A Little Bit Shady

Wall of shame post, right here.

In the past two days there are a couple of things I've done that might be on the side of "what in the world has gotten into ya, woman." The first, not such a big deal.

Confession #1:
My workload is insane. My superior is out on business travel and calls me about all the items on my plate and to see if I am okay. I tell him I'm "chill" with the workload. Yes, I used the world chill. And he laughed, because it was me and I can be kind of open and honest about everything and tell it like it is. But, chill? I'm not so sure what got into me. Just one of those days, I guess.

Okay, hold on to your hats or pants or what have you for this second one.

Confession #2:
We went to one of the zoos in our neck of the woods yesterday as part of Josh's birthday, and I'm not saying which one lest you report me to zoo authority. Josh forgot his sweatshirt at one of the rides so he went back to get it. Meanwhile, I am at the car with the girls when Bea tells me she has to go to the bathroom. Fortunately, it was #1 and not #2. There wasn't a bathroom remotely close, and I am pretty sure we wouldn't have made it. So, I asked her if she was okay to go right there on the ground, pop a squat style. And she says yes. We are placed between our car and another and I tell her to go and to go quick. There was a lot of pee. And she splashed me a little bit with it. Then, just as we were pulling up her pants, up rolls Josh. I couldn't tell if he was going to burst out laughing or if he was shocked and horrified at what he just witnessed. Did I mention there was a lot of pee? I used water to wash it away a little bit. Definitely not my proudest moment, but I seriously think I am not the only one who has done this.

Okay, I've spilled it. Internets, you gotta share. I don't care what it is - self related, parenting related, work related - something you did that just didn't quite add up as logical in your head after you did it. This is a free zone, and I promise not to tell anyone or judge you in any way. And also, don't make me feel like the only idiot spilling the beans.

Growing Pains

And this isn't about the sitcom with Kirk Cameron.

You know how I get that mild anxiety about being alone with the girls alone for long periods of time? Well, I didn't seem to have it this time with Josh going away. The girls have gotten much easier, and I'm definitely not as fearful as I've been in the past with taking two toddlers out in public. My only worry is if something would happen to them or they get really sick while he's gone. For example, do you remember that time when I had that freak out with Olivia when Josh went to the store with Bea and I ran out in our neighborhood streets with just my slip on? So, that didn't happen while he was gone, but there was something else.

The girls and I had such the busy day yesterday. We went to Target, the dollar store, the park, the merry-go-round, we watched 101 Dalmations, and we made a cake for Josh's birthday. Activities galore. Both girls decided, that nope, they were not going to take a nap. So, 5:30 rolls around and Bea gets all weird, saying her legs hurt and can't get comfortable and is totally moody, but mostly grumpy (and whiney). Both girls were grumpy, but Bea wasn't having anything to do with anything. Normally with no nap the girl is fine until about 7ish with the grumps, so it just seemed odd. I decided at 6:15 or so that she definitely needed sleep. It seemed beyond ridiculous and my patience was running out.

I put both girls in the car and Bea just starts screaming and crying and saying that her legs hurt. I say, "well, i think that your legs are tired. You've done a lot today. I think they need to rest." When I look back on my actions now, I think I was a mean mom. But kids that need naps and don't take naps can sometimes say things to say things, so I just wasn't taking it seriously. She cried for a bit then suddenly she just fell asleep. I drove home and attempted to put her in bed. She, of course, wakes up and starts crying about her legs. She falls back asleep on her own.

An hour later she wakes up and starts screaming. Her legs. They still hurt. I put her in my bed and try to find out what exactly is going on. She just says her legs hurt. So I ask her if something else is wrong and she says "I don't know" through deep, deep sobs. And the sound of her saying that she didn't know what was wrong with her made me somewhat upset and thinking "damn it, what is wrong with her?? The powers that be, let me ask you, what have you done to my child this time to make me worry yet again???" I was a little mad. So, I held her. I told her she should take some tylenol to make her feel better. She wouldn't. Then I told her I was going to call the doctor and she said okay. And she just couldn't calm down. Her legs. They were hurting so much. But nothing else hurt. And no fever. It was straight up odd. She kept saying that she wanted her daddy, too, and that she missed him. And I started to think, well maybe she just misses Josh and is playing a game because she wanted him.

