A LONG STORY

A Long Story Is Moving!

2010-09-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

in short, i ran out of room on blogger and am now hosting my blog with wordpress!
I suppose, technically, I moved the blog a long time ago. I have been writing and posting at my new site for a little while and just testing out the waters before sharing with all of you! all of the old posts will remain on blogger, but i have also transferred them to the new wordpress site so you can find them all there too!

Sooooooooo, change your bookmarks, your RSS feeds, your links and whatever else you have set up to either read or share my blog and join us over at

www.ourlongstory.wordpress.com

my latest posts include:

some of you actually love to read the words i write and will love to read all the posts. for those of you who just like the pictures, indulge! like always, i love to hear from you all so leave me comments or shoot me an email, just so i know you are still out there in cyberspace!

i would also appreciate it if you would all use the option on the left side of the page that says, "our LONG story email subscription" this will add you to a list through wordpress that will allow me to update you from there and not have to send out anther email from gmail! there is a screen shot of the button to push and if you need further help, please let me know!

thanks for your continued support and i look forward to hearing from all of you over at http://ourlongstory.wordpress.com/

16 Weeks!

2010-07-06T00:05:00.000-07:00

This last week was marked by some exciting happenings. Just before my 15 week mark, I felt the little baby moving. It seemed early, but I was pretty sure it was baby and not gas. Then, last Monday, it happened again! I usually feel Baby every other day and only when I am relaxed...aka trying to sleep. Though, I did get some good thumps while we were watching Eclipse! I think the way I was sitting in the movie theater was squishing Baby :) I absolutely LOVE IT when Baby kicks. It is such an amazing feeling and puts a smile on my face. I always get an image of what is going on in my tummy and feel such a connection to this little being. I didn't feel Noah until 16 weeks, and I think I was 20 weeks before I felt him again. So to have pops, thumps, and butterfly kicks so early has been a real treat!

Last week we also made a final decision with our midwife. I have been receiving care from the wonderful women at Cedar OB/GYN in Campbell up until now, but we have switched to another amazing woman on this side of the hill! After tons of research, interviews, testimonials and long discussions between Jason and I, we have chosen, with confidence and excitement, to have Sunshine Tomlin walk with us on our journey and bring this baby into the world! I had my first prenatal appointment with her last week and I must say, it is so nice to be heard, talked to, and not rushed through an appointment! Her daughter is almost 8 months old, always smiling, loved my pink toenail polish, and was an angel the whole time I was there. The 2 hour appointment, was relaxed, informative and empowering!

I am still craving fruit, but my new obsession is goat cheese (on sourdough bread)! LOOOOVE IT! Sadly, it's an expensive habit, so some sort of self control is in order! On the sweeter side of things, I will devour any kind of fruity candy :) I am loving Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Starburst, and Red Vines! No, I am not eating all of these everyday, but I am eating a handful of something at least once a day! I have also realized that I am suddenly hooked on Pomegranate-Cranberry juice! HA! :) Looking back at this paragraph, you would think I am filling this Baby with sugar!!! Hahaha! I admit, I do have a sweet tooth and a carb addiction, but I am also eating 3 well rounded meals a day!

Sleep is non existent for me. Not that I have really gotten much sleep at all in the 2.5 years, but it has gotten worse. I am exhausted, but I just lie there half the night wishing I was sleeping. For some reason, my brain just wont turn off. Im not even thinking about anything important. Sometimes it is just a song stuck in my head and it wont go away. It is soooooooooo frustrating. And then of course there is Noah, still waking up through out the night and not going back down easily. One day, they tell me I will sleep. I still don't believe ANY OF YOU LIARS!

Lastly, an update in the Heartburn department......it is not incessant or even a daily occurrence! (knock on wood). However, the few times I have had it this last week, I have found a new treatment that is waaaaaaaaaaay better than Tumms all day long. Sunshine suggested raw cashews. Yes, raw cashews, and THEY TOTALLY WORKED! So much better than, fake fruit flavored chalky tablets! Aparently there is something in the nuts that can help neutralized the acid, but the paste like composition of the chewed cashews floats on top of the stomach contents and forms some sort of cap. Whatever works right?! :)

*i actually wrote this last week and hoped to get a belly picture but it never happened :) today marks 17 weeks and other than some stronger movements and a bigger belly there's no real new news for ya'! *

Here I GROW Again!

