The Beach

A short while back we had to take a lightening-fast trip to the beach. As in, Hubs wrapped up work early one day and we were back in time for him to get back to work after lunch the next day. All I hoped for was for my boys, all three of them, to see the sunset over the Pacific.

Mission accomplished.

Travel

THIS post, written  by Andrea forever ago, brought back back bad memories of our flight back from Heathrow almost two years ago. We had an 11 AM flight and checked in in a daze before racing to the terminal before breakfast assuming we'd grab something to eat near our departure gate. We arrived a half hour before boarding only to realize, it being Heathrow and all, there was nothing AT the gate. No restaurant, cafe or shop, just a few crappy vending machines. So, awesome parents that we are, we gave The Boy some chips(crisps) and chocolate hoping to tide him over until we were given lunch on the plane.

Fast forward an hour and we were sitting on the plane with a child screaming from hunger, smiling sheepishly and apologizing while the rest of the passengers shot us eye-daggers as they boarded.

It looked something like this

It sucked, and we learned our lesson.

Since then we've avoided plane-travel but have begun our annual trip to San Francisco and have added another baby to take with us, but we're trying to keep things as simple as we can - in life and travel. But this is a big year. The Little Boy is turning one and I'm turning forty, both occasions to be marked by travel and, when added to our regular trips turn '13 into a pricey year. And this is supposed to be a cheap year as we save for a trip to Europe next year. Blerg.

Still, it's all worth it. Our Little Boy birthday trip is booked and my turning old trip will be booked within the next two weeks. I'm excited to book our San Francisco trip and starting to daydream about our trip to Europe next year. The reason it's all worth it is because this is what I do. I travel, and think about travel, and plan travel. Even now, when I'm dealing with a tempermental three year old and a broken body, travel's as essential to me as breathing.

I can only hope at least one of boys inherits my wanderlust.

I Am Sentimental

Having a family was something I never knew I wanted. I mean, I always knew Hubs and I were stuck together forever, but being married and bearing offspring were always just vague ideas. "Yeah, I want kids someday," was something I'd think, but never with certainty. So now that my boys' childhoods are going by so. freaking. quickly. I cannot believe I wasted so much time being blase about thinking this was what I wanted.

Anyway, being "older" and slightly shocked that I'm digging this parenthood thing so much, I find myself being a total softy more often than I'd like to admit. Like the other night; It was an hour past bedtime and I could hear The Boy "reading" in his room. This is a regular occurance as he fights sleep like a Kung Fu master - quietly and with much determination. As much as I'd like him to maintain more of a regular sleep schedule - 8ish to 8ish, hopefully, maybe, someday - I gotta say I love hearing his little voice read his little stories. It doesn't matter how rough a day we've had or how tired I am, when I hear him happily reciting stories from the memory of Hubs or I reading them to him a million times, my heart melts a little. Actually, it melts a lot.

I'm sure most people, barring those experiencing obvious marital/familial difficulties, think they have the best family ever. And I'm sure many families are genuinely awesome. But my family really and truly is the best. Seriously. Hubs is not only gorgeous and clever, but a saint to boot. He is a fantastic dad and he puts up with my disability AND my crankiness. It's a mystery what I ever didtomake him love me so. Likewise, my boys are spectaular. I don't know much about kids in general, but I'm pretty sure mine are among the cutest, smartest and funniest ever to walk the earth. Yes, I'm aware that I'm a gushing cliche.

And even when things aren't awesome, like now when dealing with teething - I'm looking at you Little Boy - or the certain stropiness that goes along with being three, I never think of my boys as anything but my treasures and love Hubs even more for feeling the same.

Happy New Year

The boys have colds. The Little Boy is snuggled up on my lap while The Boy follows Hubs around with his toy Dyson.

"I'm doing all the hard work for you, Dad," as he traces where Hubs has just vacuumed.

Last night we geve The Boy his traditonal NYE bath, and I took pictures - despite Hubs' objections.

All we've done todayis take a long walk so The Boy could ride his balance bike and I could freeze my butt off. Who knew it could be cold in Southern California in January? Or ever, really.

I would make a list of resolutions for all of us, but right now I'm too tired and too happy to bother.

