a little bit of san diego.

we went. we saw. we ran. we drank. we had a two year old wake us up at 3am...more than once. we laughed. we cried. we were hungover (not me...but the other losers). we skinny-dipped in the ocean. we relaxed in the hot tub. we pretended like we were locals, noone bit. we shopped. we danced. we put our bare feet in the sand! we visited a much missed, much beloved grandma. we hung out with some of our most favorite california families. we relaxed. we missed home. we colored. we read books. we did human pyramids. we put on sunscreen. we saw sun. we bought skinny jeans (and now I'm obsessed). we conquered.

It's a no brainer...

...what we are thankful for.

Of course, the answer was just as simple when the same question was posed to her:

Me: "Hadley what are you thankful for today?"

Hads: Blank stare.

Me: "Are you thankful for Mama & Dada?"

Hads: "Ummm, no...just Dada."

Oh snap.

baby mama.

Hadley Jane is absolutely obsessed with any and all things baby. All day long we change baby's, feed baby's, burp baby's, walk baby's, give baby's time-outs, hush baby's, swaddle baby's, take baby's to Nordstroms...it's like being a real live Mama...except without the frayed nerves and flabby stomach. And Hads doesn't get a night-cap after she puts her little ones to bed.

school days.

The other day I took the girls to visit Mrs. Kok (aka Auntie Val) at school. They were beside themselves with excitement, and felt pretty darn cool hanging out in her classroom with all the big kids. And here's an added bonus, they even got to buy & eat school lunch in the cafeteria...I was always so jealous of the kids that got to 'buy' lunch. Something about pronto pups and tater tots that just makes my heart race. Must be do to the memories of my mustard & cheap Carl Budding deli-meat sandwich sitting squarely under my apple, perfectly smashed, and my Little Debbie star crunch who is just screaming for me to put her out of her misery and has a sell by date of 'never' because who cares, those things could replace the black box on the airplane, and of course, I wouldn't want to finish this delicious meal too quickly because if I get thirsty and need a drink I have been told by my mother to 'drink my spit'. Besides the flashbacks, it was a fabulous day...and the girls loved it. And one student even told Mrs. Kok that 'this was the best school day ever.' Now those are some big shoes to fill!

daddy's gal.

This kid is a bona fide daddy's girl. She is absolutely thrilled when he walks through the door from work, screams with excitement, and immediately asks him if he wants to 'cuddle bug on the couch and watch Handy Manny with me?' He never says no...ever.

And Rudy got a new dog bed...the excitement never ends around here.

home again home again.

San Diego we loved you, but my oh my, does it feel amazing to be home...rain and all.

*more pictures to bore you with shortly, still have lots more chores to do...wah*

yep, I've lost my mind.

We are in San Diego right now...and I've gone a little crazy. I so badly want a tattoo and a pair of skinny jeans. So I bought the latter, a lot less permanent. Don't look quite as hot as her per say, but feel super hip...in all my 30 years.

she's bananas.

I'm not talking about Hadley Jane...but Jocelyn K. Brown...and her photography. I wish I could take all the credit for why I love these pictures so insanely much. But I can't. It's all because of her...her vision...her plaid shirt and brown cowboy boots...her amazing artistry, keen eye, and the fact that she just 'get's me' and my babe and exactly who we are.

she overflows my heart with love.

"The best work is done with the heart breaking, or overflowing."

~Mignon McLaughliin~

(Bare with me, I'm really into quotes right now).

just to prove her right.

So Joc just commented on the previous post how Hadley would never touch her unless she had a dozen cookies...she's right. But how fun is Jackie B. in this picture?! Hadley doesn't know what she's missing...yet.

Hads, Joc, & Bennett practicing Hadley's 'Santa Pose'.

For what it's worth, Hadley asks about Joc (pronounced Joth) nonstop...she still talks about the shirt Joc got paint on...and that was like a year ago. We talk about Rebel and how he bothers her, we talk about how she gives Bennett's lots of kisses, we talk about how Jocie gives her treats, and we talk about how Joc's TV does not have Handy Manny. See Joth, she's a total faker...she loves your guts.

carving pumpkins.

Couldn't even tell you the last time we carved a pumpkin, but figured we should probably start so Hadley has one less thing to bring up in therapy. So we headed to an impromptu little shindig at some of our favorite friends house and carved our hearts out. Thank goodness there was no contest, because we would have lost...badly. Shoot, no picture of the finished product but think 'old school pumpkin'...as in two triangle eyes, triangle nose, and big gaping grin (with no teeth). Very vanilla.

no friends need apply.

I don't know where this kid came from, but she is perfectly happy to play by herself all of the time. Maybe I'm just a sucky playmate, but whatever it is...GREAT!

*had to post two pictures or her darling little body...just couldn't decide.

bobby & betty crocker.

The other afternoon Ryan told Hads she could make cookies with him after she woke up from her nap. She was thrilled, as you could imagine, and raced right upstairs to get her 'sleep on'. Of course, I'm thinking, great...this will be a fun mess for ME to clean up (why can't I be more likable?). Then Ryan surprises me with his genius. He bought premade cookie dough. I know, all of you 'real' mom's are aghast...but for me, this was just the medicine for my OCD. And look how much fun they had...without a pinch of flour, sugar, or salt...all over my floors!

Things took a serious turn once she got her chef's gear on...no messing around.

belle ballerina.

Oh the nightly drama this candy has caused in our house. But totally worth it.

thank you hadley jane.

'Wherever there's a shadow, there's a light.'

~edgar linton~

no peeking.

These two goons LOVE a Zaide treasure hunt...like nobodies business.

music that moves

So I am a total music person. There is not a time in my life when I can't place a song with an exact time, feeling, and emotion. It drives Ryan up a wall, I'm always saying 'doesn't that totally remind you of summer of 6th grade?' and he gently reminds 'no, music reminds me of nothing'. But music gets me through....anything. With each songs I have smells, sights, and sounds of where I was and what that song did for me. Deep, I know. For example, she made me one of the cool kids in 3rd grade, this little ditty pretty much sums up my entire eighth grade year (I had the cassette single, you better recognize yo!), and this song brings me back to my first brokenheart by some dumb boy. I could go on and on throughout the 30 years of my life...but won't (you're lucky). I'll just share with you where I am right now. I'm all about this one, this one, and last but not least, this one...I've probably listened to these 3 songs 1,000 times over the past 3 weeks. Pretty soon, I'm sure I'll be back in the stage of this gem. And hopefully before long, I'll be back to liking this crap. Happy listening.