2010-06-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

So, I know we have been in radio silence for quite a while here in blog land. February through May were months spent on a roller coaster...emotional, physical and any other type of roller coaster you could put us on. Once June hit, the roller coaster seemed to slow down a bit and come out of the fog. But, after being out of the game for so long, I hit the ground running with vacations, visitors, doctor appointments, laundry, cleaning and birthday parties! As we approach July, it doesn't seem like life is going to slow down at all, but at least I am in a better place to keep up with it all!

I have tons of pictures, hilarious stories and amazing memories to document and share, but first things first.

!!!WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!

I am 15 weeks along and despite the loss of energy and the beginning of food aversions and heart burn, I am doing great. For those of you doing some math, yes, I am do at Christmas. Around December 20th :) At this point we have a pretty good guess as to the sex of the baby, but we will be able to get a better picture in 5 weeks (if baby is willing to share of course). We had an ultrasound 2 weeks ago and the little Long Baby was a wiggling and a waving and growing just as expected!

We have been relatively quite until now and I have been a bit disconnected from this pregnancy up until a few weeks ago. Some of you know that we actually got pregnant back in January, but lost the baby in February. It was a very hard loss for me, but it also enlightened me in many ways. I think, as a self defense mechanism, I was in a bit of denial about this pregnancy. Which is a bit silly considering I was sick as a dog, had all the other symptoms, and even saw the little little heart beat. Regardless, I think I was in a bit of fear that I was going to lose the baby again, and was trying to protect my self. This baby was a total surprise, coming just a month after we lost the other baby, and on it's own schedule. This pregnancy has been yet another HUGE reminder that I am not in control and the more I try to pretend I am, the more difficult everything becomes :) *thanks for the reminder baby!* Now that we are in the 2nd trimester and doing a-ok, my wall was magically broken down and though I have all the natural and rational fears of having 2 kiddos, I AM SO VERY HAPPY AND SO VERY EXCITED to meet this new little miracle who chose us for a family!

As in my pregnancy with Noah, I got super sick around 6 weeks this time around too :( Constant nausea and vomiting while caring for a 2 year old is LAME! At least there was some comedy in my sickness though. Noah was very concerned when I took off running for the bathroom, he would follow me in, hold my back or stand near me saying, "mama!" in a super sweet voice. He quickly learned that despite my face and sounds, I was ok and the humor set in. Noah now thinks that toilets are for spitting in. He often "took turns" with me...when I came up for air, he would lean over and spit into the bowl. That wasn't the only thing he imitated though, for a few weeks Noah walked around the house making gagging sounds, it was so pleasant. Eventually, he would come check on me and then simply pull the bathroom door closed and carry on with his business.

Luckly, the daily illness and unease ended around 11 weeks (with Noah it lasted until 16 or 17 weeks) and I seem to only get sick once in a while. I can't seem to tolerate much dairy. Good and Bad. I can have cream cheese on my bagle or sour cream with a burrito, but a bowl of cereal or a bowl of ice cream, sends me running to pray to the porcelain gods. If you remember last pregnancy, I basically lived on Haagen-Dazs and Ben and Jerry's. So, dairy intolerance = Good for my weight gain and nutrition and Bad for my happy ice cream moments :)

For now though, my cravings have been all in the fruit department, and our local market has a delicious supply to keep me and baby happy. Certain foods; onions, garlic, and bell peppers, seem to be the likely culprits for heart burn. But it seems that with my insanely slow digestive system, everything I eat lingers for hours on end. I have given up the bells and onions, but garlic is just too yummy to let go of for now! The giant bottle of Tumms has once again taken up residence on my kitchen counter and in my purse :)

We have been talking to Noah about the baby. We ask him, "what's in mommy's belly?" He always responds with a smile and says, "BABY!" He will give the baby kisses, pat the baby and occasionally JUMP on the baby. The last one isn't so cute and quite painful. Noah is convinced that it is a baby girl in my belly. For the last 6 weeks whenever we ask, he says, "Baby Girl!" The last few weeks, we have been asking what the baby's name is. For a while Noah would just answer, "name." But, in the last week he has told me her name is "reese," "chooo-chooo," "dinosaur," "baseball," and today, "fuuuuuuusaaa!" I have asked if Noah wants the new baby girl to come live with us, and he consistently says "No or Naaa." We got 6ish more months to change his mind :)

