and early, and made us some Play-Doh "cookies."

And they played Toddler Paparazzi for a bit before Jen and family made their way back to Seattle. (See? Two cameras FTW!)

Albeit a brief visit, it was a lot of fun. Brent and I particularly enjoyed it because it's not often we get to see Em interact with kids her own age. We get glimpses of it at preschool drop-off/pick-up, but nothing like we saw with the two of them together.

I wish we all lived closer, but now we have an even more perfect excuse to head up to Seattle. And our PDX door is always open for Jen and her crew!

Friday Five

2011-12-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

1. The holiday decor is put away, and now our house looks so plain in contrast. I don't want to go nuts with tchotchkes, but we definitely need to accessorize around here.

2. Tomorrow is our first New Year's Eve here in Portland. We're not partying it up, which is not our style anyway, but we will get to catch up with some friends. I'm very much looking forward to it.

3. December has been an near-record dry month here, but the past few days are certainly making up for it. The rain coat I ordered from Lands End can't get here soon enough.

4. Brent is on vacation this week, and we had planned to take a daytrip to a local ski area so Em could experience her first snow. However, it's been raining on top of the snow, as well as something we'd never heard of, called "graupel." We'll hold off for a better weekend to check out.

5. Em has a rare but terrifying habit of bolting off in public. It's happened on our neighborhood walks, in the bookstore, at the craft store -- and while I'm always quick to catch her, it scares me to no end. I've started explaining stranger danger, and she's taken it to heart. "What could happen if you run away, Em?" "I could get hurt. Someone could take me. Mommy and Daddy would be very sad. I'd be sad, too." Ugh, it hurts me to even have to think about it, but it's a very important part of this whole parenting gig.

If we took a holiday, took some time to celebrate

2011-12-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

Oh, Christmas 2011, I already miss your face.

Christmas Eve began with Buddy, our elf, bidding Em adieu. Despite my annoyance with the AEF, our family certainly enjoyed Buddy's little shenanigans. Admittedly, I got a little sad setting him up for his last day, but I think it was a sweet good-bye. (Em did, too, for what it's worth, and she's even inquired about his whereabouts a few time since his departure.)

That night after we got our protesting kid to bed -- seriously, Santa was thiiiiis close to leaving coal in her stocking based on that evening alone -- Santa stopped by, with a buttload of gifts from Senior Santas (my in-laws), too.

The evening I wrapped this Rapunzel doll shortly after I'd seen this one at Chelsey's daughter's party.

Mine turned out much less heartwarming and much more gonna-smother-you-while-you-sleep.

Em didn't care, though.

She was happy to rip everything open.

Her one gift request this year was a penguin, but she went back and forth between asking for a BIG penguin and a tiny penguin, so Santa brought her both.

Santa also brought her two play dwellings, which she can't get enough of.

She's also addicted to her new Don't Break The Ice game, or as Em calls it, the "bam-bam-bam game!" She also managed to kick every adults' butt in the game.

And even when she "lost," she exclaimed, "WE WON!"

Although Brent and I have been together for nearly 13 years, Christmas Day dinner was the first meal I'd ever made for my in-laws. I wanted to go all out, so I braved a turkey, scalloped potatoes, Brussels sprouts, bread and pie. The bread and pie were premade, but still! I also tackled a mushroom pot pie especially for my brother-in-law. Brent, god bless him, suggested we place the finished pot pie under the broiler for a minute or two. I protested but finally gave in, only to have the pot pie pastry crust topping CATCH ON FIRE. I would've cried if I weren't too busy opening doors and windows and fanning our smoke detectors.

Brent was extra apologetic, and my brother-in-law even tasted and complimented the burnt crust that Brent had scraped off. Despite the drama, I think the dinner went well. I could've slapped some McNuggets on a plate with a side of ketchup and it would've still been great just because we were sharing it with our family.

Em might've enjoyed it a little more with McNuggest, actually, but we'll just say it was a case of exhausted-after-so-many-gifts-eeee-I-love-Christmas-so-much-itis.

Lest you think we forgot about the Hanukkah celebrations, here are three generations lighting the menorah. Em was particularly enamored by her grandfather's prayer skills.

Hope you all had a great holiday!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Nap yoga

2011-12-28T23:41:00.000-08:00

Can't knock it till I try it, I suppose.

Linking up with The Paper Mama for Wordless{ish} Wednesday.

Just because it's Christmas. And at Christmas you tell the truth. To me, you are perfect.

2011-12-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays from us to you! And here's to an amazing 2012 for everyone!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

2011-12-21T21:41:00.000-08:00

I'm our resident Christmas expert, and Brent is in charge of Em's Hanukkah experience. Although this is technically Em's fourth Hanukkah, this is the first year that Brent is actively explaining its cultural significance to her. Well, as much as one can explain it to a 3-year-old.

Last night was the first of the eight-night celebration, so we lit the first candles on the menorah.

Em, we're going to light the candles...

FIRE!!! Ima just gonna stay over here, Daddy.

Light it up, but be careful not to set ablaze any of the million Christmas directions Mommy just *had* to have.

There you have it! Oh, wait! There's more!

How 'bout a little surprise to celebrate?

I'll close my eyes, Daddy!

A new book!

Hey, even Buddy is getting into the spirit.

Happy Hanukkah, everyone!

A Santa retrospective

2011-12-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

Operation Visit Santa Without Freaking Out was a success!

In line she went back and forth between excitement and fear, but when her turn came, she was happy to see him. She was giddy about the coloring book he gave her, and I was pleased with the Gymboree coupon he gave me as it was a Santa sponsor.

This visit was particularly exciting since multiple attempts last year did not pan out. She refused to get anywhere near the big guy, and would only watch from afar.

The year before, when she had little concept of fear, went great.

At a wee 2 1/2 months old, she could do nothing but sit there, looking stylish in her post-nap haze.

Seeing all these visits together, it blows my mind how much she changes from year to year. Our baby is now a full-fledged little girl!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

2011-12-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

Buddy, our elf on the shelf, has been busy.

Waiting for the bus

Enjoying our decor

Stuck in the snacks

The Buddy, I mean, Beauty Salon

Gone fishin'

Buddy's elf donuts and milk for breakfast

Yo Buddy Buddy!

Ninja in training

Linking up with The Paper Mama for Wordless{ish} Wednesday

Belated Friday Five

2011-12-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

Oh, hey, internets! Didn't mean to take a bloggy break, but I did, so there. How about a very belated Friday Five? We'll call it Tuesday...Twive

1. It feels like I have half a dozen or so unfinished craft projects, some of which I'm excited to share once they're done. Others? Probably best left unsaid.

2. Santa gave me my Christmas gift early, so I'm the proud new owner of a Keurig single-cup coffeemaker. I've had fun trying out traditional coffees, as well as hot apple cider and hot cocoa. I'll be picking up one of those reusable-with-your-own-grinds filters, too, but in the meantime I'm enjoying the little cups I have at the moment.

3. Holiday shopping for Em is dangerous. I'm scared to see how much loot I've picked up, and we still haven't figured out a "big" gift for her, which I know is not necessary but still something I'd like to do. We started off with a bike, but seeing as how it's regularly in the 30s here and will continue to get colder, it seems cruel to give her something she can't really use for a few months. Then we thought about a playhouse, which we could use here indoors until it's warm enough to put it outside. However, Senior Santas (aka my in-laws') got her a fun, cardboard, color-it-in house, so we might hold off on a more deluxe playhouse a while longer. Now I'm thinking about an upgraded dollhouse. Decisions, decisions.

4. Naptime revamping in the house. Em used to nap from 1-3, but then her bedtime protests started to go on for HOURS. However, on days she didn't nap, she'd go to bed just fine, no stalling. We're playing around with a shorter nap, which I stealthily get her to take on the couch. That way when it comes time to wake her up after an hour, I can simply get up and walk loudly or slyly bump her. This leads her to think that she's waking up on own, instead of getting pissed at me when I go to wake her up from her peaceful slumber in her bedroom. And she doesn't protest at bedtime. I'd like to think I'm winning some sort of mind-control parenting game, but I'm sure I'm the sucker in this situation.

5. Fuzzy socks! I can't get enough of the fuzzy socks this season! They keep me cozy and no need to hassle with slippers as I get on and off the couch. Groundbreaking stuff here, right?

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

2011-12-07T14:54:00.001-08:00

New "pretty dress"

TJ's gingerbread man

Squirrel!

Driving

Barbie, stay far away from this one. There's a reason he's on clearance!

Favorite lounge spot

Hopscotch

Buddy's rough night

Linking up with The Paper Mama for Wordless{ish} Wednesday

On Dancer, On Prancer

2011-12-05T20:58:00.001-08:00

The other day I lined the inside large window in our living room with some twinkle-light garland. The sun was about to set, so it was dark enough to notice the lights but light enough to still see outside.

Brent and Em headed to the store, so I decided to burn a few calories with the Dance Central game on our Xbox Kinect.

After a few songs I noticed out of the corner of my eye that one of our neighbor girls and her dad were making their way up the sidewalk to admire the lights in the window. The lights in the window I was dancing in front of, mind you.

What I thought I looked like as I was dancing:

What I suddenly realized I actually looked like:

Awkward, to say the least, but I had to get to that next level, yo!

Oh Em Tree

2011-12-04T20:30:00.001-08:00

I was excited when Brent proclaimed that this year we'd have our first real, live tree for Christmas. The last time I had a real tree was my sophomore year of college, and I adore them.

We picked up a 7-foot tree at a nearby lot tonight and set it up in our living room. After Brent and I finalized the strands of lights, we let Em loose on the ornaments.

By the third ornament Brent and I both realized that Em didn't understand the concept of spreading the cheer around the tree. So we decided to just see where she went with it.

Brent gave her a boost to top the tree with our star.

Em was pleased with the outcome and exclaimed, "TA DA!"

I'd love to leave it the way it is, but the ornaments are already starting to roll off from the weight on the branches.

It really is a thing of beauty, though.

Steppin' Out - "I got it!"

2011-12-04T10:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was one of those days where I hated everything in my wardrobe. The only pair of cold-weather appropriate shoes I have are those Old Navy boots I wear in every picture, and I can't even wear the black ones out when it's the least bit wet outside because there are now holes near the soles.

Looking through my archives, I see that every fall/winter I lament that I need to finally find some boots I love. While I liked the styling and price of the boots I got last year and got plenty of wear out of them for what I paid, in this Portland climate quality boots are actually a necessity.

I'm also having issues with the few pairs of jeans in my wardrobe. They fit perfectly out of the dryer, but in just a few hours I'm all saggy butt. What. The. Heck?! Because we're dieting, I don't want to invest too much in new jeans that may not fit too long, but we'll see.

With all that whining aside, I do have a cute ensemble to share with you. It just so happens that Em is the one wearing it.

Em: Dress, H&M

Tights & shoes, Target

She and Brent were playing a fairly gentle game of catch indoors (I know one day this will come back to bite us in the ass in the form of a broken vase), and each time she'd retrieve the ball, she'd exclaim with the pose above, "I got it!"

She's going through a "pretty dress" phase. The first thing she wants to do each morning is change into a "pretty dress." She has a huge dress collection, although not many of them are cold-weather appropriate. I think Santa will be picking up a bunch of sweater dresses for her.

We didn't do much yesterday, other than a trip to Target. We picked up this $19.99 bookcase. Inspired by this project on Pinterest, I slapped some contact paper on the back piece, and voila!

It's perfect for a little corner in our kitchin/dining area. I needed a place to house my cookbooks. Obviously I haven't filled the other shelves yet. I may do something like this with my cupcake liners. And it may make a good landing pad for my purse/keys, etc.

The top shelf is where Buddy camped out this morning. Em doesn't like when he messes with her toys, but she LOVED this.

