For Grandma Y!

Happy Thanksgiving!

When it rains

My engine is full of water. The mechanic says this is not from driving through the flood. He says that driving in water doesn't cause it, and it's just a coincidence. After putting a small fortune into the transmission, I either have to put a small fortune into the motor or get a new car. So much for naming Newton.

On Wednesday I found out I grind my teeth in my sleep and need a night guard to make the pain go away. I guess it is better than finding out that the only way to make the pain go away is to pull some teeth.

Week three of two kids and very little Alex.

It hasn't been a good week.
There has been lots of tears and those who know me well, know I am NOT a crier.

Luckily I have been blessed with an amazing husband, even if I don't get to see him much right now, and two wonderful children. Between them, they make me so happy and they remind me that in the eternal perspective these trials have very little significance.

On Tuesday Matthew started doing this:

He is quite proud that he can sit up completely on his own. He also has been clapping.

Hailey has been singing cute little Halloween songs that Granky taught her but refuses to let me take a video. She sings them to Matthew and then they both laugh uncontrollably. I don't really know what they are laughing about but it makes me happy inside. I also took her to YW with me on Wednesday where we were learning kickboxing and did a tiny bit of yoga. She has enjoyed showing me her own versions of kickboxing and down dog. (I wish I could do it as well as her!)

Alex is doing great in school and he finally is in a long term sub assignment. I miss him terribly during the week but I know it is what is best for our family. I'm proud of all that he does to take care of the kids and I.

I feel truly blessed. Now if I could just find a cheap car...

7 months and a very long post

Matthew hit 7 months last Tuesday. Seven months? Seriously, where has the time gone? He still army crawls but he's super fast. He gets around so well. He only uses his left leg though. We think his other leg may have been wounded in the war. It's pretty funny to watch. He has started signing milk when he is hungry. He also waves goodbye now. We think he may end up being a lefty because like his leg, he only uses his left hand. He "talks" quite a bit. He likes to play with Hailey, eat regular food when mommy will let him, take baths, cuddle, read, hang out with daddy in the little time daddy has since going back to school, and be held by mommy. He also still loves smiling at strangers. He does not like to hear his sister cry, be fed by anyone but mommy, or be left hanging when he signs "milk." He is a sweet and happy kid. He brings us so much joy, just like his sister.

Last week was pretty crazy. Wednesday was AWful! To make a long story short, it was pouring rain and I was out running errands just the kids and I. I crossed a flooded street, that I have crossed a million times, and my car died in the middle of the intersection. I got out and had to push it out of the intersection all by myself, in knee deep water. And no, I am not exaggerating, my parents saw my pants after, I was soaked up to my knees. Luckily, someone came after that and helped me get my car out of the water. Sadly, my car has still not started since. On a side note, I finally named my car. His name is Newton, as in Sr Issac. You may know him for figuring out gravity, but his true awesomeness is for being the father of modern calculus.

That night Alex's parents made it all better by coming to town. :) On Thursday my parents, Alex's parents, the kids and I all went to Disneyland. Poor Alex had to miss out because he had work and school. On Friday Alex was able to join us. We did some stuff around town and then in the evening we went with a bunch of friends to see the Phantom of the opera in LA. Then Saturday it was off to Ventura for the Seaside highland games. I'll shut up now and show you some pictures.

Hailey had to have her picture taken with every letter, I'll only make you suffer through this one though.

Hailey rode this carousel at least 5 times. Each time she spent the ride picking out which animal she would ride next.

She loved the redwood forest challenge creek or whatever that area was called. I bravely took both kids over there by myself and then climbed the rope bridges in my flip flops while caring Matthew and holding Hailey's hand. A group of teenagers passed us and told me I was a very talented lady. I felt like a super mom, or maybe like I'm a little crazy.

Hailey made lots of random friends throughout the day. She is a very friendly girl. The little girl in black is one of them.

Matthew spent a lot of time in the stroller, he was a good sport about it though. He actually really enjoyed the rides too. He is a very curious kid.
Before we left for Disneyland Hailey told me we would see Mickey Mouse and he would hug her because he loves her and he's her best friend. Luckily her wish came true. We were the last to see him before he left for the parade. I think the family behind me in line wanted to kill me.

My tiny guy was really checking things out while we were in line for the haunted mansion. He was really fascinated by Jack Skellington.

Hailey wanted the "pretty pink" horse. You can see me in the background of this one. :)

This is the ONLY picture I got of the kids with Grandma and Grandpa Y this weekend. I think I failed as a mother.
Funniest fortune cookie ever! Alex got it at my parents favorite Chinese place.
I have a HOT husband.



Hailey NEVER falls asleep in her stroller. I think we broke her this weekend, poor tiny girl.

And this is what the tiny guy was doing in the other end of the stroller. It was a fun but exhausting weekend.

Each Little Star

Army Crawl!

I recorded this a week and a half ago, he's much better at it now. :)

Papa's birthday extravaganza!

My dad just turned 51. He will probably deny it, but he milks his birthday for all it's worth. ("but it's my birthday month...") It makes life fun though because he always wants to do fun stuff. Friday we headed to the LA County Fair for food drive Friday. It was SO fun but I forgot the camera. Hailey loved it though. Matthew has decided he likes any place where there is random strangers to smile at, so he liked it too.
Saturday we headed out to LA for some more birthday fun. We started out at the Griffith Park Observatory. I haven't been since it reopened, and Alex had never been, so it was pretty cool. Hailey thought the planetarium show was a little scary but she enjoyed it too. While we were watching, "The Once and Future Griffith Park Observatory," in the Leonard Nimoy Advent Horizon Theater, we noticed that my cousin's husband was in the movie, AWEsome! We're related to someone who is in a movie with Leonard Nimoy. I don't think I could feel much cooler.
We also went and took a tour of the Hollyhock house. I know I've mentioned my obsession with Frank Lloyd Wright before, so it was seriously amazing. I can now cross visiting a FLW house off my bucket list. (although I would not mind visiting another)
I'll quit babbling and give you what you really want, here's some pictures.