Sometimes he is ok with me holding another baby and other times he is a total jealous mess. Like last time, there are a handful (or more) of my friends who are also pregnant and this go around, I am the last one due. I am hoping we can get in some "new baby time" with all the other babies coming and help ease Noah into the whole thing a little better. Chesna is due with a baby girl in August, Kelly is due with a baby girl in September, Cerissa is due with a baby girl and Kat is due with a baby boy in October, Sarah and Justine are both due with baby boys in November and then there is me in December! Who did I forget?!

*UPDATE* 06.29.20*
*I FORGOT MARY!!!! EEEK! *
*Mary is due with little boy Ben in September!!!*

So, there you have it! We will soon be a family of 4 and have a busy 6ish months ahead of us before Baby Long #2 enters the world. I hope to post weekly, to share our adventures and keep you updated with with happenings inside my belly!

kiss kiss kiss KISS!

2010-04-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

Noah and I frequently end up in kissy battles....basically I want a kiss and he won't give me one. So, naturally, I attack! He loves it, we laugh and giggle and roll around on the floor until he eventually gives in and gives me a kiss. Sometimes though, I just need one more and the whole process starts again!

Daddy needed a kiss too!

"all done"

Missed February Moments

2010-03-11T23:29:00.000-08:00

February turned out to be a really tough month for us in the Long house. Though I am going to be vague, know that we have all come out the other side of it stronger and are doing a-ok! Our rough day was even graced with a beautiful rainbow that ended just across the street from our house! Here are some pictures from the happy moments of February!

this kid is a "gobb-gobbi" freak! (aka spaghetti)

We all went to Takara to celebrate Papa's Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!

His new favorite instrument from Auntie Justine & Uncle Matt

Pizza and a movie with the Tracy Family & The Snows

Then Lisa and I had a mom's night out and Jason stayed at home with the boys!

they did dinner and
a movie too!

Right up there next to the markers, one of Noah's favorite activities is play dough! He is getting pretty creative and still so good about keeping it at the table...and cleaning up! The kid is super organized and remembers where each and every toy goes. It's nice to not have to battle the clean up...for now at least!

Noah and I spend a lot of time together, a lot! He is a little sponge and copies nearly everything that Jason and I say or do. My favorite emulation as of yet is the head band! He is a total ham and totally loves being a silly boy! He can make you smile even on the worst of days!

Lastly, a copy cat habit that isn't so bad...

Missed January Moments

2010-03-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

In light of the fact that there is absolutely no way for me to post as often as I would like, or even remotely possible to post all the pictures I take, I have decided to do a monthly round up of my favorite moments that never made it to the bloggy blog! Here are some missed January moments!

Noah started the year off with a series of shiners....the first of 3 in one week!

bruise #2...Noah got in a fight with Matt and Justine's coffee table...he lost and cried for nearly an hour. The sobs were off and on till he went to bed. It was immediately black and blue and rose up off his head a good half inch. This is a pic 2 days later :( poor little bugga!

Markers are his new favorite means of coloring....everything!

What a cute little man!

A few days later, Noah took it to another level!

he did this all on his own, and
wore it around the house all day! :)

we had a visit from Rachelle and baby Keegan. Noah was so sweet to the little guy, gave him kisses and even shared his toys!

When these two cousins get together my heart just melts! Even though they are developing a bit of a sibling relationship...namely Noah not wanting to share, and Soren antagonizing him, they are still just so darn cute!

sooooo funny...somehow they managed to both get in the car, but they couldn't go anywhere. Eventually, Soren slipped down under the car and they both got stuck!

Noah absolutely ADORES his big cousin "Raa-Raa." He talks about Sierra and Uncle Nate every day. Out of no where, Noah will come running up to me and say, "Raa-Raa" and "Neet," over and over and over. He carries around a picture of her, and when ever we are out and about, if Noah sees a little girl running around, he is absolutely convinced that it is "Raa-Raa!" So stinkin' cute.