Friday Five

2011-12-02T20:36:00.001-08:00

1. This has been the first post-NaBloPoMo December where I'm actually feeling the urge to keep blogging continuously. Last month didn't feel like a chore like it has the past few years, and it's nice.

2. At the end of Cycle 1 of The 17 Day Diet, we ~~binged~~ took a break. I took a trip to Costco this morning, and we start Cycle 2 tomorrow. I'm looking forward to not having that heavy feeling in my stomach all the time. I think I'm, as the book notes, "carb sensitive." I feel all sluggish and yucky. Clean eating for the win! Thankfully I didn't cancel out all my hard work from Cycle 1, so that's good.

3. We're getting our tree this weekend. A real, live tree for the first time...ever. I researched "living trees," which are dropped off in a giant pot and then picked up after the new year to be planted. However, you can't receive them any earlier than December 15th, and we want our sooner than that.

4. I acknowledge that this is lamesauce, but I got a little emo last night when I saw the umpteenth friend say that they thought the Elf On The Shelf was creepy and would freak them out as a kid. I'm not usually sensitive about that kind of stuff, but it made me wonder if I need to put aside some of our gift fund to pay for Em's future therapy. Like each "Ugh, he creeps me out" was a personal attack on my parenting skills, which I KNOW is not the intention of any of my friends who've said that. With me being so publicly excited here, on Twitter and Facebook about having the elf around, though, I couldn't help but think that maybe I should stop sharing each daily set-up. I'm not so sensitive about it today, though, and have just put those stupid feelings aside. I'll continue doing what I've been doing and not take those comments personally.

5. Chelsey at The Paper Mama not only gave me a sweet neighborly shoutout in her post today, but you can also see a little blogger ad for yours truly in her right column. My first "ad spot," in exchange for donating toward her Alt Design Summit fundraiser last month. So fun!

'Cause you got personality

2011-12-01T22:11:00.001-08:00

Em is always learning and surprising us with her knowledge, but every now and then she'll bowl us over with her growth and changes.

She's suddenly not so scared of strangers, as long as I'm with her. Today she eagerly told the cashier at Cost Plus that she helped me choose all the ornaments.

Then we went to the mall and stumbled upon Santa. Last year she had an epic meltdown during our mall visit, so I assumed she wouldn't want anything to do with him today. However, she was intrigued. She stood and stared, and then waved to him. When he asked if she wanted to come talk to him, she said yes. (Then whispered, "Mama, you come with me.")

She wouldn't sit on his lap, but she eagerly chatted with him from an Em-safe distance. When I suggested we tell Santa about Buddy, I was thankful that he knew what I was talking about. "Oh, Buddy is watching over you, isn't he?" Santa asked. Em explained that this morning Buddy was "camping" in our living room.

And that yesterday he ate a banana.

When Santa asked what she wanted for Christmas, she said, "A PRESENT!"

He asked what kind of present, and she said, as she has been since we started inquiring with her recently, "A penguin!" Santa confirmed that she wants a regular penguin, NOT a Pillow Pet. "Santa" may have ordered this one for her this afternoon, as a result.

Over lunch, my soda bottle bubbled over as I opened it. Em told me, "Just open it, put your straw in and drink, Mama. That's all you need to do." When I stared at her blankly, she said, "Ok, how about I use my magic powers? Here's some pixie dust!" as she sprinkled her invisible dust toward my bottle.

Man, that kid. She's killing me with her spunk and growing confidence.

Her imagination and growing love of this holiday season is pretty much the coolest thing in the history of cool things, and I'm not even exaggerating. Maybe that's why I find myself embracing the spirit of the season so much this year.

I see the twinkle in her eye when she spots a tiny Santa Claus from afar in a store. I love when she sees another Elf On The Shelf while running errands and exclaims, "It's BUDDY!" She was unusually enthralled tonight when Brent read Elmo's Little Dreidel at bedtime. (He's in charge of introducing Em to her Jewish heritage.)

This is just a perfect time for this perfect age.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

2011-11-30T15:59:00.000-08:00

At Thanksgiving

Missoni bike in the flesh. I almost wet my pants in excitement.

My arm was sore and I still have a bruise, but it was worth it.

Hello Kitty in da house!

Buddy the elf at breakfast

The red plaid dress from Grandma that she refused to take off for a day and a half

Mmm...sandwich...

Mmm...CAKE POP!

Leaving on a jet plane

Phew. NaBloPoMo 2011 -- I did it!

Linking up with The Paper Mama for Wordless{ish} Wednesday

We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

2011-11-29T20:31:00.001-08:00

I bought the Elf On The Shelf for Em last year, but she was too young to "get" it. I've been looking forward to it all year, growing more giddy by each set of ideas that'd pop up on Pinterest.

Em is at the age where she believes in everything, except the belief that Mommy and Daddy mean it when they say it's time to freakin' go to sleep already!

I digress.

Tonight at bedtime, we read the book that explains the elf and his job as Santa's on-the-ground helper. She loved the story, and upon conclusion we pointed out that he was already right there in the room, on her easel. Her eyes bulged in amazement, and she got excited when we said she should go meet him.

Then she looked a little panicked and asked me to go with her to say hello.

I swear she was smiling right before I took that picture!

Em didn't offer any names for our new pal, so I convinced her to name him Buddy after my all-time favorite elf.

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of mischief Buddy gets himself into while he's here!

Nailed it

2011-11-28T13:16:00.001-08:00

I fell in love with Sally Hansen's Salon Effects nail polish strips earlier this year, so when I realized that I wouldn't have time to get a manicure done like I'd wanted before Brent's holiday party last week, I quickly reached for my stash.

Here they are, freshly done on Tuesday night.

I love that it took just a half hour to apply, and I was ready to go -- no drying time. And here they are today, 6 days post-application.

There's a tiny, tiny chip on my index finger, but otherwise they look as good as new.

Based on my previous experiences with these, I have a few more days before I'll even start to think about removing them.

The one downside is that they take some elbow grease to get them off with polish remover, but that goes along with their ability to last so long. And they don't leave your nails wrecked once they're removed. SCORE.

I saw some adorable holiday-themed versions at Target in September, but didn't pick any up because, well, it was only SEPTEMBER. I haven't seen them since, sadly.

Each time I use these, I get tons of compliments. In fact, as we left the ER the other night, the nurse who signed us out gushed about how much she loved the strips, too, especially because they withstand the frequent handwashing that goes along with her job.

They run about $9 for a set that's good for one manicure (two if you have short nails and cut the strips in half, but that didn't work so well for me the one time I tried that), but I pay more than that for manicures that last half a day before chipping.

This is by no means a sponsored post -- just me taking an opportunity to tell you about one of my favorite products.

Have you tried them?

We are family

2011-11-27T20:37:00.001-08:00

My goal this Thanksgiving was to get more photos of Em with her grandparents. Those are the type of photos I cherished growing up and I wanted to make sure Em had some for herself.

Em had a breakthrough this visit with my mom's fiance. Em used to have this strange fear of Asian men with mustaches. She's recently overcome that fear and is no longer scared of our favorite sushi chef nor of my mom's fiance. She happily played Legos with him and has even asked about him (and my mom, of course) a few times since they left.

I'm glad she's moved on from that phobia so we no longer have to explain that, no, our daughter is not racist.

Owie wowee

2011-11-26T21:11:00.001-08:00

Until 7 p.m. tonight I had no idea what I was going to blog about.

Then as we were getting Em ready for her bath, she decided to make her body go limp and hang from Brent. She started screaming in pain and gripping her left arm, but it's the kind of thing that's happened to her before and usually fixed itself after a few minutes.

When she still wouldn't move her arm in the tub, and then wailed post-bath, "Mommy, I'm sad! My ARM!" we knew it needed more attention.

We took her to the ER, and although her spirits were much better ("I'm not sad anymore, Mommy!"), she still wouldn't move her arm. As we waited the few minutes to be seen, we could tell that she was relaxing a bit and not clutching her elbow so closely.

By the time the doctor came in, she had no problems using her left hand on the drawing program on my mother-in-law's iPad.

The doc played with her arm a bit, and either it had already fixed itself just before his arrival or he put the final fix on it. Either way, she was high-fiving me with that arm before he left the room.

She passed out on the way home and in a rare move, let me carry her upstairs and put her to bed without waking up.

That's one way to get some blog fodder, I suppose.

P.S. A few Twitter friends mentioned that if this "nursemaid's elbow" continues to happen, we can save ourselves some time and money by having the docs teach us how to fix it ourselves. Interesting!

Steppin' Out - Dancey Dance Time

2011-11-26T08:46:00.001-08:00

Don't know if it was the post-nap photo session or the Harry-Potter-joins-a-punk-band ensemble, but Em started out a little emo yesterday.

But she eventually perked up.

Me: Old Navy, top to bottom

Em: Shirt and sweatshirt, Harajuku Mini for Target

Leggings, Baby Gap

Shoes, Vans

Yesterday we joined Heather, Mike and Annabel to see our second Yo Gabba Gabba Live show.

The theater was extra dark this year, and we didn't want to risk getting scolded for sneaking in our giant DSLR, which was deemed "too professional" to bring into the theater by the first security guard even though I assured him that I'm far from a pro, so we don't have many good pics to share. Here are a few we were able to capture.

Our Super Music Friends Show guest was Ben Lee, which was totally fine by me and Heather. I suppose I can cross off seeing him live from my concert bucket list.

Our Dancey Dance guest was actor/comedian Brian Posehn, and our group may have been the only people in the audience who knew who he was.

The first half of the show Em just sat there in wide-eyed excitement until the end of that act when they played the Get The Sillies Out song. She couldn't contain her excitement any longer. She busted a move in our aisle along with some other little girls, and then did the same thing the entire second half of the show. I've never seen her so into the Dancey Dance segment.

We bought tickets for this show long before we realized we were moving to Portland, but I'm so glad the timing worked out so nicely with our Thanksgiving visit.

Friday Five

2011-11-25T13:35:00.001-08:00

1. Getting ready to head out to Yo Gabba Gabba Live in a few hours. Can't wait for you to see Em's outfit in tomorrow's Steppin' Out post. It's one of those super adorable outfits I wish I could pull off in my size.

2. Thanksgiving here in LA was great. My mom came down to celebrate with us, and my mother-in-law made a delicious meal. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch today. And tomorrow. And the day after.

3. Tomorrow we're headed out to see the Muppet movie. Brent and I are going by ourselves, but if the movie turns out to be appropriate enough for Em, I may take her to see it when we get back to Portland.

4. Brent pulled out his giant tub of Legos his mom has stored here. Em is delighted, and we Santa may build this for her.

5. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I welcome the rest of the holidays with open arms. No Black Friday shopping for me, but I hope to find some great Cyber Monday deals.

What I'm most thankful for

2011-11-24T13:30:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

2011-11-23T20:19:00.001-08:00

Bubble wrap fun

Hot guy over a hot stove

"SHE moved to Portland, TOO?!?"

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Trying the "Once Upon A Monster" xbox demo

My first Goodwill score. Only $3 and perfect for our guest room!

The party you might want to miss

2011-11-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

Picture the three of us at the dinner table, post-dinner. Em has just climbed into Brent's lap.

Em: Welcome to the Stinky Butt Party!
Me: [laughing] Oh, really?! Who's invited?
Em: The Birthday Tushie!....... SURPRISE!

Maybe you had to be there...

Pinteresting

2011-11-21T20:34:00.001-08:00

Remember when I told you all about Pinterest? I said that I never followed through with the pins I collected, but then I got to thinking about it. There are a few ideas I've somehow managed to try.

For Em's party, I whipped up these s'mores on a stick, inspired by a pin.

I somehow remembered seeing this pin just in time, so the night before Em's third birthday we covered her floor in balloons. She was as ecstatic as one would imagine.

Our microfiber couches ~~are gross~~ have seen better days, so when I saw this tutorial on Pinterest for cleaning them, I gave it a shot. It WORKED! They're not spotless yet, but they're getting there.

