Jibber Jabber

I’ve been struggling lately to figure out what to post, and maybe I have just been completely unmotivated. Yeah, that’s affirmative. After all those days I worked in a row that meshed into one, I have been so worn out ever since. And while I told Josh that I don’t know what to post about and I have nothing to post about, I am just making up excuses. There is always something to post about. The thing is, though, that I just don’t want to get all crazy with the writing some nights, and I think about writing a post and I just feel overwhelmed. For example, last night I wanted to post this drop dead funny photo of me and Josh attempting to use the camera timer to take a holiday photo of the two of us. I was nearly eight months pregnant with Bea and we did about ten photos where were doing karate chops and side kicks at the camera and they make me laugh out loud just thinking about them. Only, I could not find those damn photos because my computer kept freaking out when I tried to go into “My Pictures” because "sheesh woman, you must be the only one that has about five jillion photos." Anyway, whenever I do run across it I will be sure to post the photo, and only the photo. That said and the fact that I still feel this way, I will be brief and to the point about some items that are currently on mind:

We went to Pismo Beach over Memorial Day with the girls and our friends V and E. It was a blast to say the least. The men rode on ATVs, the ladies played on the beach and at the park. I was a horrible mom who didn’t take any pictures of the fun. We even found some really cool sand dollars on the beach that were still whole. The best part: V is pregnant with her first child and I can FINALLY scream it to world because she is in her safe spot now. So read her blog.

I am excited about V and E, and of course the baby on the way, and that we will finally have some local friends that will be with a child. We don’t have much of them in these parts. But, everything seems to happen at once. My best gal M is returning from Hawaii next month and she has children. Let the fun begin. I was just going to link to her blog, but it appears she has taken it down. Tsk tsk tsk. Anyway, I am looking forward to family fun times, and adults mingling while children are playing.

Marathon madness. L (she doesn’t have a blog), myself, and M (from above) will be doing the crazy 12 mile deed come October. M asked me how my training was coming. What I told her was that I did go running, but with a teeny tiny twist. We were out for a walk and Bea wanted to hold my hand. Then she wanted to run. She ran holding my hand (and practically dragging me) for about two blocks. That is the most I have run since I broke my ankle back in ’98 (a story for another time). I told her that Bea could kick my ass in a marathon right now, which my friends, I am totally not fibbing about. A three year old, yep.

I don’t know if anyone else is completely psyched for the LOST finale this evening, but I am, so shush if you aren’t. I just hope the kids go to sleep before 9. That’s all I’m sayin’.

I’m on my own with the kids for most of the weekend. I am at a loss for activities for my highly active, oh-so-spirited, toddlers. We are burnt out on finger painting, coloring, bubbles, parks, walks (or maybe I am the one burnt out). Anyone have any good ideas? And keep in mind that anything out in public can still be a big time stressor when the ratio is one adult to two toddlers. Seeing as how I cannot take them to see the Sex and The City Movie that I must see as soon as possible, I need some options.

Looking Into A Thief's Eyes

Have you ever had a personal possession stolen from you?

About nine years ago, both my car and Josh's car were broken into on the same night at the apartment complex we lived in at the time. I can remember going out to my car that day to go to work. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that the trunk of my car, as well as the driver's side door was open. I sat there for a minute wondering if Josh was out there for some reason, but then, how could he be when he was still fast asleep? My heart had started pounding when I realized what I was looking at, and I thought "oh no! No way. Not me.Not a victim. I refuse!" It wouldn't have been so bad if this thief hadn't broken one of my windows, but whoever it was, did. It appeared that my CDs had been sifted through because they had a certain taste (took my Beastie Boys, but not my Lisa Loeb). A backpack and a pair of Birks were stolen from the trunk, plus a few other odd and end items, including my stereo. Same thing with Josh's car. I remember thinking how violated I felt. Someone had gone through my personal belongings and stole some items that I treasured. They were my belongings. And that person had touched them. It was just this awful feeling, sickening feeling, really about the whole situation. They left me in a lurch...took my stuff, broke one of my car windows, and made me feel so angry.