Whistle Stop San Francisco

We took The Little Boy to San Francisco for the first time a few weeks ago. Fearful of stopping every 10 miles for a feed or a cuddle, we set out at 10 am assuming the 6 hour drive would get us there around midnight, but it went really, really well. My two little travelers were rock stars and sat patiently in the back seat and we made it up in time for dinner.

 

 

But on the way we stopped at IHOP. The Little Boy was glad to be out of the car seat but unsure of what to make of the place.

 

 

 

We crossed over the Bay Bridge, a 10 minute drive that had always meant so much to me as I dreamed of moving from the So Cal suburbs to  SF, and then continued to make me whistful when I lived across the bay in Berkeley. It's just a bridge, butthat final approach to the city is loaded with symbolism to me.

 

So I tried not to be too disappointed when I exclaimed excitedly to The Boy, 'look! It's San Francisco!!!'

 

'Where?' Was his response.

 

'Up there where all the lights are. Do you see it?'

 

'I see the lights but I don't see San Francisco.'

 

Hmph.

 



 

After checking into the hotel we wandered down California Street to the Ferry Building for dinner. 

 

Back to the Ferry Building in the morning to look at the boats and the bay then it was off to shop for me with The Little Boy and some friends and off to the Cable Cars for Hubs and The Boy. Sadly there are no pictures of The Boy on the Cable Cars because Hubs is loathe to take a picture without being asked.

Then Hubs ordered some room service with the boys while I went to the Tadich Grill for dinner. It's one of the oldest, if not the oldest, restaurants in California and is famous for it's seafood. So, despite not being a fan of seafood I got a crab cake as a starter then whatever this is for my main. Both were fabulous.

 

 

Then the best part of the trip, my mom looked after the boys while Hubs and some friends and I drank at Vesuvio like we did in 1999. Then... my friends left.

 

PDA and my sweet Hubs took this pic.



Thanksgiving

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

We had a quiet one at our house with my mom and stepdad.

I started working on the meal on Monday. I had been doing most of my prep in the mornings, while The Boy was at school. But I had to pick up the pace on Wednesday so The Boy was my sous chef, sitting in his helper chair. Well, mostly sitting in his helper chair. When narrating my way through the chopping of herbs I got the brilliant idea to let him smell them.

"Thyme smells pretty." He said. Then, "sage smells wet."

"Sage DOES smell wet," I said. Then I gave him the bare stems to smell and he acted like I'd given him a present.

It was one of those all-too-infrequent moments when I remind myself that MOST things are still new to my big boy.

So after a loooottt of chopping, mixing, sauteeing and baking we settled into a lovely dinner. I didn't take any pictures of the food itself, but here are some of us. None of us all together though :(

 

Sunday Out With Grandpa

A few Sundays ago it was actually cool outside. I got to wear my favorite scarf that I bought for 15 Euros 10 years ago, The Boy wore a toasty Union Jack hoodie which embarasses the hell out of Hubs, The Little Boy wore a fuzzy bear suit for the one and only time since he's already outrown it, and Hubs wore the same paper-thin hoodie he'd wear in a blizzard.

 

We met my dad for coffee. Hubs and I sipped our coffee while Grandpa ran around after The Boy. 

 

And after that we went back to our shorts and short sleeved tees.

It Smells Like Fall

Where we live that doesn't mean the air smells of dead leaves or burned wood, not yet anyway. But the other morning, when The Little Boy woke us at 5:30 am for a diaper change and some food, I definitely felt a chill in the air. And along with the chill there was, something... a freshness. I could smell the clean linens on our bed instead of what we had for dinner the previous night. The air was crisp, not dense and heavy like summer air.

Other changes are happening too. The Boy wore socks for the first time since May. They're new socks I just bought him, size 3's that are already too small. He's also been wearing jeans and long sleeved tees to school Then there's The Little Boy wearing his first All-In-One, or whatever it's called, which was weirdly bittersweet because it was the first time his arms and legs were covered.

The weather may be listing back towards summer warmth today, but at least Fall is on the way. Our blanket is folded across the bottom of our bed(much to Cat's delight), my requisite hoarding of Trader Joe's pumpkin-flavored stuff commenced on Sunday and I roasted a chicken for dinner. So though we may have to wait until just before Christmas for The Boy to jump in piles of fallen leaves, our warm Southern Californian Autumn has finally made a half-assed start. Hurrah!