This pin linked to an extensive list of cleaning tips. The day after I read it, I started pouring baking soda on my stuck-on pots and pan. After a short soaking, the gunk came right off. Genius!

I read Mrs. Priss' tutorial for a yarn wreath when she first posted it on her site early this year, but her link and similar projects pop up on Pinterest all the time, serving as a constant reminder. I finally tackled it this week, and VOILA!

I'm going to make a smaller one for Em's room soon, too. I have materials to do this and these for Em, as well.

So much fun stuff! How about you, fellow Pinners? Are you all look and no action? Or have you been inspired enough to try some yourself?

You do the "pokay pokay"

2011-11-20T20:52:00.001-08:00

That's what it's all about. Yeah!

Steppin' Out Saturday - Close to Home

2011-11-19T21:07:00.001-08:00

Me:

Shirt & Boots, Old Navy

Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger

Em:

Shirt, Old Navy

Leggings, Gymboree

Boots, Target

Brent and I both have sore throats, so we didn't too much today. We did venture out to the grocery and hardware stores this morning. I wouldn't have gotten as ready if I didn't want my Steppin' Out post today, but I'm extra glad I did because I met one of our neighbors for the first time on the way out.

Hoping we feel better in the morning. We have a big Thanksgiving week ahead!

Friday Five

2011-11-18T19:58:00.001-08:00

1. Today was Day 11 (11!) of the 17 Day Diet. One of the first things I noticed when starting this plan was I really take a lot of what Weight Watchers calls "BLTs" -- bites, licks and tastes -- from Em's food. We try to give her what we eat most of the time, but you can imagine she's not a fan of stuff like baked salmon (although she ate more than half a dozen of the sushi version the last time we were out). Pre-diet, I absentmindedly finished off her mac-n-cheese, chicken tenders, whatever. Or I'd taste her food to make sure it wasn't too hot. Not anymore, although I have to stop myself.

2. Starting the end of next month Em gets to go to preschool two days a week, which is great for everyone. She loves it and is starting to make friends there, and I enjoy the breather and chance to recharge.

3. I ordered this chalkboard contact paper, and it arrived today. Now I'm going to label ALL THE THINGS.

4. I love this song. A lot.

5. Have you entered my Shutterfly holiday card giveaway yet? You should.

Holiday cards from Shutterfly & a giveaway {closed}

2011-11-17T21:43:00.001-08:00

As much as it pains me to start talking about the holidays BEFORE Thanksgiving – I'm a firm believer in respecting the turkey – the one area I will admit that requires some early planning is the holiday card.

This year I'm excited to partner with Shutterfly. To get the best prices with the least amount of stress, now is the time to take care of your holiday card, and I'm really excited about Shutterfly's options.

Before we moved to Portland, we were able to squeeze in a family photo shoot with my friend, Winnie. There were some photos that I was excited to use in a thank-you card for all our friends who joined us for Em's birthday/our going-away party, but when I ordered the cards through another online card company, the shipment got lost and I never received them.

I'm going to turn lemons into lemonade and use the adorable pictures for our holiday card this year instead.
I'm having too much fun browsing Shutterfly's card options to narrow it down just yet, but here are a few that are definite contenders.

Jolly Colors

Fuzzy Fresh

Simply Modern

Because our card recipients span multiple faiths (or none at all), I tend to gravitate toward "Happy Holiday" options, but there are some adorable Christmas-themed cards, too. I also love that they offer holiday thank-you cards.

Here comes the good stuff -- I get to give THREE of my readers 25 free cards. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post, and include your email address if I don't already know how to get a hold of you in case you're the randomly chosen winner. So you can order your cards sooner rather than later, you have until 11:59 p.m., Saturday, November 19 to enter.

CONTEST CLOSED. Congrats to Stephanie, Sarah and Leslie!

Disclosure: Shutterfly gave me free cards and shipping for this post, but commentary are all mine.

Wordless{ish} Wedesday

2011-11-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Em has this "trick" she likes to play with Brent, where she creeps toward him while he's chilling on the couch or just after we've finished eating at the table. In a silly, taunting voice, she says, "I'm gonna kiss your eyeball...."Then she crawls into his lap and plants a kiss on the top of his eyebrow, as you see above.

Brent pretends that he's grossed out, but judging by his giggles, he loves it just as much as Em does.

Linking up with The Paper Mama for Wordless{ish} Wednesday.

17 Day Diet: A week later

2011-11-15T14:33:00.001-08:00

Today is Day 8 of the first cycle of The 17 Day Diet, and so far, so good.

I haven't had any big cravings, and surprisingly, I haven't really missed carbs. The most difficult part for me is shopping at Trader Joe's and Target without giving in to the holiday treats available. Oh, I suppose I do miss the Salted Hot Chocolate from Starbucks now and again. I'm not pulling my hair out over it, though.

Brent, poor guy, is having a more difficult time resisting temptation because of the huge office where he spends 8+ hours daily. Yesterday alone he had to resist pecan pie, mini cupcakes, candy and cookies. And I don't think that was even holiday-related stuff, just typical stuff that's always there. We don't have anything close to that in the house, so when I feel the need to eat out of boredom, I reach for baby carrots and cherry tomatoes now.

The plan suggests three cups of green tea a day, preferably one with each meal, but that's on top of eight 8-ounce glasses of water, which is a lot of water for someone like me who has a hard time with water intake as it is. I did find some diet iced green tea from Lipton that's delicious, but it goes back to the whole water requirement thing. So today I've started with some green tea vitamins instead and am focusing on upping my water. (I've heard and tried all the tricks: cute water bottle, infused with fruit, etc. I just have this weird mental block to get over.)

I'm trying to up my fitness level. However, the plan notes that you can take it easy since the first cycle limits your calories a bit, and instead just start with simple walks around the neighborhood or mall. Up until today, that's all I've been doing. I dusted off our Dance Central game and worked up a sweat dancing. I'm going to break out my 30 Day Shred DVD soon.

Meal planning has obviously been fun for me, yet I'm thinking I need to increase my protein throughout the day. I don't feel the need to take a daily nap anymore, and I've been sleeping better at night. However, I'm not getting as much of an increase in energy as I've read I should. That could be due to lack of water, too, or maybe it'll come with time and increased exercise.

As of this morning, I'm down 5.5-6.5 lbs. (The scale was fluctuating between the two numbers.) Brent is down 9 lbs. Yes, most of that is water weight, but as the plan notes, that water weight loss helps keep people motivated. I think I can see a bit of a difference in my face and waist. I'm reserving judgement for another week, though.

I realized, after we'd already started, that the 17th day of this first cycle falls on -- DUN DUN DUN -- Thanksgiving! We also have Brent's office holiday party next week, on our 15th day, so things may get a little dicey toward the end of this cycle. We'll probably wait until we get back to Portland after our Los Angeles trip over Thanksgiving to start the next cycle. Brent and I have already made a pact to try to keep each other in check while we're visiting family.

A week into this and I can say that I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested. You have to have the time to put the effort into it, though. You have to plan ahead and at the very least have lots of the right veggies and proteins on hand. The grocery total for the first couple of shopping trips was cringe-worthy, but I'm sure we're saving money by not eating out like we did. It's been more than a week now since we've eaten out, which is record-breaker for sure.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some delicious leftovers to warm up.

Kiss the cook

2011-11-14T21:19:00.001-08:00

I've cooked more these past six days than I have...EVER.

It started with plain chicken breasts. Then I tried taco salads.

I made a chicken salad. Yummy.

I gave turkey meatloaf a shot, and Brent said it was the best thing I've ever made.

One night I whipped up some baked tilapia. Delicious.

I cooked a turkey roast, which was amazing. Admittedly, it was a pre-seasoned roast from Costco, but I used a meat thermometer and everything and cooked it to perfection.

Tonight was the pièce de résistance. I made turkey meatballs, not one but TWO ways, accompanied by eggplant parmesan and spaghetti squash, topped with low-carb marinara. [Edited to add: I made a mistakes with the spaghetti squash. Didn't realize it wasn't allowed on Cycle 1. Oops.]

It takes a bit of time to research, shop and prep for the meals, but I've been surprised at how easy it's been to actually pull these dishes off come dinnertime. And all of them are on 17 Day Diet-friendly!

Maybe it's the large, new kitchen with which I have to work. Maybe I like the idea of having a nice meal prepped and ready when Brent gets home. Maybe I'm excited by the increasingly tasty outcomes.

Whatever it is, I'm not going to question it. I welcome my inner Julia Child with open, knife-wielding arms!

In a World of Pure Imagination

2011-11-13T21:41:00.001-08:00

Today, thanks to some generous friends, we went here.
Brushed alligator teeth.Shopped for pretend food.Ate at the cafe, where pretend croissants are totally fine on my diet.Built with magnets.Visited Superman's fortress of solitude. (Or a giant lite brite. Same thing.)Dug our hands in some clay.Built castles.And we're spent. Hope all of your weekends were as imaginative!

Steppin' Out - Backyard Style

2011-11-12T21:56:00.001-08:00

Me:

Sweater, Target

Skirt & Boots, Old Navy

Em:

Dress, Mishu Lulu (Birthday gift from Grandma!)

Shirt, Baby GAP

Tights, Target

Shoes, Payless

While we don't have the expansive lawn in our backyard that we had envisioned in our rental home, we did luck out with a unique, lush space, filled with moss and steps. We haven't explored it too much with Em, but I plan to get a bunch of fairy-themed terrarium items for Em to discover. The space just screams fairy garden to me, and Em loves herself some fairies.

Friday Five

2011-11-11T15:09:00.001-08:00

1. A few people have asked if I started The 17 Day Diet based on the online info I found or if I read the book. I read the book, which I recommend doing if you're considering the plan. It gives a lot of background/rationale for why/how the plan works. I also meant to mention that my friend, Sizzle, introduced me to the plan. She's been chronicling her experience on her site. Her friend, Foodiddy, has also been through a few of the cycles with inspiring results. I'm particularly found of her foodie-inspired recipes for the plan.

2. Em's new favorite movie is Despicable Me. She adores the three little girls in the film, and as a result, she calls the movie "Me Girls." "Mommy, I want Me Girls!"

3. Em's birthday party/our going-away party was nearly two months ago and I have yet to write a single thank-you note! It's awful of me, but I can't find the lists where I wrote who gave us what. GAH.

4. We're slowly but surely getting settled in our rental home, but we haven't made much of a dent in our third bedroom yet. It's become a catch-all place for the stuff that doesn't have a proper place in our other rooms. I thought we'd be all done by now, but it's downstairs while the rest of our living space is upstairs. Out of sight, out of mind. Hoping we can tackle it this weekend.

5. I booked our flights to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving weekend yesterday. I wasn't able to get two or three seats together on one of the return legs back to Portland, but that's OK. I'm sure we can convince someone to switch with one of us as it's less than an hour. Otherwise a stranger can have fun sitting next to Em. "I saw Gabba and Mommy and Dora and we walked but I didn't walk and then I cried. HAHAHA!" At least that's how most of our conversations with her go.

A song for Maddie

2011-11-10T22:26:00.001-08:00

My friends, Heather and Mike Spohr, have come up with a beautiful way to raise money for their charity, Friends of Maddie, which they started to honor their late daughter, Madeline.

Tomorrow, 11/11/11, Maddie would've turned four, so this week they released a song Mike wrote for Heather before they were married. Proceeds from the song, You Are The One, will help Friends of Maddie continue to provide support to the families of critically ill babies in the NICU.

Please take a moment to read more information here and consider purchase the touching song for yourself.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

2011-11-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

Sampling Trader Joe's pumpkin cheesecake
Our new dining setEm's first meal at our new dining set
Trying to operate our Xbox Kinect
Puddle jumper
Trying out the adobo, sinigang and lumpia at a Portland Filipino restaurant
STOP
Linking up with The Paper Mama for Wordless{ish} Wednesday.

