Our New Year's

So, as New Year's approached this year I was very upset not to have any plans. Babysitters are scarce and even my grandmother parties well into the wee hours on New Year's. Oh I complained and complained and hated that I would probably be in bed asleep by the time midnight approached. We were set to have a quiet evening at home. Nothing even special for dinner. Mike had popped into work earlier and a couple of friends said they were getting together and we could join them....but, I was reluctant to accept. The twin tornadoes can be a menace when presented with an unchildproofed house full of interesting things to touch and grab and perhaps even break. Michael gets really nervous too and so I convinced myself that they would rather not have the lot of us join them.


Luckily, I was wrong. A couple hours before said get together, the phone rang. It was one of the girls asking if we were planning on coming over. Defeated, I sighed and said that she probably didn't want the boys running around her apartment late into the night. But, I was wrong. She welcomed us one and all. So, we decided to go and I was glad that we did. We all had a great time. There was pizza and cookies.....and wine (see red face in picture). We were able to visit whilst the boys were awed by Nemo and Ice Age on the television. Also, the boys were overjoyed with the pet selection in this household. There were fish, lizards, frogs, cats and a big dog. Okay, Ben was very scared of the big dog, but there was a lot to keep the boys busy.
I always underestimate how grown up my boys are. They visited well and stayed up late without much protest at all. They actually mingled with the guests. Anyone who knows my boys knows that I am making an effort to socialize them. For too long I have kept them home with me and they are pretty shy when it comes to light conversation with an acquaintance. Usually when people try to talk to them, they are met with a stop sign hand and several "no's". Not tonight though. The boys were ready to party.
Seeing how well they did, I felt a little less guilty about keeping them out late....away from their cozy beds. But, if you look at those smiles.....you can tell, they were happy to get out. They needed it just as much as I did.
As the hours crept on, luckily the boys began to quietly fade. They melted into the couch which was just as good as their beds. We covered them with blankets and proceeded to watch an advance copy of Twilight while we chatted and waited for the arrival of the New Year.
Okay.....we got a little crazy too. And, this picture did wonders for helping with a New Year's resolution.....that much Booty is good for no one. Okay, Michael may disagree, but that is a whole different kind of blog. But, to sum up.....we had a great time with great friends and are confident the New Year will bring many good things for many good people.

Too Tired to Say Much

With the holidays and the endless stream of visitors and the partying and cleaning and celebrating some more.....I am too tired to actually be coherent. So, I won't write much. With pictures being worth 1000 words and all, I think I will meet my word quota for this assignment. I was really even too busy to get that many pictures taken-good sweet wonderful ones anyway, so these will have to do. The boys had a great Christmas though. They had way too many presents and now, if not before, I can say that our house is nothing short of a toy storage facility. When I recover.....um, err, possibly by the summer, I will have to organize said toys. For now they are piled high in every spare closet --to the ceiling like some movie closet where an avalanche could break at any moment. Word of advice, do not open any doors that may lead to a closet in my home.....it could be hazardous to your health. At this moment, the four of us are warn out from our New Year's Eve partying......I may blog about that one some other time, but for now I am going to take a nap. Enjoy the pictures.







Wishing you all a fine 2009 and I hope you all had an awesome holiday season.

Santa Clause is coming to Town

As if I didn't know that my boys are growing up at the speed of light......it is confirmed in a little tradition known as the Santa photo.
In one short year, look how much they have grown up. Last year, Santa was just an old scary man with a long beard who they didn't know and didn't want to know. Look at the horror....the terror....the tears.
A year later, is a different story. Number one, a candy cane is a great gift in the eyes of my boys. Santa is a superstar as soon as he starts passing out these sticky and soon to be slobbery treats. And although, Ben cares more about that candy cane than the mystique of the bearded one, Seb has a happy smile. No more tears and fears. My little boys are big boys and I am not imagining the fast rate at which their youth is evaporating right before my eyes. Oh boy, I can only imagine a goatee in Santa pic number three next year, sigh. Okay, a little overexaggeration never hurt anyone, right?