Noah has also taken it upon himself to decide what it is that he wants to wear. Though it is not always practical, it is sure cute as hell! :)

this is my favorite...he loves these
boots and can get them on and off
by himself. They are too big and
nearly impossible to walk in, but
he loves them and chooses to
wear them more often than not!
The helmet was just an added bonus!

lastly, home ownership at its finest...busted faucet nob and my ghetto pliers I have to use to turn on Noah's bath water! :)

Rocky Mountain High

2010-03-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

Back in January...just 2 weeks after we got home from our 3rd trip to Tahoe, we packed it all up again and headed out to the cold Rocky Mountains for a visit with the O'Connor Family! Though this wasn't Noah's first time on a "BAAA PANE" (aka BIG PLANE), this was the first trip that he actually noticed the planes and I think he had some sort of concept of him actually riding on one! The "BAAA PANE" chatter started before we left the car in San Jose and didn't stop until we were out of sight of the air port in Colorado! Sooo stinkin' cute.

The kid was so worked up and excited after being in the airport, he crashed out in my arms just after take off and slept until we started our decent in CO. Perfect plane ride if you ask me! After battling with the car seat a bit, we made our way to Loveland. Noah was super quick to warm up to Jodi and Darien, Jimmy and Tina, but took a little while to get used to Morgan the big goofy dog!

In no time at all Jason and Jimmy and the boys were knee deep in Boys Games. Games that involve 100's of miniatures, numerous books, rulers, dice and 8+ hours to play. It was a good thing I had plenty of books to read! I finished the Twilight books, started and finished Dear John by Nicholas Sparks and got through half of The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Overall, we had a much needed relaxing week. All except for the fact that Noah was not sleeping. I know I say it all the time, but seriously, this trip Noah slept worse than usual. He would wake up 5-6 times a night, and be up for over an hour at least twice a night. His naps were crap, and his melt downs were a frequent occurrence. Still, he managed to woo and win over all the O'Connors. Even good ol' Morgan!

Noah and I took a few walks through the cute little neighborhood when it wasn't too cold and even had a snow ball fight in the front yard. Noah won of course. One day Jason and Jimmy escaped to see Avatar in 3D. We had a nice dinner out at PF Changs, and one night Tina and I escaped all the boys for dinner, drinks and a movie! I have also discovered the best ego boost...cook for teenage boys! One night I made my mom's taco recipe, my favorite, and I don't think I have ever seen so much food consumed all at once. After dinner, Nate, one of Jodi's friends told me, "these are the best tacos I have ever had!!!" Hahaha....loved it!

We ended our Colorado visit with a day trip down to Frisco and Breckenridge! We woke up WAAAAAAAAAAY too early, but it was well worth it. Jodi and Nate played hooky and Jason took them to the mountain for a day of snowboarding, compliments of my Uncle Philippe! Always a bonus to have family working on the mountain! Thank You! Thank You! After dropping the boys off, Noah and I spent the day with Uncle Philippe! He got to ravage through a new box of toy cars, learn some french, watch Philippe whip out a homemade pie, and refuse to take a nap before we went back to the mountain to meet the boys for lunch.

When we got there, Noah was not too interested in eating. Instead, he wanted to run around, go outside to catch snow flakes and play in the snow. So funny, his fear was gone and all about it. Too bad we didn't have sleds and snow clothes with us :) After lunch, Noah passed out in the car and took a good nap back at the house. He woke up just in time to meet his Great Auntie Diane! She drove in around 3ish after a grueling trip home from Arizona and was all smiles as she came through the door! Noah, was sure to say hi and show off his dimples, but he was more interested in "Nam" (aka Sam) the little rat terrier that came home with my Aunt. Such a cute little dog, more Noah's size, and Sam was quick to cozy up to Noah and his little bowl of snacks! By the end of the night though, Auntie Diane got a hug and a snuggle and I'm sure Noah managed to steal a little piece of her heart!

Jason and the boys made it off the mountain, took the shuttle back to Frisco and were defrosted in no time. We had a wonderful visit with my family and I was so so so impressed with how grown up and respectful Nate and Jodi were. It's not everyday that you put 2 teenage boys in a strange place, with new people and see them behave like young men! It was a real treat to hang out them see just how much Jodi has grown up in the last 7 years since I first met him. While we chatted, Philippe cooked us all an amazing dinner and of course we all got to indulge in a delicious home made dessert. Again, THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Jodi and Nate quickly passed out on the drive home, Noah however, Noah "I'm Not Tired" Long stayed awake the entire drive home and gave us another craptastic nights sleep! The next morning, we packed it all up again and headed for home. The airport was as exciting for Noah as it was the first time, and the flight was equally as simple. We had a great visit and can't wait to visit the Rockies again this summer!

we had a lot of time in the air port before we went home....so we took pictures!