17 days

2011-11-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

Confession: I suck at Weight Watchers. I truly believe in the program....for other people. While it helped me and Brent slim down for our wedding in 2006 -- nearly 100 lbs. lost between the two of us -- I've had a hard time getting back into the groove of the program post-nuptials. My heart wasn't in it, and no matter how many times I tried to get back "on program," I'd lose a few pounds, lose my way and struggle.

I'm taking a new approach to this whole slim-down thing. Today Brent and I started The 17 Day Diet. You can read a good, critical review of it here. In a nutshell, it's a series of 17-day cycles with varying levels of strictness. More than anything, though, I'd say it's a clean-eating program. There's little to no processed food involved, and it relies heavily on lots of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and probiotics. Sort of common sense stuff, ya know?

Today went well, and I'm actually excited to see how the rest of this cycle pans out. I cooked today, which in itself is rare as I'm a microwave kind of gal, and enjoyed it. I've found a bunch of recipes that sound great, too.

I wasn't sure whether I'd blog about it now or wait until after the first cycle, but I figured that now would be a great way to really commit myself to the program and help me hold myself accountable.

Wish me luck!

Preschool confidential

2011-11-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

We are officially the proud parents of a preschooler.

Talking about the kid, not Violet, the dog.

Brent and I both dropped her off this morning, and it went smoothly. No tears, more of a "See ya, folks!"

She's been so excited about preschool. She even woke up in the middle of the night last week, wailing, "I wanna go to preeeeeschool." Broke my heart.

I love that they complete a daily report. Em's said she was a "super sleeper," had a "full belly" and both a "happy day" and "sad day."

Under comments, it read, "We had a very up and down day. She did a great job during the lessons and playing with friends, but was very sad and missed Mommy during transition times. I'm sure it was first day jitters and we will have a better day next week. She had a great afternoon!"

Until more slots open up, she's going one day a week. Given how she couldn't stop talking about it after I picked her up tonight, I bet she'll have a smoother time next week.

So fresh and so clean, clean

2011-11-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

In my Friday Five I mentioned that I was going to have The Paper Mama design a new blog banner for my site, taking advantage of her trip fundraising offer. Well, as I started to poke around for banner redesign inspiration, I came across this entire new template on Etsy and realized it was time for an overhaul above and beyond a banner. Instead of a new banner from The Paper Mama, I'm going to have an ad spot on her site next month.

I couldn't resist Green Tangerine's designs, hence the pretty, new look on this here blog.

(If you're reading this via a reader, you should probably clickthrough to my site to see it in all its new, shiny glory.)

I've also updated my "About" page.

I simply adore it all.

Steppin' Out - PDX style

2011-11-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's only been, what, almost four months since my last Steppin' Out post?

But we're back, baby!

On me: Sweater, Old Navy (trying to add more color to my black/grey wardrobe); Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger; Boots, Old Navy

On Em: Top, Target (boy's section! Couldn't resist!); Jeans, Baby GAP; Rain boots, Target

What?

Oh, Em?

Yeah, she wasn't in the mood for smile-and-pose-with-Mommy pics.

It was either the harmonica in her mouth or....

CRAZY FACE!

Her best Mick Jagger impression, perhaps?

Who knows?

No one ever said 3-year-olds were predictable!

Friday Five

2011-11-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

1. I'm quickly realizing in this 40-degree weather that all of our wardrobes need some updating. I've talked Brent into getting more sweaters, which he looks great in. After polling my Facebook pals, I picked up this coat for Em. Today I got this Old Navy coat for myself, thinking it was a smoking deal at half-off. However, now I see there's a coupon for an additional 30% off, which will make the deal even hotter. I've beefed up Em's long-sleeve, cozy pants and boots collection, too. Oh, and I just got ice scrapers for our windshields. Never imagined I'd live somewhere that required that.

2. I've eaten way more than my share of Halloween candy this year, and I'm in serious need of a sugar detox kinda thing. Brent and I are starting a clean-eating plan next week. I've been wanting to do it for a while, but I wanted to explore our Portland options without restriction. The time has come, though. I need to stop storing up for winter.

3. My blog needs some updating, and The Paper Mama happens to have a great deal on new blog banners in an effort to raise money for her trip to a blogging conference. Now I just need to decide what sort of new look I want.

4. Em starts preschool next week. We had orientation last week, and she was so sad when we left. We both really like her teacher and the school. The time away will be great for all of us.

5. Em and I both need haircuts. Hers may even happen this weekend, if I can finally talk myself into getting it done. Each time I get close, she seems to wake up with even more gorgeous waves. I'm ready for a bigger change for myself, once I find a new hairstylist.

Pinterest picks

2011-11-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

If you spend any time online, you've probably heard of Pinterest, a visual bookmarking site filled with pie-in-the-sky ideas for home decor, recipes, crafts, style tips, and amusing pictures.

If you haven't ventured onto Pinterest, you might just be better off. It's a rabbit hole and total time suck. "I'll just spend 5 minutes..." :::fast-forward 2 hours later:::

But it is really pretty, even if I never follow through on 1% of the stuff I've "pinned."

Anyhow, I wanted to share a few of my favorite "pins."

Turn your toaster sideways to make grilled cheese?! BRILLIANT!

Image via Grilled Cheese Social on Pinterest

This speaks for itself. Heh.

Image via 9Gag on Pinterest

I spent about a half-hour today looking for a local craftsman who could turn Em's crib into a bench like this. Her crib is a dropside. We won't be using it for our next kiddo, and we can't donate it. I love the idea of doing something sentimental like this.

Image via Cassandra Design on Pinterest

Food that looks like other food? Sign me up! These bacon & eggs are white chocolate, yellow M&Ms and pretzel sticks!

Image via Ordinary Miracles & The Crazy 9 on Pinterest

If you must, you can follow me on Pinterest here. But don't say I didn't warn you!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

2011-11-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Fallin' for fall
No pictures, mama
My name is Em. I like to dance!
Visiting our favorite neighborhood chickens
Playing
Ready for school!
Our fireplace
Linking up with The Paper Mama for my first Wordless{ish} Wednesday.

Tink or treat!

2011-11-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have fond memories of Halloween growing up, and I look forward to creating similarly wonderful memories for Em.

That is, when's she not being little Miss Cranky Pants.

I kid.

Sort of.

It seems like she talked about dressing up as a "pirate fairy" for months. Then somewhere along the way it changed to "princess fairy." I wasn't sure how to interpret that request, so I got her to agree to her favorite fairy, Tinkerbell. As luck would have it, Jenny's daughter, who is a year older than Em, passed on her Tinkerbell costume from last year to us.

The first of our Halloween celebrations happened last week at my husband's office, where each year they host a Halloween blowout. It's the only company event where entire families are invited, and each department goes all out to decorate their areas. The party started at 2, and when I tried to get Em up from her early nap, she threw a fit of all fits, even though she was stoked about the party. She didn't want to wear her costume, but I managed to get her into a new dress, which happens to look a lot like a very popular little red-headed orphan.

Once we arrived, she perked up. We cruised the office's six floors to check out areas like Candyland, the reptile guy and the bubble room.

I was excited to see one of Brent's conference rooms. That nest isn't Halloween decor. It's there all the time. The couches are shaped to resemble rocks.

It was raining that afternoon, not unexpected in Portland. We braved a bit of the weather to head outside to one of the two bounce houses -- Em's favorite, of course.

I was worried that Em would refuse to wear the costume again last night, so we all talked it up the past few days. She seemed really into it until it was time to actually get dressed. I got her in her tights and shirt, but she wanted nothing to do with the dress or wings. But then our first trick-or-treaters arrived. Something clicked and then we couldn't get her dressed fast enough.

She was excited to show off her ensemble to the grandparents over Skype.

Then we hit the road for candy!

Our landlord, who lives nearby, explained that we'd get very few trick-or-treaters because a nearby street was the place to be. So that's where we headed.

There were throngs of folks when we arrived, but Em did a great job navigating through. The streets were surprisingly dark, and Em's wings included flashing green lights. So many passerbys commented on our Tinkerbell and her wings.

We guided Em up to most of the doors.
Then when we came upon houses with few steps, we let her venture up on her own. Brent and I died of cuteness overload watching our little Tink do it herself. We loved the look on the faces of the folks who opened their doors to find her.

After one house, Em ran back to the crowd of parents where Brent and I were standing, and she shouted, "Daddy! DADDY!"....but approached the silhouette of the wrong Daddy. We all laughed, and Em was so dumbstruck.

(With the right Daddy)

Another favorite moment was after someone gave her a piece of candy, she said "Thank you" and then CURTSIED. Have you ever seen a fairy curtsy? Next time you see one, ask her to curtsy. You'll see what I mean.

Each time she left a house, she ran back to show us her loot, cheering, "Daddy! Look what I found!"

She loved all the costumes she saw, but her favorite was the toddler Rapunzel we were behind at one point. She cooed, "Mommy! It's Rapunzel! Her hair! Her CROWN! Soooo pretty!" I think faux Rapunzel and her mom were pleased to hear that.

Halloween through the eyes of a 3-year-old? Can't get better than that, folks.

This kicks off my first post for NaBloPoMo. A full month of posting from yours truly! Stay tuned, and feel free to become a fan on Facebook here.

Halloween through the ages

2011-10-31T23:21:00.001-07:00

Totally ~~stealing~~ inspired by the lovely Chelsey, taking a look back at Em through the past few Halloweens.

Age 1

Age 2
And tonight, at age 3

Hope you had a wonderful Halloween!

Breakin', too: Electric Boogaloo

2011-10-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

We love Portland. We really do. We love our new neighborhood and our rental home.

But we wonder how much Portland loves us, given the recent hiccups we've encountered since moving in a little over a week ago.

A day and a half after moving in, the brand new fridge that came with our house stopped working. Lights were on but it wasn't getting cold. Our landlord, who is great and accessible as she's just around the corner from us, had it replaced shortly thereafter. Thankfully I hadn't done a large shopping trip yet, so the culinary casualties were minimal.

Then I did our first load of laundry in the washer/dryer. The first load in the dryer never heated up. It just circled the drum for hours in room temp air. It took a day or two for a replacement to be delivered, only to discover that it also wouldn't heat up.

The electricity in our place has a mind of its own. The light switch in Em's room somehow controls the hallway, dining room and bathroom. We realized this around the same time the replacement dryer arrived and didn't work. When I told our landlord that maybe these appliance woes had something to do with the electrical system, she assured me that it couldn't be possible -- the house's entire electrical system was recently redone.

A third dryer arrived yesterday, and as expected, it didn't work. My landlord came over and saw for herself that perhaps it is an electrical issue. Her electrician will check it out tomorrow, hopefully, at the same time he'll check out the wonky stuff going on with Em's light switch.

Oh, but the fun doesn't stop there!

Our TV suddenly shuts off. We thought it was damaged in transit, but now we're not so sure it's not a result of the wonky electrical stuff.

We do know, however, that Brent's car was damaged in transit. There are two dents on the roof of his car that we hadn't seen until we looked down from our rental's balcony. Brent's sunroof won't open as a result.

And today when he went to pick up a few groceries, his car lost all power steering. It's a hybrid, so there's no power steering fluid (or something else technical I don't understand). Not sure what the cause is, but we're having it towed to the shop tomorrow.

Do we have bad mechanical mojo or what?

I know it'll all get smoothed out eventually, but it's hard not to get frustrated when it's one thing after the other.

There are plenty of things I'm loving with our new place, though. We have two fireplaces, and we're cozying up to one as I type this.

At 2.5x the size of our tiny Santa Monica condo, which is officially no longer ours of last week (WOO HOO!), this house feels positively large. We have lots of areas to fill, and I'm enjoying shopping for decor.

Our kitchen is large, and although not outfitted with the stainless steel appliances we had in our condo, they are brand new or updated. That, paired with the expansive counter tops and so much storage space, makes this non-cook want to cook and get back to baking.