CA snow day

So, what is even better than driving through snow on the way home from a trip.......having snow at home the next day! We awoke to a blanket of white snow and the prettiest dainty snow flakes fluttering down from the sky. Of course, our satellite dish will not work because of it, but it is something different for this CA girl. We did a year in MO and had plenty of ice and snow, but this is CA. This would have been a dream come true when I was a little girl.
Of course, we don't have snow clothes for the boys and my mom actually picked up some boots and gloves yesterday......which are not here today and won't make an appearance until Monday. But, I couldn't resist. Just looking through the window made the boys squeal with delight. And the snow started to pick up and there was a wonderland in our backyard. So, at 10am.....I gave in. I bundled the boys in layers of clothes and we ran outside into the exciting elements.
There is nothing like the joy on a kids face in their first experience of snow. They ate it from the sky with tongues hanging out as far as possible. They blinked as flakes stuck to their lashes. We made a snowman. We had a snowball fight. We created big snowy piles just to trample them like Godzilla. They enjoyed the slick slide with my assistance and were really in awe. Even our break for hot apple cider was taken outside because the boys were having too much fun.
Of course, though, the fun cannot last forever. As the clothes started to get more wet than dry and the fingers started turning red from the frost and I knew the tennis shoes had cold little feet with wet socks inside....we had to come inside for lunch. Inside to a nice heated house where we would change our clothes and put our shoes in the dryer and eat while we looked longingly at the scene outside. It just keeps coming down and is beautiful. I love the trees covered in snow. I love the look of a snowy yard.....even if I can't keep my balance to save my life. Okay...I only fell once so it is not that bad.
But, along with the good comes the bad. One of the scariest things is a Californian trying to drive in the snow.....or a So Californian trying to drive in the rain even. Okay, driving is scary all together, but you can't trust anyone in these conditions. So....the Christmas cards would have to wait to be mailed. If I can't walk in it....I can't drive in it. The schools are closed, even my husband's office was closed. Man, he couldn't even get the car in the garage when he returned home.....we are not armed with snow shovels and didn't know we would need to be. But, we will drink a hot cocoa and look out the window at the lovely scene and just relax and enjoy this holiday season........if I can convince dh that this is not an ideal opportunity to play NCAA football on the PS3 that is. Come on.....at least volunteer to take the boys out for their second jaunt into the wild snowy world that is our backyard. I already did my 1.5 hours today which was totally worth it, but I don't know how much more frost bite I can take.

P.S. Stay away from the yellow snow......how much can two little dogs pee in a couple of hours anyway.

Busy Busy Busy Bees

As you can tell from the title of this particular blog....We have been busy! Okay, we are always busy, but we were especially busy this weekend. My sis and I were throwing our parents a party for their 25th wedding anniversary. Thank goodness she had the time to organize and put the details together. She was the backbone to this operation and of course, with her impeccable sense of style, it was a great event. So, we went home for a long weekend that flew by too quickly.

Can you believe that this is the weather we drove through on our way back from Nor Cal. It was actually quite pretty and the boys were very excited to see the snow. It almost rated with the Moos of the many cows, the baaaahs of the many sheep and the choo choos of the many trains that we saw on our drive.
We are lucky that the boys are so wonderful in the car. Six hours is not fun......even if there is a stop over at McDonald's on the way.
Of course, we have Einsteins on the TV and Twizzlers to snack on (this is the boys new favorite treat) and who could ask for a better excuse to travel.
We had kicked off the festivities of the weekend first visiting my mom at her school and showing off the babies.....um, errr, my big boys. That night we braved the cold to go to the Tilden park set up for Christmas. They had a really nice display of Christmas scenery and of course this included Winnie the Pooh which is always exciting for the dudes. The boys forgot the cold after the first 10 minutes of shaking like a tickle me Elmo and were not easily contained as they whipped around the area at full speed ahead.
The main draw was the Merry Go Round. Seb loves it! Although this Merry Go Round was like at supersonic speed. I have never seen something fly around so fast. Needless to say, I was a little dizzy.....but it didn't bother the boys.
This was the first time we were able to get Ben to agree to take a ride. Before, at other venues.....he always refused. Of course, with my big self pinning him to the tiger.....who wouldn't feel safe. So, he acclimated quickly and went on the next time without my riding behind him.
The boys did pretty well at the main event also. We had a very nice lunch at Scott's and my guys were quite dashing in their ties. Although the boys got a fruit plate instead of salad and chicken fingers and fries instead of the grown up food.....their appetite was unparalleled and I don't know how they ate it all. I was even impressed that they were able to stay in booster seats with no belts as there were no high chairs and we had forgotten our traveling seats to secure them in. They really are growing up and I have to remind myself as an overprotective mommy that I don't give them enough credit. They really are rock stars!
Here are the happy couple coming in from the cold to join their party.



And more of the boys in their ties.....I can't get enough of my cuties! Yes, a successful weekend...but too short. However, it gave me something to talk about in this here blog. Something other than the fact that a couple days previous in one of my panic rushes to get too much done....I gave the dogs the Twizzlers and the boys the Milkbones. Seb looked at me like I lost my mind and gave it back with a look. Of course, when I rush to Ben......he is eating the tasty dog snack with gusto and I feared he wouldn't trade me for his candy. Unbelieveable. I really need to slow down/calm down sometimes, hehe.

A Quickie

So, no I haven't gotten my Christmas cards out or even started on them yet. I so wanted to take some nice pictures in the backyard where the boys have a wonderland of crunchy leaves to hop in, stomp on and throw. Who said that there are no seasons in CA. I swear that these leaves were very green at one time. Anyway, my best laid plan did not work, no big surprise here.