My dad looks drunk, if I didn't know any better... ;)

Stemanda came too.

We got to see a demonstration of a Tesla coil. It would have been a good picture if there wasn't that stupid protective barrier between us and the electricity.

I love this kid.

It's a bad picture I know, but in all of the other ones the Hollywood sign was blurry.

Hailey refused to take pictures because she was eating. She's a very stubborn kid.

Hanging out with our buddy Einstein.


It's actually not the prettiest FLW home but it was gorgeous inside, I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside though.

One of Matthew's new talents. :)

6 months and 2 1/2!

Yep, it's been 6 months since the tiny guy was born AND since Hailey turned two. I'm pretty sure it's been the fastest 6 months of my life. I've been working on pictures, but my children refuse to cooperate. I'll try again and hopefully have some pictures up soon.

Hailey is so smart, it amazes me. She read her first words two weeks ago. Yep, I said READ. A few months ago hooked on phonics was having a really great sale, so I bought the toddler kit and the k-2nd kit. When they came I pulled out the toddler kit, read the parent instructions, and to my surprise she was way past the toddler level. So I pulled out the Kindergarten one and we started it 4 weeks ago. She won't be reading War and Peace any time soon, but she is on her way. She is starting to get some simple math concepts down. She talks really well, sometimes I forget she is two. Her art skills are actually pretty advanced too. I'm a pretty proud mommy.

The potty training thing has been a nightmare. She was potty trained. About a month ago she woke up one morning and told daddy, " I don't want to be a big girl any more, I want to wear diapers and be a baby." It's been a rough month. We're not really sure what to do to get her motivated again.

She likes swimming, cooking, coloring, eating, cooking, singing, going on adventures, reading, watching musicals, traveling, nursery, dancing, jumping on the bed, and hanging out with Matthew.

She doesn't like naps, bed time, using the potty, or being dirty.

Matthew is always SO happy. He laughs and smiles all the time. He just started the army crawl yesterday and is already getting around like an old school pro. He can sit up as of last Saturday. He has four teeth. I wish my kids didn't get teeth so soon. He's a total mommy's boy and would spend every moment in my arms if he could. (big change from my little daddy's girl)

He likes to read, cuddle, be tickled, go places, eat his feet, stick his tongue out, smile, play with Hailey, listen to music, put things in his mouth, and be held by mommy.

He doesn't like to sleep (at all, good thing he's still a happy kid), let anyone besides mommy hold him, eat baby food, or sit still.

Labor Day!

Labor day weekend is always so much fun. We spend the whole weekend playing games, watching movies, and eating delicious food. It's probably our most relaxing weekend of the year. And this year was no exception. Also, I'm pretty sure that the fact that my 50 year old parents still participate in "sleepovers" makes them the most awesome parents ever. Matthew hit 5 months on Sunday and Hailey will be 2 1/2 on Thursday but those things will get another post.
See that Yahtzee game on the chair? It was Hailey's constant companion this weekend.

The kids loved swimming.
My babies are cute.
Matthew's new favorite thing to do is stick his tongue out. He loves the laughs it gets.
He's also discovered the camera, so I now have lots of pictures of him reaching for it.
Hailey trying to sneak some snacks.
Amanda still thinks she's too cool to match Ino and I. Little does she realizes the awesomeness she is missing out on.
I love my Ino, and my Davin, even if he is trying to ruin our picture.
I love how happy he looks.

Everyone is actually looking at the camera, I don't know that I can say anything else nice about this picture. :p
My kids hanging out with Auntie Ino.
This picture makes me smile.

I love LA!

Yesterday we went on an adventure with my parents and Stemanda. We headed out to LA and went to China town. I had never actually been there before. We usually go to Little Tokyo or Olvera Street for lunch when we're out there. China town was fun. Hailey loved it because of the cheap jewelry and hair things. She also liked the tiny turtles they had all around. We had some delicious food. We also bought some chopsticks to start chopstick week, inspired by Charlye. (: Then we headed to Griffith park for Free Shakespeare at the old Zoo. The old zoo is pretty cool. If you're ever in the area and have some time to kill, you should go explore it. The play was, "Much Ado About Nothing." Both of the kids did surprisingly well. I think Hailey enjoyed the out door venue.

And what's the deal with Jack's tattoos?

I am listening to the sound of the baby monitor right now, I think I have never enjoyed the sound of white noise more.

I've started couponing. I keep asking myself if the deals are worth the work.

My hair is so frizzy lately, curse this humidity.

Speaking of humidity, I found Alex and I a beautiful house in Florida that we could actually afford. Now all we need is a job and school in Florida.

Matthew got his first shiner yesterday. I was gonna take a picture this morning but it had already healed, so obviously it wasn't too bad. Big sisters can be dangerous, even when they don't mean to be.

We're going to dinner at my brother's apartment tonight. Lately I've been grateful to have such a good friendship with my brother. Also grateful that his wife puts up with me, even with my butt smacking fetish.

Hailey seems to think that time out is her free pass to do anything she wants. This means she does something she's not supposed to do and then puts herself in time out, or when I threaten her with time out she says, "okay mommy, as soon as I'm done." She is definitely my child.

Lost season 6 comes out on DVD on Tuesday. I plan on re watching it, then deciding how I really feel about it. If your a Lost fan, this should make you smile.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

5 month pics and a couple of Hailey