Speaking of the kitchen, in an odd twist given that we moved away from Los Angeles, yesterday morning we were visited by a location scout, who wanted to see if we were interested in having a series of commercials for a very well-known brand shot in our kitchen. When I explained that we were renters, he noted that renters/owners typically share the location payment. We mulled it over, decided it could be an interesting experience, and sent a note to our landlord. She's intrigued and wants to chat more tomorrow. So maybe you'll get to see it for yourself someday on TV!

In between waiting for new appliances to get delivered and be wooed by production folks, we have fit in a few excursions. More on that in future posts, though, before this laptop decides to electrocute me.

Wouldn't surprise me if it did.

My girl wants to potty all the time*

2011-10-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Warning -- toddler pee and poop talk ahead. Read at your own discretion because I won't be discrete.

I was probably more stressed about potty training than Em. I'd read the books. I'd bought the potty ring, the potty seats, the sticker charts, the rewards, the training pants. I was prepared as prepared could be.

Em was showing more signs of readiness. And per her pediatrician, we were waiting for Em to be ready rather than a certain age. She wasn't telling us before she'd go in her diaper, but she'd frequently ask to be changed. She'd roleplay with her dolls and tell me that they had to use the potty, and then cheer, "They did it!" after she'd sat them on it for a few seconds. She couldn't undress/dress herself, but otherwise, all signs were pointing to a potty training program launch.

I read the 3-Day Potty Training method, which sounded a bit tortuous, requiring one to stay at home with your kid for three entire days, but I liked the sound of the "just get it done" approach.

I also read the 1-Day Potty Training method, which appeared to be a fun-filled program, with its party and presents, but it still relied on diapers and pull-ups for naps and bedtime. The shorter training period was appealing, but I didn't want to confuse Em with "It's OK to pee in your pants NOW, but not NOW" so I opted to try the longer, 3-Day method that relied on a diaper-free approach.

Day 1 was the roughest. We put her in her "big girl undies," and she was a bit confused that we weren't using her changing table anymore. The morning was filled with accidents. She'd start to pee, and I'd swoop her up and run her to the bathroom. Em would freak out about being wet, and I was becoming best friends with our Swiffer Wet Jet. At one point she ran across our condo mid-accident, and slipped in her own pee. It was mass chaos, folks. By lunch at noon, though, something seemed to click. She'd tell me that she needed to pee, and then she'd actually GO on the potty. It was a potty training miracle. She also enjoyed the incentive of washing her hands (she loves the running water and playing with the soap), a sticker on her potty training chart, followed by a Trader Joe's gummy bear.

I was nervous about how she'd handle her 2-hour nap. I hated the idea of ruining her expensive crib mattress. (We converted her crib to a toddler bed a few months ago, with much success, I'm happy to report.) I bought puppy pads, which are designed to protect the ground when potty training puppies, at the nearby pet store. I put a puppy pad on the mattress, covered it with one of her crib sheets. Then placed another pad on top of that, covered with another sheet. Then I covered that with her Ultimate Crib Sheet, which is waterproof. That way if there was a sleep accident, it'd be easy just to remove the top layer, change her pjs and all of us go back to sleep. It was less about the hassle of changing the sheets, though, and more about protecting the mattress.

As it turned out, her 2-hour nap on Day 1 was totally dry. That night she had one accident, but it took just a few minutes to get that taken care of.

Day 2 was much better. One accident, I think, and maybe one at night.

Day 3 went smoothly, although the one accident she had was when she pooped in her pants during the day. That night, though, she woke up in the middle of the night and asked to use the potty. (And then did.) Very exciting!

There were a few days where pooping in the potty was a bit of a hurdle. We overcame that, though, by being silly and reminding her that poop goes in the potty. She'd say, "Poop goes....on Mommy!" And we'd all laugh and say, "Nooo....." And "Poop goes....on the ground!" "Noooo...." "Poop goes....IN THE POTTY!" And we'd all cheer. Silly, but it worked.

That Friday morning was our first outing, to her Gymboree class. Every few minutes I'd remind her to tell me if she needed to use the potty, and to my surprise, she did. She had no issues with using the big toilet without her potty ring. (I perched her on the edge and held her hands to steady her.)

Our three days of training occurred mid-August, and she's still doing great. I can't remember the last time she had a nighttime accident, and she almost always tells us when she needs to go. (There were a couple accidents at Grandma's last week, but I chalk that up to all the madness with this relocation. I'm surprised there haven't been more potty setbacks with the move, honestly.)

In preparation for her transition to a preschool here in Portland, we've spent the last few days working on her getting to and through the potty independently. That is, she's undressing herself, stepping up on the step-stool, easing herself onto the potty ring, wiping, flushing and washing her hands with no assistance from me. She's enjoying the independence and the subsequent high-fiving when she's done it "all by myself!"

This post serves not only as an opportunity to share our experience with all of you, but also as a reminder to myself when it comes time to do this again with an eventual kid. Even just a couple months later it's easy to romanticize the process. "Awww, Em was easy to train!" No, there were hurdles and bodily fluids and frantic texts to Brent. I just had to remind myself that it's all part of growing up and raising that little human we brought into this world.

*Alternate post titles: Potty in the U.S.A.; You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Pottttttty; Get the Potty Started; Gonna Potty Like It's 1999; It's My Potty & I'll Cry If I Want To

Back and forth

2011-10-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Em and I flew back down to LA. I had to oversee the packers and movers in our condo, which turned out to time perfectly with the weekend wedding of my friend, Tori.

Don't mind my silly smile.Here I am a little more dignified. Side note: My dress was $15 at H&M. The shoes, which you can't see, and purse were a steal at $9 TOTAL at Payless' buy-one-get-one-half-off sale. I should probably be ashamed of my cheap taste, but I can't help but be proud of my bargains.

The packing/moving portion of our visit was kind of nuts, but all in all, it went well. It was strange to see all our worldly belongings packed into this giant truck.

The workers were very cordial, even when they moved our couch and unearthed this ~~mess~~ treasure trove. I was mortified. They thought it was hilarious. Next time I'm missing a ponytail holder, I know where to look.

The rest of our visit was spent with Em's grandparents. Both of these pics happen to be from one of my fav LA restaurants, Versailles -- two separate visits that week with the grandparents.

While the flight down to LA went smoothly, the flight home was a mess. I chose a late-night (9:30 - 11:55 p.m.) flight over the 6 a.m. flight, thinking Em would just fall asleep. She didn't. She's like her mama and is not a good plane sleeper. After tossing and turning and trying to curl up on my lap, she finally fell asleep with her head on my lap. However, when it came time to buckle her into her own seat for the descent/landing, she threw the world's biggest fit. I apologized to all the passengers around me for her 15-minute tantrum, but no one (verbally) seemed to mind. At the baggage claim, another passenger told me I handled it well.

Next time I'm choosing the crack-of-dawn flight, and/or hiring a travel surrogate.

Thankful to leave the 93-degree SoCal heat wave behind, we're back in Portland. We found a fabulous rental home in the cutest neighborhood, and I can't wait to get settled when we move in this weekend.

As much as we appreciate the amenities of our corporate housing, we're all looking forward to getting out of this relocation limbo.

I know a girl. She puts the color inside of my world.

2011-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know what we did to deserve this sweet little girl.

But I thank our lucky stars each day that she's all ours.

Happy 3rd birthday, Em!

A magical tale

2011-10-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was excited to visit Disneyland for the first time.

She saw the big castle and couldn't believe her eyes.

Her mom and dad were excited to take her on all the amazing attractions.

She encountered some fairies...

And was at a loss for words when she met THE Tinkerbell and her friends.

She rode the Finding Nemo submarine ride, and even handled the scary dark parts like a champ. (However, she later refused to ride the carousel because the horses were "too big.")

After lunch, they went back to the hotel to take a nap, which was brilliant for all involved.

Refreshed post-nap, they headed back to the park and rode some flying elephants.

Then it was tea(cup) time!

The little girl learned that it is a small world after all.

They visited Mickey's house and met the mouse himself.

And they ended the fun-filled day front-row at the daily parade.

When the little girl's favorite princess, Rapunzel, rode by and blew the little girl a big kiss, the little girl's mom might've gotten a little teary at the excitement of it all.

The little girl slept soundly that night, and her parents were pleased to have discovered the true magic of the happiest place on earth.

Wish you were here!

2011-10-01T23:08:00.001-07:00

Portland perks

2011-09-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Each day I think, "Gah! I need to blog about our Portland arrival!" But then I get distracted with our rental search, finalizing our condo sale (we accepted an offer and are in escrow! BOO YA!), trying to orient myself in this city, or losing my focus 'cuz I saw something shiny -- usually sharp and pointy and in the hand of our almost-3-year-old running through the expansive halls of our temporary living quarters.

Our flight up here was fairly smooth. Em fell asleep on the plane and would've probably stayed that way if the flight attendant hadn't loudly marveled at the CARES harness Em was wearing. "Oh! That's BRILLIANT! I haven't seen that before!!!"

Despite the madness since our Thursday arrival, it's safe to say that we're enjoying the city and all its offerings.

Some highlights
No sales tax. I'm so giddy each time I pay for something that doesn't cost me an extra 9.25%. (Santa Monica sales tax is one of the highest in the nation.) It makes me so happy when I receive a restaurant bill and see no tax that I find myself a little more generous in the tip department.

Trader Joe's tiny carts. When we first considered moving to Portland, I immediately looked to see if they had Targets and Trader Joe's. I can't imagine myself living somewhere without those! Silly, but true. We made our first visit to a Trader Joe's, and Em and I were both excited to see that they have the kid-sized carts that none of the LA stores seemed to have.

Powell's City of Books. This is a city-block sized book store, and the selection and prices are amazing. Brent and I visited when we were here during his recruitment weekend, and we were excited to take Em for her first visit.

The air. It's so crisp. It's so clean. It's like a breath of fresh...air.

The view. We're staying in a swanky apartment building downtown for a few weeks. Shortly after our arrival, Em ran to her bedroom window and set up her toys.

The amenities. Our building includes a small gym, and I've already worked out TWICE. This is particularly huge because I think the last time I was at a gym was my first trimester -- in 2008!

Our building also features a private screening room. Em thought it was the coolest thing in the history of things.

The people. There is a beautiful lack of population, and the people we have encountered are warm and welcoming. We visited Target on Sunday afternoon, and it wasn't nearly the madhouse I'm used to. Also? The shelves are fully stocked -- even with the elusive Missoni stuff!

The hats.

Just kidding. They have those hats at the LA Nordstrom Rack, too, I'm sure.

All in all, we approve of Portland so far!

Busy bees

2011-09-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

Somehow between trying to sell our condo (no offers...yet) and get our ducks in a row for our Portland move (we leave THIS Thursday), we managed to throw together an early 3rd birthday for Em/going-away party for us.

I wasn't planning on a theme, but then I decided Em would wear this sweet Gymboree dress I bought not long ago.

A bee theme was born.

As most of our parties go, we hosted the gathering at my in-laws'.

The early-birthday girl was thrilled.

In addition to cake, there was lots of food.

I made some smores on a stick, using these flat marshmallows, and they turned out to be a big hit with the kiddos.

Em convinced the grandparents to let us rent a bounce house. My in-laws were firmly against it, fearing that someone would get hurt and sue them, until out of nowhere Em told them, "Grandma, I like to bounce!" They melted in a puddle of grandparentness and said, "Yes! Yes! You can have a bounce house! And here's your pony while we're at it!"

The bounce house arrived in the morning, and Em essentially bounced from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., taking a break for lunch, nap and to blow out her candles.

My mom even helped Em test out the bounce house after its arrival.

Em showed me how it's done.

With her pals at the party

More pals at the party

My friend Jami makes gorgeous, creative cakes in her spare time, so I recruited her to make the cake. I sent her a pic of a couple bee cakes for inspiration, decided on a lemon flavor and then left it up to her.