True, both boys are battling some kind of illness. Seb has had a runny nose and the most horrible poops lately. I know, TMI, but can I just say for the sake of commiseration that the only solid thing in the diaper has been the corn he ate the night before--- that in an ocean of murky brown swamp water. A smell that lingers for 3 hours in a room and makes me check and recheck for a repeat occurrence to find nothing. Hehe....I know, I shouldn't have gone there. But, I thought those days of washing all the sheets, changing the clothes multiple times and daily baths were in the past. Apparently not.

So, after today's late morning (and very needed) bathing, I thought I would try to put the boys in a nice selection of button up shirts in the quest to obtain the perfect picture for our Christmas cards. Staples is great and cheap to get such things done in one day and so I had high hopes that I would be like my former self and have those Christmas cards out with a quickness. However, Ben has been in such a mood lately. He will change his pants from day to day, but he gets attached to his shirts. Earlier this week to avoid unnecessary battles I gave in to allowing him to wear his pajama shirt for two days straight. So, when I approached him with a nice button up shirt....thinking hey, it's cold, he has to wear something after the bath....the battle began. No, No, No. So I moved onto a poloish long sleeve with fancy striped sleeves and a gang looking number on the chest (one of his usual favorites) and this was also a no. So, I gave him a choice which still left me with a No. Ben, dude, it is cold. You can't be half naked today and you aren't wearing pajamas. After much fighting I got him to wear a dinosaur shirt, hardly appropriate for a heart warming Xmas card. Seb seeing Ben in a dinosaur shirt of course had to wear his as well and so I gave up on the nice clothes and gave into their opinions.

So, I thought.....well, maybe I can still get a picture taken with both of them together....although not ideal, they are so cute......maybe nobody will notice or care. Of course, with this I could not get them barely in the same universe to take a picture together. Pose one and the other runs off. That is what I get for trying to get something done without my scary counterpart at home. So, whether or not we get a Christmas card made this year, I do not know. But, I do like to take pictures for the good ole blog and so today was not a wasted day. Who could be disappointed by these loving and cheerful smiles anyway?

Even if things don't (and by don't I mean never) go according to plan.....how can I not be the happiest mommy alive? I am lucky to have these angels to call my sons and a little independent streak never killed anyone.....right?

Coming Soon: The Busy Holiday Season

So, I will start by saying that this last Thursday was the midnight showing of Twilight. My circle of friends near and far had been anticipating this movie for what seemed like an eternity. Luckily, my grandmother agreed to stay over so that Mike and I could join our group of 20+ Twilight Saga fanatics at the opening showing. People started lining up at 1pm for the midnight group. There were three sold out rooms in our theater and another theater with similar numbers down the street. Our wonderful friend Mina got there at 4ish and alerted the movie people that she was holding our spot. We got there at about 7pm and were happy to be about 11th in line.

Some may think that waiting in line for 5+ hours is crazy or would be boring to say the least. It was anything but. It was great to hang with the group and with the hordes of people all with a common interest. There were kids and teenagers. There were husbands and wives. There were soccer moms with whole soccer teams. People wearing preprinted shirts. People with posters and news clippings, magazines and official guides. The LA Times showed up to sell newspaper inserts at 50 cents a piece. There were heated debates about the characters. Those that hated Jacob and those who preferred Edward but couldn't help but defend Jacob from attack. Debates about casting and whether the movie could live up to the electricity pulsing from the characters in the books. It was a wild and fun time.

The whole movie watching experience was amplified by the shear number of fans piled in the room. From the raise of the curtain to the end of the movie, loud roaring cheers and enthusiastic clapping ruled the theater. The crowd even went crazy with the cameo of Stephenie Meyer herself.

The movie itself was good. For an addict like me it was sensational. I would like to see it again and again....if I had someone to watch the boys and also unlimited amounts of time and money. I do plan on reading and rereading the books until it comes out on DVD. And then it will be time to wait in line for the second installment. I don't know if people who hadn't read the books would see it quite the same, but Michael liked it and wouldn't like me spreading this all over town....but has said that he plans to read the books over his Xmas vacation. He may just be fanning a flame there though because he knows how amorous I return when I have spent a couple of hours in Forks immersed in the intensity of Edward and Bella. But, hey, the movie opened to something like 70.5 million dollars this weekend. So, I can't be that crazy.......especially when certain people that I know have already seen it three times!!!