Well, I got over that a long time ago. And maybe I'm lucky that it has only happened to me once so far in my entire life. Last night, we decided to go out to dinner after I got home from a work trip. As we were driving to our destination, Josh asked me if I brought money. I said no because generally he does. He didn't. We had to turn around and go home. Even though we both a little mad about having to go back to the house, we are thankful that we did have to return.

As we were driving down our street, there was an old white pickup truck coming from the other direction. Driving slow. It stopped right in front of our neighbors house, and so I thought they were going to take the parking spot directly in front of our house by backing in. So I joked with Josh, "looks like your spot is going to get taken!" But, they didn't back up into the parking spot. An older woman got out of the passenger side (which was closest to the sidewalk) and started walking into our driveway. At this time we were passing the white truck and starting to make the turn into the driveway. As we passed the truck, I looked the driver in the eyes and something just looked off. He looked a little worried, a little mischievous, but definitely didn't look like he belonged right there at that second. As soon as we started to pull in, the woman turned around startled and hopped back in the truck. At this same time I lost contact with the man but was looking in the back of his truck. There was a pile of good and bad bikes and some other junk. Laying on the side of our front lawn up against the bushes were Bea's new bike and Olivia's tricycle, and our beat up stroller which you couldn't pay anyone to take.

We pulled into the driveway, and I think Josh and I put two-and-two together at exactly the same time. I said, "they were totally going to steal the bikes." He says, "totally". He hops out and runs out on the street. They were already long gone. So, we throw the bikes in the backyard and start driving around the neighborhood. You couldn't miss them. If they were still trolling our neighborhood, they would be easy to find. Josh said they probably got the heck out of our area and wouldn't be back, especially if they were smart. I said, "well, if I had a thief's mind, this would be a lot easier and we could find them." We looked for a while and came up empty-handed. But, at least we still have the bikes, one of which is just over a week old.

Before we took off looking for them, we warned our neighbor, who said he'd keep a look out and also said something that made a lot of sense: times are tough right now for a lot of people. True statement, yes. But, it shouldn't have to resort to crime.

Once again, I felt totally violated, and nothing was stolen. Maybe it is the fact that they were going to steal them, and that they looked at them and had every intention of taking them and selling them at the flea market this weekend. It's just wrong!

After all this had happened, I realized just how much Bea understood the situation:

B: Mommy, what happened to our bikes?
M (Mommy): Those people were thinking about stealing them, so daddy and I put them in the backyard.
B: Oh. They're bad guys.
M: You could say that. Stealing is not nice.
B: Oh, well if we find them, can I hit them?
M: No. If we ever found them, we would call the police.
B: And the police would put them in jail?
M: Yes (hopefully).

Where in the world did my child learn about jail? Totally off topic, but every situation she is totally taking in at this point.

Ok, we still have bikes. It was just an interesting story that I had to tell...pretty much catching someone in the act. Hopefully we scared the bejessus out of them.

In funner news, I went down to San Diego for work last Saturday and have now been working nine days straight (no, I am NOT kidding). I'm home now, but since I'm from the SD area, I was able to make it out one night with the ladies that I have known since the early days of middle and high school. Jen wrote a little bit about it on her blog, and I'll spare you all the giggles and memory talking shenanigans by showing you the token photo:


And, there was one of these ladies that I haven't seen in 15 years, who I am so glad made it out to join us. She said we all looked the same. We said she looked the same. We all laughed. And then we said we all still looked great and young, just more mature. Ah, man...more memories were made, and the best kind of all.

Lots O’ Dough To Be Made, People

About one month ago I was sent into a frenzy over Olivia’s bunny security blanket. Around here we call it “bun-buns” and that is how I will refer to it in the rest of this post. We thought bun-buns was most definitely lost. There was going to be hell to pay unless it was found, or a new one mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. I’ve mentioned bun-buns before, but please take a look at how Olivia’s preciously precious I-have-to-have-it-at-all-times looks brand new, and in the present:



I remember in detail the day it was declared lost. Josh took the girls to Santa Cruz because it was a nice Saturday and mommy decided she was going to get her hair done, and well, four hours needed to be occupied somehow. The day came and went. Then six o’clock rolls around. Olivia is wondering where bun-buns is. I ask Josh who says he brought it in from the car after the beach. The house turns into disarray from couch cushion and bed sheet dismantling. Nothing in the house went unturned. It was nowhere. I even looked twice. I asked Josh if it was maybe still in the car. He said he brought it in. I turn the car upside down looking for it, and I don’t find it. I declare it lost. At bedtime, Olivia wants it. I tell her, “You see. It is lost. Mommy has to find it. We might not find it. We can get you a new one, ok?” She didn’t put up a fuss.