When she showed up with this final product, I almost cried. It was more than I could've hoped for.

Em loves parties and cakes, and we sing "Happy birthday" nearly every day and blow out "pretend" candles, just 'cuz. So I was surprised when we presented her with the candles on her cake, and she froze. Happy birthday stage fright, perhaps?

I finally convinced her to join all her pals and blow out the three candles.

I'm glad we were able to celebrate with so many of our friends and family, some of whom drove hours just to be with us, before we head up north. I can't imagine a better way to send us off.

Time warp

2011-09-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Heather invited me to be her guest at a blogger event. Wednesday morning she texted me to let me know that she was stuck in traffic and would be about 20 minutes late to the event.

"Hm," I thought. "Isn't the event Thursday?"

Confusing both myself and Heather, I confirmed via the invite that she was indeed correct. Thankfully the event was up the road, in Malibu, so I was able to pull myself together, head out the door, and arrive just moments after she did.

Later that day, Hilary sent a note to a group of us who'd planned dinner next week, sadly bowing out because of a work conflict.

"Funny," I replied. "I thought we had planned it for Thursday, not Wednesday."

I admonished myself for screwing up the days for both of these events, but shrugged it off.

This weekend I got Em all excited to celebrate her friend's 3rd birthday on Saturday. I knew the party overlapped with Em's usual 1-3 p.m. nap, and for whatever reason, I assumed it started at 2.

You know what they say about people who assume.

After brunch, I checked the invite and saw that the party was, in fact, from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

It was 11:30 a.m.

I hurried Em and myself into my car, made the 15-mile drive to Torrance, and then wondered why there were so few cars at a party that started an hour ago.

I looked at the invitation and saw that the party was THE NEXT DAY.

I sped away, fast as lightning.

Em was pissed, pouty lip and everything. I had talked up a party with one of her best toddler friends, and in her eyes, I wasn't letting her celebrate. She didn't understand nor probably care that her mommy, who's usually the queen of our social calendar and prides herself on punctuality, has had a hard time getting it together lately because she's so preoccupied with getting ready for our move.

Brent and I have been literally neck-high in moving boxes as we prepped our condo for open houses and showings. We filled a 10-foot U-haul truck with bookshelves, chairs and boxes to keep at my in-laws' in the name of showing our condo at its best.

I'm a night owl who hasn't been able to keep my eyes open past 11, napping 1-2 hours when I can, too.

The fog in my brain is finally starting to lift, thankfully.

Despite being so out of it, my friends and I had a hearty laugh at the actual party on SUNDAY. And I'm considering tattooing upcoming events to my forearm a la Guy Pierce in Memento. It may be the only way I'll get there on time.

Sunscream

2011-09-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend at a bachelorette party, winetasting on the Central Cali coast in Tori's honor.

Em kept Brent on his toes while I was gone. He stepped out of the room for just a couple of minutes, but it was just long enough for this to happen.

Brent hadn't even scolded her. She just knew, on her own, that she was into something she shouldn't have been.
I suppose we don't have to worry about her left arm or right leg getting sunburnt for a while.

The real reason we procreated -- Mommy version*

2011-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

PHOTOBOMB!

*I was in the passenger seat. Brent was driving. I'm a safety girl.

The real reason we procreated

2011-08-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Who else would pass down our silly faces?

Smart, or something

2011-08-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Em is brilliant!

She placed her two combs on the coffee table and exclaimed, "It's DJ Lance!"

She draws pictures of her mustached grandfather, complete with a slight side view. Genius!

And then she...

Hmm.

Just another Manic Monday

2011-08-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks, everyone, for your comments on our big news! It means a lot that everyone is so supportive and excited for us.

Brent is finishing up his last week at his old job, and then he'll be home with Em and I for a few weeks before we move.

We haven't solidified a move date yet, which makes things kind of tricky, but we're making progress on the transition.

We interviewed a few realtors last week and have decided to put our condo on the market. The market isn't as lucrative as it was a few years ago, obviously, but it doesn't make sense for us to hold onto our place. Among other issues, I hate the idea of being a long-distance landlord, finding good tenants, dealing with tenant transitions, etc. Please do your dance to the Housing Gods on our behalf and ask for some fast and worthy offers.

Brent's new company offers a relocation package, and it includes people to actually PACK our stuff for us. HALLELUJAH! It's a bit tricky, though, because we're packing up a bunch on our own to "stage" our condo and make it more appealing to buyers. So when the moving company representative came over last week to survey our items and determine how many boxes to send with the packers, there was a lot of, "Well, this closet will only be a third full when your folks get here." "This shelf with probably be half full." "This will be gone." "This will be here."

And on moving day, they'll have to pick up all these stored items from my in-laws'. Should be interesting.

The new company will put us up in corporate housing for up to four weeks while we decide where we want to rent. Thankfully I have a growing network of friends -- old and new -- in Portland who seem happy to offer guidance in that regard. One thing that struck me and Brent that weekend we were there were all the small but plentiful neighborhoods. Some seemed as small as just a few blocks, each with unique personalities. Los Angeles has quite a few neighborhoods, but they seem larger than Portland's.

There are half a million things we want to do before we move -- Disneyland, Long Beach Aquarium, a butterfly exhibit at a museum downtown -- and half a million people we want to see.

Em turns three (yes, 3!) in October, and we've decided to throw a last-minute birthday/bon voyage party in September before we go. Since I sent out the Evite over the weekend, I've had to remind myself to focus on the move and not on party planning. I love to throw fun parties, and it's hard not to think about THEMES! COLORS! FAVORS! ACTIVITIES! It's a constant "STOP IT, NANETTE!" in my brain.

I made the mistake of telling Em last night that we'd throw her a party with a bounce house, and now that's all she can talk about.

"Em, what do you want for dinner?"

"Mickey Mouse pancakes and a bounce house!"

"Em, it's time for bed."

"We go to the bounce house now???"

Talk about a rookie mom move, huh?

Moving on up

2011-08-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

You know what's fun?

Sharing big news with folks, who automatically assume that any "big news" from a woman of childbearing ages means a B-A-B-Y when, in fact, it's not.

We have big news to share.

And no, it's not a baby.

And no, it's not two babies.

(Also, not three or any multiples of babies, just to be clear.)

We're moving.

To Portland, Oregon.

Sometime next month.

Crazy, huh?

Brent was recruited for and offered a job that's just too good to pass up.

They flew us up recently to meet his potential team and to allow us to check out the city. He loved the company, the office and his future co-workers. But as for the city? It wasn't love-at-first-sight, but more like a slow burn that eventually ignited. The more we researched, the more we thought about it, the more we weighed the pros and cons, the more we warmed up to the idea.

Yes, we KNOW about the weather.

We've HEARD.

No need to burst our bubble of excitement with talk of that or other Portland pitfalls you may assume, m'kay?

We also know that the cost of living is 59% more here in Santa Monica compared to Portland. Also? No sales tax in the state of Oregon!

:::happy dance:::

The first question our friends have asked is how our parents are taking it. Brent's parents are here in Los Angeles, and my mom's is a three-hour drive.

My in-laws, who see Em at least once a week, were understandably sad at first, but they became quite supportive once they realized what all this move means for us and our family. My mom, who is normally laid back about everything, was more upset than expected, but she came around quickly after she understood the impact on Brent's career and our quality of life.

They're enamored with Em, of course, and will miss the easy access to all of us, but thankfully it's a quick 2-hour flight up north. And we'll find ourselves a nice, big house with plenty of room for guests. PLENTY!

This is good, peeps.

So, wish us luck!

P.S. If you know of any Portland bloggers I'd love, feel free to share links! I'm excited to meet Kerri, FINALLY! And hopefully this means I'll get up to Seattle every now and then to hang with Jen, Sizzle and Mandy.

PDX, Stumptown, City of Roses, Bridgetown, here we come!

Last Friday night

2011-08-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

There's a stranger in my bed*

There's a pounding my head

Glitter all over the room

Pink flamingos in the pool

I smell like a minibar

DJ's passed out in the yard

Barbie's on the barbeque**

There's a hickie or a bruise***

Pictures of last night ended up online. I'm screwed.

Oh well.

It's a blacked out blur, but I'm pretty sure it ruled.

Last Friday night!

Yeah, we danced on tabletops

And we took too many shots

Think we kissed but I forgot

Last Friday night!
BlogHer 2011 ruled so hard.

*And by "stranger" I mean "online pals who were even more wonderful in person than they are online and are my new BFFs and did I mention that I love them?"

**Not Barbie, obviously, but other childhood characters are totally interchangeable, right?

***Pedicab ride where I ended up with a fairly large bruise on my arm

Lyrics from Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night"

Connect the dots – laa la laa la laa

2011-08-08T13:29:00.001-07:00

I'm currently recuperating from a fun-filled long weekend at BlogHer 2011, which started Thursday afternoon for me.

Wednesday night was spent celebrating Brent's 34th birthday.

Before dinner with his family, we presented him with Em's gift.

Inspired by Kelle Hampton, whom I happened to meet at BlogHer and tried to play it cool as we chatted and I gushed over her sweet, sweet baby Nella, I took Em to our local dollar store. We strolled the aisles after instructing her to choose five items to give to Brent for his birthday.

An item would pique her interest momentarily, and when I asked, "Would you like to get that for Daddy?" she'd shake her head and say, "Noooo...."

Eventually there were five items she deemed worthy enough for her daddy's birthday surprise.

I couldn't have chosen a more perfect random assortment of items if I tried. And I didn't -- I swear, it was all her.

Of course, when Brent came home after work Wednesday, the first thing Em exclaimed as he walked in the door? "Daddy! We got you a present!"

Kid can't keep a secret.

I explained the present as he opened the package, and he beamed. He loved every bit of it, of course.

Then he opened my gift to him.

It's a print from a local gallery, Gallery 1988, which is currently hosting a Pee-Wee Herman tribute art show called, "I Know You Art, But What Am I?"

If you know my husband at all, you know that it's perfect for him.

I'm not always a great gift-giver, but I think this year Em and I did pretty well.

The little lady at Old Navy

2011-08-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

On one of our many trips into Old Navy, Em suddenly ran up to the collection of mannequins at the front of the store and struck an unprompted pose with the littlest mannequin of the bunch.

Of course, I had to snap a pic.

Since then, she hasn't missed an opportunity to say hello to her "friend."

Even if I don't have plans to step into Old Navy, if we're nearby, Em will shout, "Come on!" and bolt into the store.

She likes the dog, too...

...but the little girl is definitely her favorite.

I think it's super adorable, of course, but I hear that lots of kids love greeting those mannequins, too. Thankfully Em prefers a nice little side hug instead of kisses. I'd hate to see that tiny mannequin under a black light.

Kemosabi, jump on it, jump on it

2011-07-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

From our nightly dance party

That's Sugarhill Gang's Apache, one of Brent's all-time favorite songs.

Steppin' Out - 7-24-11

2011-07-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend we drove up to San Jose to celebrate at the baby shower of our friends, Matt and Nicole.

Here are Em and I before the party.

(Excuse me while I yell at my photographer for not noticing the stray halter straps from my dress over my shoulder.)

Me:

Dress, Ross

Shoes, Target

Em:

Dress & Hairbows, Gymboree

Shoes, Payless

Then Em and I had a pose-down.

Em won, of course.

We had so much fun at Nicole's shower. Em ADORES Matt and Nicole, and spent the entire drive down talking about them.

Here she is with the mom-to-be.

Em was super excited for cake.

How cute was Nicole's owl theme? The cake matched the invites!

Other than actual babies at the shower, Em was the youngest kiddo. I was thrilled that despite skipping naptime, she was great. Everyone loved her, and Em gladly accepted a little toy dog from Nicole's mom, who is going to make an AMAZING grandma very soon.