Busy days are ahead. The holiday season will be here and gone before we know it. So, I have to admit that I put up my Christmas tree yesterday and rapped presents. I know....it isn't even after Thanksgiving yet! And, I usually abhor decorating. I always refused to put up a tree and got away with it last Christmas because we went to my mom's for the holidays and so I wasn't depriving the boys technically. Well, this year Xmas is at my house. And, after going back and forth about it.....I got the dang thing. It is a fake one and a little crooked from being shoved in a tiny box....but it will do. It is one of those three piece things that have the lights on it already. That at least took the lazy portion away from my argument. We were shopping yesterday....not my favorite thing to do during the holidays with the crowds, but better now than a couple weeks from now. So, we got the tree and the boys picked out a Cars tree skirt and some Cars ornaments to add to the box of ornaments I had gotten as a gift once and never used before this. Once home I assembled my tree and the boys were in awe of it. They loved it....the lights, the Cars ornaments, even the shiny assortment of Santas, Penguins, Snowmen etc. that were added to leave no branch unadorned. Not touching the tree takes some reminding, but the boys sat for hours oohing and aaahing and pointing things out. I suppose that is why it had to be done.

The gingerbread man book is still a favorite. When my grandmother came over to babysit, she made gingerbread men for the boys with raisin eyes, cherry mouth and papaya buttons. The boys were overjoyed. Seb kept placing the gingerbread man on its picture likeness in the book. Then he would bite it and we would say,"Ouch!" and he would laugh. He also shared the gingerbread man with the cow, horse and little old lady in the book. Ben on the other hand tore off his arm and leg right away to eat and then made him run around the table before finally biting off his head. One gingerbread man apiece was worth at least an hour of fun. Then later that night my grandma asked Seb where the gingerbread man was......referring to the book before bed. Seb smiled, opened his mouth wide and pointed down his throat. Then he rubbed his belly and said,"Good."

As I have feared before, Ben is really attached to me. I have always known that Ben would be one of the kids on the first day of kinder that would be howling and I would be the mother crying right along with him. We have started attending a new church with a great childcare system. They have five rooms --each for a designated year age with two teachers per room and a supervisor that patrols all of the rooms. The kids play and have a little lesson and then have cookie time. If your child gets too upset, they have electronic screens that flash your kid's number so that you know to come and rescue them. Of course, when dropping them off, I already had tears in my eyes. Seb steps in the room with a big smile and runs off to start playing without a glance back. Benny on the other hand pulls at my heart strings. He goes in and finds a toy and before I can leave, comes to me to grab my hand and show me the rest of what he has found. I get my hand back after a couple of minutes and slowly make my way to the door. But the stupid security gates.....it takes a million years to figure out how to open it. By the time I am on the other side, Ben is watching with wide eyes and a quivering lip. I blow him a kiss, tell him goodbye and tell him to have fun. I will see him in a little bit. The roar of death and ocean of tears erupt. I can't bring myself to go into the church. I hide with my back against the wall in the hall, almost crying myself. Michael wants me to leave, he will be fine in a couple of minutes. But, I want to stay and listen. I want to hear him stop crying so that I know he is alright. Of course, Ben senses me there. He climbs up on the gate and cranes his neck around to see me hiding in the hallway. He has an extra loud burst of tears to try and draw me back in. I blow him a kiss and assure him I will be back soon. I have to leave now.

Our number is never called, so I am calmer. Of course upon picking up the boys, they are happily playing. Ben doesn't see me right away and runs around the room as busy as can be. He has a toy spoon in his smiling mouth making quick laps around tables and chairs and Michael and I look at each other and know that that is our typical little Ben. Then Benny sees me....stops in his tracks.....the spoon drops and he runs to the door. He reaches his arms up and says,"Carry, Carry." He is ready to go home. Seb on the other hand, smiles and waves and says hi to us. He then makes his rounds and says bye to everyone in the room. All the way to the car, he walks hand in hand with his Daddy waving at every passer by. When in the car we ask the boys, "Did you have fun?" Seb answers with an elated,"Yeah, yeah!" Ben gives a nonchalant nod.

Not only is leaving the boys hard on me because I am one of those overprotective, hovering, following their every move moms, but because I have this guilt when I leave them. I wonder if it is just Ben's sensitive personality that has him upset or is it a real fear that I won't come back. That I am abandoning him. I think this is what makes it harder for me to be unemotional about it. It is hard for me to go.

One last thing. I have been teaching the boys how to say,"I love you." Seb is pretty good at it and now if I say- I -with a pause, the- love you- come out right after. With Ben, he is not the talker with this emotional stuff, so he has his own rock star moves. With Seb and I saying I love, Ben does an over exaggerated point for the you and adds the biggest sweetest smile so that you know what he means. Of course, if the subject is daddy, it is always, "I love Dada!" instead of the You. I don't know why. It is just how they do it. I love those little dudes.

We have so much planned over the next couple of weeks with trips and visits and parties that I don't know when I will get a chance to blog again. If I don't.....Happy Holidays to you all out there. If I do....well, then I guess I will just have to say it again.