That night I started scouring the Internet in search of a new bun-buns. Josh almost had me convinced to drive back to Santa Cruz and look for it. It was definitely an option worth considering. But, what would the success rate be of finding that thing that almost looked sand-colored in its current condition? It was so not likely, people. Back to the Internet search. Seriously, how hard could it be to find? I at least knew the brand (Carter's) and knew what bun-buns looked like in my sleep. Additionally, my mother got this for Olivia as a baby, so it was super special and even if I had to replace it, I would. What I was about to discover was amazing...

I thought that Carter's would still make the same security blanket 2 ½ years later (kind of like I thought a newborn child would just sleep all night long). Clueless. Carter's makes a new design batch of security blankets every season. I even found a site dedicated to Carter's security blankets listed out by year and season with picture. I quickly backtracked to winter of 2006 and there she was, the sweetheart bunny security blanket. Text flashed before my eyes next to the photo: DISCONTINUED. NO LONGER AVAILABLE. GOOD LUCK FINDING IT SUCKER. EBAY IS YOUR BEST BET. Maybe those last three were a joke, but it was seriously true. I ran all kinds of searches and guess what I found?

Price of bun-buns back in winter of 2006: About 10 bucks

Price of bun-buns now: Anywhere between $50 - $100

PEOPLE THERE IS MONEY TO BE MADE! My first thought was “NO WAY IN THE WORLD AM I PAYING THAT KIND OF MONEY FOR A NEW ONE!!!!” But, I thought about it more and yeah, I would totally spend 50 bucks. But I really needed to think about it overnight and sleep on it. And then I told myself that I was going to go to Carter's that very next day and buy ten of the new security blankets. Why? Because of people like me. Their kid loses the ONE TREASURED item they MUST have, and you really have no choice. In order to make said kid happy again, it must be replaced. At any cost. Right?

Seriously, dollar signs flashed before my eyes. I can do this and make a ton of money! And then reality set in and I suddenly felt like I would be robbing innocent parents who just wanted to replace this missing item that their child loved. People like me. Couldn’t do it. But, damn, there is money to made in the security blanket industry fo’ sure. I’m so stifled by this still! Diaper counting and security blanket markup, what in the world has come over me in these last few posts?

So, the next day when all this set in and I was going to pay the fifty bones for a new bun-buns, Josh mysteriously found her UNDER one of the car seats inside the car. Go figure.

Long live bun-buns.

CHONIES

Well, what do you call them, then? We had been calling underwear in our house “undies” as long as I can remember. Last week I was taken by surprise when Olivia corrected me, not once, not twice, but three times:

Can you go get your undies?

“NO, CHONIES”

Are you wearing your Dora undies?

“Dora CHONIES, Mama”

Where are your undies?

“NO, my CHONIES”

You get the point. The girls learn Spanish at daycare. Sometimes I cannot understand them because, well, I really only know uno through diez, burrito, taco, no habla espanol, and maybe a few other bad words that Josh has taught me...and now I am proud to say that I know the Spanish word, even if it is considered slang, for underwear: chonies. I don't even know if I am spelling it right.

Sometimes it is hard to understand the little O, but this word rolls off her tongue easily as she is so PROUD to not be wearing the saggy dipey pants during the day anymore. We try to give her the pull-ups for naps and bedtime being that they are thinner and you can pull them on like undies - excuse me - CHONIES. I hear this word often, maybe a little too often.