I laughed when Em took the hostesses up on their offer to settle in next to Nicole as she opened gifts.

She enjoyed the chance to check out the gifts up close, too.

We are beyond excited to meet Matt and Nicole's little boy. He's one lucky kid to be born into such an amazing family.

Explaining Carmageddon

2011-07-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hey, Em! They closed the 405 freeway this weekend! People called it CARMAGEDDON.

It's a vital 10-mile stretch of freeway, which is ALWAYS CROWDED!

Can you imagine the potential chaos on the surface streets near our house? We're not far from the 405, ya know!

But, as it turns out, people heeded the warnings and all the streets and freeways were empty!

It was so nice!

What'd we learn? People need to stay away from the westside, yo!

Steppin' Out -- 7-16-11

2011-07-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

Me:

Dress, GAP outlet

Shoes, Old Navy

Bracelet, gift from Brent

Em:

Dress & shoes, Old Navy

Headband, Baby GAP

We spent Saturday afternoon at the Eat Real Fest, an event to celebrate local, fresh food. When we told Em that we were going to a food festival, she insisted that it was a Dragon Festival where we'd see her cartoon pal Kai-Lan. She finally got on board with our plan when we assured her that, yes, there would be hot dogs there.

I wasn't planning to wear a dress, but I rediscovered this recent purchase in my closet -- and it's sooo comfortable! While it reminds me that I really need to get fitted for a bra (Allie did a great post about her experience here), I adore this dress.

And the shoes? Oh, the shoes. They were a total clearance steal at Old Navy. I think I paid $12. They were also sooo comfortable when I tried them on at the store and again when I put them on today. I even told Brent before we left for the event, "These things feel like I'm wearing slippers! Love it!"

Fastforward two hours later, though, and it was a different story. They flipped from velvety to torture in a split second. Strange, but true.

Minus the sore feet, the festival was great. Lots of delicious food, and the weather was sublime. She was excited when we found Grandpa and Uncle Tyler.

I also had my first encounter with a complete stranger who recognized me from my blog! (Hi, Lynn!) She was sweet and didn't stab me!

For all you locals, the Fest continues tomorrow. Check it out!

Hope you've all had a great weekend!

More than you ever wanted to know about my colon and nose

2011-07-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

Hi, Nanette. This is Cedars hospital calling to see how you're feeling after your colonoscopy on Friday.

Oh! Well, I was fine, but as soon as I left the office, my nose started running. I think it was an allergic reaction to the oxygen tube they used, well, not the tube itself but the actual oxygen because I was laying on my left side and that's the nostril that was bothering when I left the office, and it was so bad ALL DAY, and on Saturday, which was the night we were going to celebrate my birthday so I just wanted to feel better. I decided to call the on-call general practioner, and he told me what OTC meds I could take that would be OK with my Zyrtec and Flonase -- those meds weren't helping at all, but the OTC stuff kicked in and it got better. It was so bizarre, but I knew I wasn't alone 'cuz I looked online and found a bunch of folks who'd had the same issues from the oxygen after their colonoscopies, and it was strange because this didn't happen when I got my first colonscopy six years ago.

...

But I'm OK now!

OK, great! Hope you had a great birthday!

Steppin' Out - 7-10-11

2011-07-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

Me:

Dress, H&M

Shoes, Coloriffics (from my wedding -- in 2006!)

Em:

Romper, Janie & Jack (Thanks, Grandma!)

Shoes, Payless

Sunday was my 34th birthday. Man, I feel old just typing that!

This is what I wore out to our big celebratory dinner Saturday night. It was partially for my birthday and partially a make-up dinner for our 5th wedding anniversary in April that I ended up too sick to celebrate. I was excited to wear the dress that I bought back in March for our anniversary date that wasn't, and I paired it with the shoes that I wore on our wedding day. (P.S., I may be sporting that dress at BlogHer next month, for my fellow attendees.)

Brent and I enjoyed dinner at The Bazaar, while Em hung out at Grandma and Grandpa's. That adorable romper was a gift from Grandma after I fell in love with it recently. Em wasn't in a posing mood, hence the grumpy pic above. She can still it rock it, though, irate or not.

We managed to distract her with a backyard flower at the grandparents' to get a family pic.

Sunday we started with a birthday brunch at Bru's Wiffle, a wonderful local waffle joint.

We left Em at my in-laws' for the afternoon and caught a matinee of Horrible Bosses, which we enjoyed probably more than expected.

My in-laws presented me with a tiramisu cake, which was delicious, and then we ended my special day with dinner at my favorite sushi place.

All in all, it was a perfect day filled with family and a gazillion lovely birthday wishes from friends. I have a feeling it'll be a great year. How can it not be with these two around?

Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand

2011-07-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

When we learned we were having a girl, my mind fast-forwarded to a sweet little girl in pigtails and dance classes. I didn't imagine both scenarios at once, but as it so happened, it worked out that way for this post.

We did a trial dance class at a local studio to see if we liked what they offered and if Em was into it.

She was head over ballet slippered heals in love, so we signed up for the rest of the session.

She listens intently, and follows instructions like a champ.

She hangs on the teacher's every word.

She loves to pretend she's a bunny. (Or a lion or a bear, upon request.)

She concentrates.

And she's picked up a few cool moves.

She was near tears when it was time to leave the studio. And each time we mention "dance class" throughout the week, she perks up and says, "I want to put my shoes on and go to dance class! Right now!"

Who knows how long this fascination will last, but knowing our girl, she'll be a dancing machine as long as we let her.

Fangirl in the house

2011-07-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

t's been one of the most fun-filled concert seasons I've had in ages.

Back in May, my friend Ceci and I saw Julian Velard at Hotel Cafe. Minus the parking ticket, it was a great show. We also got some one-on-one time post-show. He was a doll and recognized me from my Twitter ~~stalking~~ conversations.

Not long after that show, Brent and I enjoyed a date night with ourselves and Prince at the last of his dozen or so LA shows. Prince has been on my concert bucket list forever, and his show did not disappoint. He played FIVE ENCORES.

Let's not forget Sesame Street Live a couple of weeks ago. While we were at the Sesame Street show, I received a text from Ceci, asking if I'd like to join her at a private concert she'd just won tix for. The artist? Gavin DeGraw, my friends. GAVIN DEGRAW.

The show was hosted by a local radio station in its private performance area. Ceci and I were joined by just 18 other fans, and we found ourselves in the front row of his 3-song performance. Here's a video from that day, performing his newest single, "Not Over You."

We had a chance to meet him after the show, and when he said, "I'm Gavin. Nice to meet you," I said, "Well, I've actually met you twice before. Last time was at your BlogHer performance. I'm a huge fan." He seemed ~~scared~~ touched.

My fangirl ride hit the ultimate high on Friday night when I joined five gal pals at the New Kids On The Block/Backstreet Boys show.

Left to right -- Jordan, Jonathon, Donnie...Wait a second...

Beyond getting to feel like a 12-year-old (when NKOTB was popular) and a 22-year-old (when BSB was popular), that show was like nothing else. I don't think I've ever been to a show where it was perfectly acceptable to just be crazy-go-nuts over the musicians. Even with John Mayer and Maroon 5, I feel like there's an expectation to be more about the musicianship and songs than the hotness of the boys. Friday's show was more like Chippendales who sang -- at least to us fans in attendance.

We all had/have our favorite New Kids/Backstreet members, and many of us woke up the next morning to little or no voice left after all that screaming. It was all worth it, though, and I'm praying to the concert gods that they'll do it again soon.

In a couple weeks I'll see Gavin DeGraw again, this time opening for Maroon 5 and Train at the Hollywood Bowl. It doesn't feel like summer if I don't get a good show in at the Bowl.

The last on my concert list is Yo Gabba Gabba Live in November. Technically, that's for Em, but Mom and Dad happen to be excited about it, too.

Seen any amazing shows lately?

Steppin' Out - 6-18-11

2011-06-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the big day. Well, the big day in our Em's eyes. We took her to see some of her favorite characters featured in Sesame Street Live.

We met up with some pals to enjoy the show.

Em had a blast watching her favorite characters take the stage. She cheered, clapped and sung along.

Worth a thousand words

2011-06-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Brent, for everything you do. Em and I love and adore you to the moon and back.

Happy Father's Day to dads everywhere!

xoxo,
Nanette & Em

Berry good Saturday

2011-06-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

Strawberry-picking at Tanaka Farms may just be our latest family tradition. We went last year for Father's Day weekend, and we made the trek down there yesterday to meet up with Kim, Joe and their little gal.

It was the same set-up as last year -- a wagon ride through the farm's various fields, with stops to taste the fresh produce.

Checking out the banana trees

The tour's finale is 15 minutes in the fields to stuff yourselves silly and fill plastic boxes with some of the freshest strawberries you'll ever taste.

Em couldn't get enough of the berry goodness.

She was too enamored with the strawberries to stop and smile at the camera for us, but we made it work.

Kim and Joe enjoyed the excursion, too, even if it took their little gal a while to warm up to it.

After the tour, we picked up some goodies from the farm's stands, along with lunch.

The girls played amongst the plentiful bales of hay.

Good food, good times, good friends!

We might just have to make the trip down this fall for pumpkin season!

Steppin' Out - 6-11-11

2011-06-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, we stepped out in some strawberry fields this weekend, which I'll recap in a separate post because I'm beat from such a fun day.

P.S. The sticker on my shirt is actually my ticket for the strawberry tour, not some new office supply-inspired fashion trend.

Timeouts are no fun

2011-06-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

It's hard to stay upset at a face like that.

Art show. We're all going to the art show.

2011-06-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

When our friend, Nicole, sent us info about an upcoming art exhibit inspired by Yo Gabba Gabba and featuring Brandon Bird, one of our favorite artists, we knew we had to go.

We weren't sure if we'd make it to the exhibit opening on Friday night, given that it started across town at Em's bedtime of 7 p.m. However, she had a nice and long late nap, so we headed out.

The exhibit was housed in the back area of Meltdown Comics, not far from the Sunset Strip. Our excursion started off with a bang when Brent spotted one of our favorite actresses, Emma Stone, strolling with a pal down the Strip.

We arrived at the event shortly after 7, and Em made a beeline to the display of Yo Gabba Gabba comic books at the front of the store. That was exciting enough as it was, but when we entered the bustling crowd in the gallery, she wasn't sure what to do with herself.

We snapped a pic in front of some decor similar to one of the character's lands. Forgive my camera phone pics -- I forgot our fancy camera at home.

We pushed through the growing crowds and oggled the exhibits, which were created by various artists.

I was intrigued by this photo as I've seen every episode a dozen times and didn't recognize this photo still. Excited to see this air!

Em enjoyed the art, too.

I loved, loved, loved these plush creations of the characters.

And these crotcheted versions.

Along with this sculpture.

I assumed there'd be a few fun surprises for opening night, but I was still surprised to see three of the five costumed characters make an appearance at the event. We watched as Em scanned the crowd and spotted them towering above. She repeated under her breath, "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod." And she asked Brent, repeatedly, "Where's Brobee?" -- one of the two missing characters.

There was a professional photographer on site to take pics of the fans with the characters, and we snapped this grainy one with my phone.

[Edited to add the pro version, taken by Chad Fjerstad. I love, love, LOVE it!]
As the crowd of fans for photos dwindled, we stood near the characters. In between photos, they'd wave at Em. I suggested she wave and blow them a few kisses, and when she did, they blew kisses back to her.

Her eyes were big as saucers.

She was smitten.

It was no wonder that she protested loudly when we made our way to the door.

The pieces in the show varied widely in prices. We found a couple really cool pieces well within our price range, but they were sold before we could snag them.

Luckily, there were some limited edition prints available of a few of our favorites, and some of them were from Brandon Bird. In fact, we discovered that it was him manning his print table.

Brent told him all about Brent's faux art gallery in his office and shared this pic of one of Brandon's prints, which our friends had given Brent, complete with an ornate frame.