Finally, the doctor calls me back after 45 minutes. We run down everything that's happened with Bea. The doctor says that she seems normal and there wasn't anything that made her legs hurt, no injury or anything. And nope, more than likely she's not sick if she's only getting aches in her legs. And then I get my answer. During the time that a child turns three up until about ten, "growing pains" can come into play. Doctor, tell me more. The muscles in your child grow faster than the bones. When you have a very active child (my Bea as an example), the muscles can develop quicker than the bones, and cause a lot of pain in the calves and knee area. Interesting. Also, the onset of the pain mostly occurs when the child is tired and/or going to bed. The child can also wake up in the early hours of sleep with pain still. Um, yeah. So, Bea has growing pains. And this is probably not the last we've seen of it. Doctor, is there anything I can do to make this less painful on my end? Just tylenol, a warm compress or bath, and massage the area (MASSAGE DID NOT WORK. I TRIED THAT.) So it is nothing serious.

Bea woke up a few times after that, but her bouts of crying in pain were less everytime. She woke up around 10:30ish and said to me, "I miss daddy so much, mommy." And I said, "I know, honey. I miss him, too." And then I told her that he was on his way home and she says, "My legs don't hurt so much now." So I said, "that's good." Hmm...This daddy and leg thing go hand-in-hand? It was just weird. A few hours later she woke me up and said that her legs didn't hurt anymore, and she kind of continued to do that every other hour or so through the night. But, I'm glad she's okay, so I guess we will see if it happens tonight or some other night again in the future.

So, today is Josh's birthday. And we are gonna eat cake.

Work Much?

Huh. I am burnt out. I barely have the time right now to write this. Work is crazy, and all for a good cause, but there has been no time to do much other than bust my butt and put my college degree and crazy marketing skillz to use. Let me just get through it, and I'll be back...but, just some quick updates:

Marathon update: I've run two miles. Okay, not much at all. But, I'll be back in the swing of it soon, and I've got such the awesome playlist to go along with it. Don't give up on me. I'm pledging the walk-a-mile and then run-a-mile attitude.

Bea update: I think she might be in love with my friend's son. We had a bbq with friends on Saturday and those two were like peas in a pod. Either that, or they are the next Bonnie and Clyde.

Olivia update: Still hitting. Still pulling out the drama card. But, she has become quite the conversationalist over the past couple of weeks. It's hard to not give in to a cute drama queen.

Josh update: His birthday is Sunday. He's taking off this weekend to go wheeling with his club. Me, I'll be home working and watching the kiddos until his return either late Saturday or early Sunday.

Vacation update: Shoot. Nothing to report there. Though, when work is all finished with the chaos, I'm seriously thinking about booking a cruise and getting out of dodge for a few days and sucking up some drinks. I'll keep you posted.

Laters.

Kid + Candy Store = ME

Oh, people.

I cannot even begin to describe Cavallo Point to do it justice. But, please believe me when I tell you that I told Josh "I WANT TO LIVE HERE" approximately every half hour of our stay.

I guess I'll just start off with the view from our room:


Yes, that is the Golden Gate Bridge. View from our room. I became hypnotized. I couldn't stop staring. Here's another view from our room of the traditional section of rooms at the hotel:


These pics are from the digital. You can bet I brought our fancy-schmancie Nikon to take more pics, and hopefully ones that I will frame. Who knows when those will be developed the old-fashioned way, though. The quality doesn't look nearly as fabulous as it did in real life with these pics.

So, that view. It's a million dollars. But, it didn't cost us quite that much.

The hotel also has two different styles of rooms - the modern ones, which most have a view of the GG and privacy; and traditional ones, which have a view of SF city and a shared deck. We stayed in the modern area.

They don't let you drive around on the roads located within the hotel vicinity, since it is some kind of preserved land and such, so when we checked in, we were escorted to our room in a golf cart. The only negative thing that Josh had to say about the hotel was that you really should get your own golf cart, something I am completely not surprised about.

Then we entered our room. Oh. My. Gosh. I pretty much started taking photos right away with both cameras and worked my way around our King Suite. The suite is huge and divided in half by a portion of wall that has a fireplace. You can see the fireplace from both sides of the suite:




The bathroom was equally as nice. His and hers sinks. A shower. A tub that could swallow me whole. Secluded toilet. There was no floor for the shower other than the stone tiling that was in the rest of the bathroom which was incredibly cool, and the shower head hung down from the ceiling. It also had no door. My photos totally don't do the bathroom justice:



Anyway, Josh and I said that when we end up remodeling some day, that we are going to model our bathroom just like this one. Fine with me.

There was a ceiling fan in each room. They looked cool so here is a photo:


The fireplace had all these buttons. You could set a timer, make it shoot the heat out, turn it high, turn it low. We had it on the whole time, I think. And let's not forget the plush robes and slippies:


It seemed like there were buttons hidden everywhere for everything. I was still playing with the light switches and dimmers the next morning in the bathroom.