While having two children now out of diapers and using the toilet is a huge accomplishment (you should have seen Josh and I dancing down the diaper aisle at Costco – “we don’t need no diapers, na na na na na na!), it is presenting some slight problems:

• 4 people to 1 toilet is definitely not a good ratio to have in one’s home
• More often than not, there is pee pee on said stand-alone toilet
• Adding to the above item, you often don’t realize you have sat in it until it is too late
• We are going through TP like wildfire
• I have to sacrifice my own relief so that my child can go first and not have an accident in front of the toilet (or on my feet)

Remember how I mentioned the little toilet at IKEA a few posts ago? It would be uber cool to get one of those and install it next to the big one. Yours. Mine. Mommy and Daddy Toilet. Bea and Olivia Toilet. Done. Also, Olivia likes to sit on the toilet every half hour, and I'm not sure yet if it is because she has a super small bladder or because she is afraid of having an accident. We spend a lot of time in the bathroom these days.

Based on the fact that we are nearly out of diapers for good, I decided to do a little calculation. Bea was potty trained at almost three years to the day. Taking an average of 8 diapers a day for three years is 8,544 diapers, my friends. Now for Olivia we'll take the same 8 diapers a day for 2 years and three months, which comes to 6,416 diapers. Approximate total number of diaper changes equals 14,960. Holy bejessus. That's a lot of diapers. If you told me at my first Bea diaper change that we'd go through that many diapers, well, I could have possibly shed a tear. I didn't change the diapers single handedly, but I did partake in large number. I am probably going to sit here for another minute scratching my head at these diapers numbers, so I'll just leave you with a couple of photos of my diaperless, but clothed, children...

For Josh...

What was not so long ago, now seems like a lifetime ago. Our first real date, our first real kiss, and then I don't think either of us knew what hit us. Eleven years have now passed, seven of those in marriage. And two beautiful daughters. I was trying to dig up photos of us, and I couldn't find too many that you would like or I would like, but hopefully these are memorable...

Dorm life (yep, the shirt does say "save water, drink beer")...


Our engagement photo in Saratoga...


Those hokey hats my parents got us (we gotta pan those off on someone!)...


I do...


The most recent family photo (guess we need to try to take more of these)...


There's so much that I could say about my life with you...And the one thing that I am more than happy about is that we ended up choosing to spend the rest of our lives together. There's no one else who would lead me on the adventure of my life and make me so incredibly happy. I am so excited about the rest of our years together as not just the two of us, but also as the family we've created.

I love you so very much...my one, my only.

Happy Anniversary...

What Was I Thinking?

My friend L in San Diego asked me if I would partake with her in a half marathon, and a very cool one. It’s the Rock and Roll ½ Marathon and I think it takes place at different times of the year in other locations, but the one she is talking about is in San Jose on October 5th. She had mentioned doing it last year, but then she didn’t end up doing it. What I like about this marathon is that the route comes very close to our house, only two blocks away, in fact. Last year we went out and watched the runners and walkers for a while, and because there is a band every mile of the route, there was a band set up right by our house.

It’s a half marathon, so only 12 miles. Who am I kidding, it’s 12 FREAKING MILES. And mostly flat. But, it’s 12 miles. I just can’t get past that. So, when L asked me if I wanted to attempt it with her, I said sweetly, “Um. I don’t think so. But, if you do it you can stay at my house and I will cheer you on.” And then I told Josh about it, and he asked why I didn’t want to do it. 12 miles, people. 12 miles! And then he says in this teasy tone, “but, Jenna, it’s mostly flaaaaat”, and I could tell he wanted to call me a chicken, but didn’t. He then also placed a nice wager, saying that if I completed the marathon in 12 hours (yes, that would be just one mile per hour – who couldn’t do that?) he would do something very cool that I can’t talk about.

So, the next day I emailed L with just this: “I’m totally IN!!!” I’m totally committed now, but you know what? I thought about it a lot and this is like one of those things in life that’s on a list of things to do before you die. I think it would be very cool to do this – a goal and something to look forward to. I’m so ready. What would be even cooler is if Josh and the girls actually saw us and took pictures. OMG, I would feel like an athlete. Now, that’s scary. It’s time to dust of the ‘ye olde treadmill that I have used ONCE in the past three years. Who knows, maybe I’ll even turn my body into a muscle machine, but we’ll have to see about that.

I also don’t want you to think that I am excluding you all…This is an open invitation to join me and L on our marathon journey. Don’t worry, our pace might be as slow as turtles, be we are damn well going to finish it.