Yes, that's Christopher Walken fixing a robot. What of it?

We picked up one of Brandon's prints, featuring the show's DJ Lance. Brent's brother bought us an exhibit poster. We had spotted Mark Mothersbaugh, lead singer of Devo and regular Yo Gabba Gabba guest, in the crowd. We were leaving at the same time, so we asked him to sign our poster, which he did gladly.

Show poster on the left, DJ lance on the right.

Brent and I love indulging the fangirl in Em at events like these. We're excited to see how much she enjoys the live show later this year. Good thing her parents are fans, too.

The exhibit runs until June 17, so local folks have plenty of time to check out the creations themselves.

Week in pics, w.3

2011-05-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few favorite phone photos to link up with Amy this week.

Thinking.

When did she turn 12 years old?

Tiny baker.

"Wanna touch da ceiling, Daddy!" Chillin' with her baby.

Steppin' Out - 5-29-11

2011-05-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

I got dolled up for a night out with my prince to see THE Prince.

Em got dolled up for her first overnight away from both of us.

More to come on all of that when I've recovered from going crazy and getting down.

Faces

2011-05-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

One morning Em pulled out her Magnadoodle and said to Brent, "I want to draw Mommy."

She got down on the floor, doodled for a bit, and then proudly showed her artwork to him. "It's Mommy!" she proclaimed.

Having never seen her create a recognizable interpretation, Brent frantically yelled for me to come see what she'd done.

I was able to snap a pic before she shrugged off our enthusiastic reaction and erased it.

She drew ME -- a big ol' happy face! My heart exploded in pride.

Then a couple days later, after a few tantrums and timeouts, she announced another drawing of Mommy.

How quickly the mighty have fallen.

Week in pics, w.2

2011-05-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

This week has gotten away from me, so please forgive my late camera phone pics.

MONDAY

1) Sad about the childproofed pantry 2) Slurping up her soup -- with a STRAW

TUESDAY

1) Pulling a chair up to the easel 2) "Daddy, I want to touch the ceiling!"

WEDNESDAY
1) Tiny burger at Capital Grille 2) Post-storytime at the library

THURSDAY
1) Playing 2) "Friends" at Old Navy 3) "Say 'Smile,' Mommy!"

FRIDAY
1) Chillin' with Daddy 2) Mall rides

SATURDAY
1) Strollin' with Domo 2) Dancing with the Stars stars

SUNDAY
1) Watching the pinata 2) Collecting pinata goodies!

Steppin' Out - 5-22-11

2011-05-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

We stepped out this weekend to celebrate our pal's second birthday.

We came home with the best balloon animal ever.

Week in pics, w.1

2011-05-15T22:34:00.001-07:00

A couple months ago I discovered Amy's blog through the magic of Mandy's Steppin' Out series.

Each week Amy recaps her weekdays with her little guy via photos from her phone camera, and she invites readers to join in the fun. I adore my fancy DSLR camera, but it's too bulky to carry around daily.

I'm excited to share my week with Em, through the window of my phone (and a couple of its apps).

MONDAY
1) Playing "waitress" 2) Cranky post-nap 3) Happy post-nap!

TUESDAY

1. At the park 2. Fangirling over the Fresh Beat Band

WEDNESDAY
1. Swinging at the beach with Grandma 2. Riding at the Santa Monica Pier

THURSDAY
1. Breakfast with Grandma 2. BACON!

FRIDAY

1. Checking her email 2. Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog 3. Requesting to pose with Daddy 4. Waving her magic wand at the Disney Store

Steppin' Out - 5-14-11

2011-05-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day in pictures...

2011-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

...and a few words.

Brunch with my gal

Family photo opp

Gifts for our moms

Picking up some new recipes via justJENN

Visiting with friends

Arts & crafts

Porta-PARTY!

Photobooth fun

Hope you all had a rockin' Mother's Day!

Steppin' Out -- 5-8-11

2011-05-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'll recap my Mother's Day in a separate post 'cuz I'm about to take a nice, long nap even though Em refuses to take hers. In the meantime, here are our Steppin' Out outfits for the day.

Em's dress was sent to me by the reps for Disney's It's A Small World collection, and it's beyond cute, isn't it?

Steppin' Out -- 4-30-11

2011-05-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Me:

Shirt, Old Navy

Skirt, Banana Republic (from the Used-To-Be-Too-Small-But-Now-It-Fits-Again Collection)

Shoes, TOMS Wedges

Necklace, Claire's

Wood cuff, my 5th wedding anniversary gift from Brent -- the traditional gift is wood. So sweet!

Em:

Shirt, Target

Shorts, Baby GAP

Sandals, Payless

I'm still recovering from quite the fun-filled weekend, and it's not even over yet!

Thursday afternoon I joined Katie and her husband at a taping of The Ellen Show, thanks to our pal, Heather.

Our guests were Steve Carell (from The Office -- EEEE!) and Alison Sweeney (Biggest Loser host and Days of Our Lives star). The show airs Monday, and if you happen to tune in, you might be able to spot us in the row behind the row Ellen dances through.

After lots of dancing at the show, I headed to Heather's parents' for an all-night viewing party of the royal wedding.

We ooohed and ahhhed over the gorgeous wedding party, and had fun cracking ourselves up in person and over Twitter.

I was a bit punch-drunk and silly from sleep deprivation, as you can see in my tweets below.

I was outta my mind by the end of the night.

(Five gold stars if you got that last reference.)

Friday I tried to recover from our all-nighter, and then yesterday we woke up bright and early to join Team Maddie at the March of Dimes' March for Babies near USC.

I was happily surprised that the tutu I made for Em last year still fit this year.

After the March, we headed to USC for the LA Times' Festival of Books, where Em enjoyed the 'SC marching band.

Hope you've all had a great weekend!

An Easter photo essay

2011-04-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna get me some EGGS, y'all!

Where to look, where to look...

You guuuuuys, this "egg" is shaped like Hello Kitty. Really?

It's where?

Over there?

Ah ha!

Hmmm...

I'll take THIS one.

And THIS one!

What is with all the paparazzi?

I KID, I KID!

Think I'll count my goodies.

Mmm...PEEPS!

Steppin' Out {4-23-11}

2011-04-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Last month I tried on a Libertine dress from Target's GO partnerships with high-end designers. It fit great, but it was too short. Sadly, they didn't have the size larger for me to try, and I lamented about it later that night to Heather. Turns out that she had just bought the size larger but didn't like the way it fit once she got home and was planning to return it.

Score!

It was perfect to wear to my friend Kelli's baby shower today.

Even though Em was staying home to nap and hang out with Brent, I changed her out of her pjs before I left. Oh, yes -- we had a lazy morning 'round these parts.

Em wasn't in the mood to stand still and pose with me, but Brent was able to snap what might be my new favorite picture of Em.

Hope you've all had a great weekend!

Hair raising

2011-04-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Long-time readers might remember when Em was wee and looked like this:

Probably one of my top five fav pics of her, by the way.

Obviously I thought she was the most adorable little honey bunches of oats, but I anxiously waited for that bald little head of hers to sprout some luscious locks.

I swear, it feels like she went from that to this overnight:

I adore her hair, and I never have to do a thing to it. She just wakes up with these soft, bouncy ringlets. In some light, it looks super red.

She has streaks of natural highlights.

Her hair is loooong. When it's pulled straight down, it's about an inch above her waist.

I can do fun things with it.

Or I can just let it flow.

There's no question that I'm jealous. I wish I could take her into my stylist and say, "Do this to ME!" I doubt the Follicle Fairies have enough magic dust to make it happen, sadly.

I took her to a casting yesterday, and they asked if they could cut Em's hair to her shoulders if she booked the shoot. I gave them an emphatic "Noooooo." I wasn't that surprised, given that the casting was for a national haircutting chain, but in my mommy-fied mind, Em is already an "after."

Also, at 2 1/2, Em has yet to have a haircut.

For one, I'm still giddy that she has all this gorgeous hair after being bald for so long. Also, it's not like she has any split ends or styling damage that needs to be cut. I'm also scuuuurrrred that we'll lose those waves! I don't know if we'd lose them all if we cut too much, or if the length is just weighing down other waves higher on her head and I worry for nothing.

Obviously she's going to need her hair cut someday, and in all likelihood, maybe not that long from now. The "what ifs" are lingering in the back of my mind.

Yeah, I know -- these are the silly, first-world problems that keep me up at night.

I love long hair on little girls, but I've also always been a big fan of bobs, like Rebecca's sweet daughter Fable has. (She happens to be just three days older than Em.) It's stylish yet age-appropriate.

I know it's just hair and it'll grow back, but I'm just so smitten with Em's at this very moment.

Maybe it's time for just a trim, which won't make my head explode. That is, until Em freaks out at the sight of the scissors and leaves an Em-shaped dust cloud at the salon.

Stomping grounds

2011-04-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate that along with my wonderful husband and his amazing family, I inherited Brent's group of friends from college. They welcomed me with open arms, and some of them were integral in our early courtship.

When Nicole, whom longtime readers may remember as Brent's groom matron in our wedding, invited the large circle of friends together this weekend along the Central California coast where we all went to school, we immediately said yes.

We arrived earlier than the rest of the group and killed some time at the San Luis Obispo's Children's Museum. It was definitely smaller than big-city kids museums, but still lots of fun.

Later, we strolled along the creek, where Brent and I strolled on our first date. By coincidence, the next day we had brunch at the same restaurant where we started our first date.

This called for spirit fingers, of course.

While the group spent a lot of the weekend exploring in smaller groups, we gathered the entire bunch Saturday night for a BBQ at Matt & Nicole's parents' vacation home in Pismo Beach. There were five kids amongst our group of 20, and they kept plenty busy.

Matt is going to be a great father someday. He kept the kiddos entertained with chalk games...

...and cookie decorating.

As hectic as it can be to travel with a toddler in tow, the weekend was just the family get-away we needed.

Go to sleep, little baby

2011-04-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

Em is a good kid.

No, Em is a GREAT kid.

She has a wicked sense of humor. She's courteous. She is so much fun. She's smart.

Sometimes she's too smart.

Bedtime used to go so smoothly. Bath, books, a song or two, then down for the night.

Then she started complaining and protesting and stalling. She'd throw her United Nations of stuffed animals from her crib to the ground -- or worse, shove them behind her crib because she enjoyed the ride when we had to push the crib from the wall to retrieve her pals.

She'd remove her PJs, then complain about standing there in her diaper.

She'd ask for repeat performances of the dog shadow puppet her dad does so well. She'd ask for me. Then Brent. Then me.

The whining. The crying. The "I WANT DOWN!"

It was annoying but not so bad when this went on for a half hour. Then over time it grew to an hour. Sometimes two. And recently? THREE.

Not that all over her requests went on for three hours, but the time it took to wind down and finally fall asleep was extending to three hours.

I chalked it up to teething. Then a fever made me think it was an ear infection. So off to the pediatrician we went.

Em's ears were fine. Her top molars aren't poking through yet. When I lamented that it was just so strange that Em's sleep had gotten so bad, she asked how long this has been going. I told her all I mentioned above, and, well, yeah.

Our toddler is too smart for her own good and has us wrapped around her little sleep-postponing fingers.

It was time for us to sleep train Em again and give her the tools to soothe herself to sleep. As the pediatrician said, there's no medical reason the gal just can't go to sleep on her own after we've gone through our bedtime routine.

For the past five nights, before placing her in her crib, we calmly tell her, "No crying. No yelling. No screaming. Just sleep." Then we help her repeat it back to us -- twice.

She treats it like one of our fun nursery rhymes or songs, a twinkle in her eye and a slight smile as she says it.

It's worked. It's WORKED!

She's not pulling the crap anymore. We've stopped going in her room at her beck and call.

It's been lovely, and now I wonder how calm, reaffirming mantras might work in the rest of this parenting thing.