What else. Flat screen TV. Desk. Wifi. Free bottled water. Oh, and this fabulous window seat (somebody got way comfy, but not in the window seat)?


I want to be back there now and sitting in that seat all day long. It is surrounded by windows, except on that right-hand side.

For a five-star hotel, this one deserved more stars, I say. Also, the room we stayed in roughly goes for $750 a night. No, we did not pay that. Or even close to that. It's nice to know people. We received a friends and family rate. And I feel like I owe these friends so much. It was unbelievable and unforgettable and we felt like kings. I have seen how the others live. It was nice.

Ok, must stop talking now because I STILL WANT TO BE THERE!

Friday night we went to the House of Prime Rib. I've talked about it before. Totally grubbing for those who enjoy a good prime rib. And, you never know what will happen when I have a glass or two of wine. Things start to happen. For example, I made Josh stand with the prime rib carver in front of the prime rib cart:

And then I took some photos of my plate of prime rib (or, what is left of it):


Why I didn't take one in the beginning is beyond me (Uh, not enough wine?). And then you can tell people are starting to get pissed about my picture taking:


And I'm just so darn happy, or is that drunk?


And that is where I end the story for Friday night. Note that Josh was not mad at me, but that is where the story ends for the blog.

On Saturday, we went into Napa and to V. Sattui. We got some wine, and I was a bit taken aback when they said they now charge to taste the wines. I guess that is what happens when one becomes popular. Why not, you know? While all the other wineries seemed vacant, Sattui was packed beyond belief. And this my friends, is the only photo that I took the rest of the trip (BUT LOOK AT THEM GRAPES):


The weekend trip turned out not to be all weekend, unfortunately. We were informed of a feverish child and I had a workplace interruption so we had to cut it short. But, I do have to say it was a nice getaway for the two of us, and I STILL WANT TO LIVE THERE.

I Think I Might Be Jealous of Myself

Josh and I are going away this weekend - by ourselves. No kids. I don't remember the last time that this happened. Sure, we have gone away on wheeling weekends (though not many) or to weddings, but nothing that is as exciting as this to me. Me and my man and not a care in the world. It is all we've been talking about all week and figuring out "the plan". Anyhow, we've got it all figured out for the most part, and I am really looking forward to it. Just one more day...

I'll give some more details (and show some hopefully lovely pics) when we get back, but just imagine staying here, eating here, and buying some stuff from here (and drinking it, too). Oops, did I give away too much?

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.

Dependent on Independence

Independence Day for me ranks up there with that other holiday that includes Santa Claus and all the gift giving. It's a close 2nd place. I love the 4th of July and it is more than just about celebrating the country that we live in to me personally. I feel like it is a celebration of summer, of the excitement that is where we live, and a day to spend with family outdoors having fun. Last year was one of the best celebrations yet. The girls had both sets of grandparents around, and we bbq'd and saw fireworks. They LOVED the fireworks.

This year? Not so much.

After the show, Bea stated, "I don't like fireworks anymore." Also, "there were too many. Too long." Excuse me, but San Jose has one of the LONGEST shows of fireworks that I know of...it could never be too long. And Olivia? Well, she pretended to be scared or something most of the show. Granted that the show did not begin until 9:30 and it was late, but please, we went to the same show last year and it was all excitement, squealing and jumping up and down. What the ...? So, do you think that Christmas will get the same type of 180 degree turn? I highly doubt that one, my friends, for there are gifts involved.

Anyway, here's a few photos of waiting around for the fireworks to begin, as well as our camping trip to Santa Cruz over the weekend at the beach. I hope everyone else had a fabulous day, and maybe next year will be different yet again.

A Little Bit About O

She is one who is a night owl. 8am bedtime? Forget about it. Lately we are pushing 9 or 10 and then she wants to sleep in until 7:30. Fine on the weekends, not on the weekdays.

She is one who loves shoes and clothes. She has over 10 pairs, and yet she is just two years old. Here is a sampling:


She is one who changes often. Meaning her clothes. Preferably, she would like to wear her swimsuit all day, every day:


She is one who is sometimes off balance. She often gets into scuffles with the bathtub or floor. She never wins.

She is "master nose picker". If you think she is pointing in this photo, you are mistaken. The finger is making its way to the mouth after the nose pick here:


She is one that contains the funny gene. I taught her how to do the lawn mower and sprinkler dance moves a couple of weekends ago. And, yes, Josh just watched it all and didn’t tell me to stop.

She is a force not to be reckoned with. Definitely NOT the terrible two's as she has been quite the handful since she came into this world.

She is Olivia.