Sunday

Today was the most laid back of days. No plans - first weekend in a while where we weren't busy, not too many chores around the house, no sick babies. If only the boys hadn't woken us up at 7:30 it would have been perfect, but it was still pretty good.

 

Here we are watching cartoons in our jammies after eating pancakes for breakfast. The Boy is being kept company by his baby, whom he keeps borrowing from school.

 

 

 

Tummy time - because little guys don't care about cartoons. Not yet anyway.

 

 

Making art out of the acorns we collected at school.

 

 

Naptime made special by sleeping in Mom and Dad's bed.

 

 

 

Watching Falcon 9 propel Dragon into space. It was The Boy's first live space ship launch. Or "spee-ass ship," as he pronounces it.

 

 

Cuddles.

Then leftovers for dinner and Iron Chef and getting ready for bed. I read The Boy two stories in our bed while I nursed The Little Boy to sleep, then The Boy brushed his teeth, tried(unsuccessfully) to use the potty and was read two more books by Hubs.

I love days like today.

A Belated Easter Post

I figure if I'm too slack to blog regularly that the least I can do is acknowledge major holidays.

With that said, we're not religious. I grew up with my super thoughtful Mama dyeing eggs with me and filling an antique Easter basket with goodies for me to find, but I've never partaken in Lent, Good Friday, Passover or any of the other religious celebration associated with this time of year.

Neither has Hubs, so he looked at me like I had two heads when I bought an Easter basket with a bespoke lining for The Boy and announced that we were having my mom and step-dad over for Easter lunch.

"It's not for us heathens," I told him, "it's so that The Boy can have Easter memories like I did." Hubs rolled his eyes, I ordered a Honeybaked Ham.

So two weeks ago I picked up our ham, the following day I deviled some eggs(a gigantic failure) and made some Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Peter Rabbit(Peta Bunny) cups and toppers(marginal success) and fixed some Asparagus with Morels and Tarragon on Easter Sunday(enormous success), and The Boy's 3rd Easter was a success.

Here are some pictures.

The Boy after finding his Easter basket for the first time

My credenza looking as fancy and domestic as I can make anything look which, let's face it, isn't very fancy and domestic.

The completed cupcakes with their supercute cups and toppers

The Boy enjoying a cupcake

My family - including bump but missing Cat

Cat napping instead with my step-dad.

And The Boy being cool with his feminine side as we play outside after dinner.

We're Still Here!

A job change, a move(only 2 blocks from our old place, but still a pain) and half a pregnancy, well, I'm more than half now, have left me less inclined to blog than I have been the last few months - which isn't really all that inclined.

So in lieu of writing a long post about our new house, new room for The Boy and New Baby, here are some pics of us getting out and acting like humans this past weekend. We went into Santa Monica to have lunch with some friends and The Boy loved it!

Here he is walking with my friends, being super cute.

And here he is trying to climb the ancient concrete fence guarding pedestrians in the park from a gigantic fall down the cliffs.

Road Trip - Part 2

The first night of the 3 of us sleeping in a king sized bed didn't go super well. We bed-shared until The Boy was 6 or 7 months old, but since then we've only all been in bed together for bedtime stories or morning cuddles. You'd think that with the vast expanses of real estate provided by a king sized bed that we'd have plenty of room, but the writhing, rotating and kicking of The Boy made it feel like we might as well have been in a twin.

Still, we woke up slightly bleary-eyed on Monday yet excited to start the day. The reason for our trip was so my mom and I could participate in a MS genetics study so we met Mom and my step-dad at the Ferry Building for breakfast before heading up to UCSF

We didn't have time to check out the shops in the Ferry Building(which resembled an aircraft hangar when I used to pass through there on my commute to Oakland 10 years ago), but The Boy did get the chance to run around in front for a few minutes.

After handing in our questionnaires and several viles of blood, we went to Union Square to look at the Christmas decorations and grab some lunch.

See the gate to Chinatown in the background?

We sent Mom and Step-dad back to their hotel while we wandered through the Financial District with me boring my boys by pointing out every building I worked in back in the day - there were many.

Then we stopped by Gumps to get The Boy a special Christmas ornament to commemorate his first trip to San Francisco before heading back to the hotel for nap time.

Then we had dinner in the Marina and contemplated what it would be like to be living in San Francisco - or at least the Bay Area - again.

mmmm... bread