CDM Snapshots....We love that place!

2010-02-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Mid January we had a big play date plans with Denise and her nephew Anthony, Lisa, Jasper, Justine, Chesna and Soren. We were all going to the CDM for a day of fun, but when that day came, many of us were worse for wear, and our gang slowly disintegrated into a couple :) Lisa, despite her cold and Jasper's cranky pants tried to make it, but after 2o minutes conceded to the fact that it wasn't gonna work out. So, while we missed everyone, Denise, Anthony, Noah and I had fun fun fun :) Lets try again soon gang!!!

Honor Band Geek

2010-02-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

The day after Rose's 14th birthday, Noah and I made a quick trip up to Sacramento to see Rose perform with the State Honor Band. So super cool! I tell ya', watch out for Rose, she is gonna be a famous musician in the future. That is before her presidential career of course :)

Anyway, Noah was a stubborn little monkey and refused to nap on the 2+ hour drive, but was surprisingly not a mess when we got there. He wanted to run and play and absolutely loved the music. Before the show started we took him up to the stage to see where Rose was sitting and he loved seeing her up there. During the songs, Noah was in complete awe. He watched so intently, and at times would imitate the conductor and at others take a few moments to break out in dance! When the music stopped, he was a bit startled by the clapping but was quick to join in on the clapping, hootin' and hollerin'. Inevitably, he was that kid in the audience though. You know, the one who would do something insanely cute, but insanely loud and distracting just as the entire theater was silent. Luckily it was a "YEAH!" and clapping or a "READY?! GOOOO!" and not just a bored out of his head screaming kid. I saw only smiles from the turning heads, but didn't push my luck with the second performance.

While Rose, Family and Friends watched the high school performance Noah and I ran around the school with his "ball ball ball" (aka soccer-ball) and watched the tweenagers skate board and ride bikes all over the place. As it got colder though we retreated to my car where Noah sat in the drivers seat and proceeded to show me everything I do while I drive....windshield wipers, turn the stereo up and down, eject and load CD's, have a snack, a drink and sing along out of tune :)

We ended the night with a delicious dinner at the Elephant Bar (Noah finally slept for 20 minutes on the drive to the restaurant) with everyone and a long late drive back to the Cruz! The only pictures I got were at the restaurant....silly mom!

he loved the ice cream...but didn't
mind sharing with Grandpa!

2010 ... Really?!

2010-02-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

How in the world is it already 2010? That means 10 years since high school, though I will admit, high school does seem like a long long time ago. That means 7 years with Jason! 2010 means 5 years since college, which feels like yesterday. 3 years since my wedding, 2 years since Noah's birth and well, honestly in the past when someone said 2010, I kinda thought we would all be driving hover crafts or space machines!

Anyway, our New Years was a blast! We spent it like we do every year for the last 6 or 7 years....PARTAY AT MATT AND JUSTINE'S! We had a delicious dinner, countless hours of Rock Band, imbibed too much fermented drink and stayed up way too late! Noah was right in the mix, he LOOOOVED the drums and if he wasn't getting a chance to rock the mic, he was sitting in Jason's lap, transfixed on the television, dancing to the Beatles, and waving his hands in imitation of Jason's mad drumming skills :) When ever the music would stop, he would shout, "mo mo mo mo", "do 'gain" and "dum dum dum" while bobbing his head and air drumming. My kid is a rock star. Noah made it until about 11:15 but had to take a car ride to officially pass out :) Jason made it back just in time for a New Years Eve kiss :)

Noah and Levi rang in the

New Year right....snoozin' away!

Happy Belated 2010 everyone :)

Rainy Day Adventures

2010-02-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

What do you do on a rainy day? Why go get soaking wet at the water exhibit at the CDM OF COURSE!!! Waaaaaaaaay back in November, on a super stormy day, we packed up lunch and a change of clothes and headed over to San Jose for another fun day at the Children's discovery museum with Lisa and Jasper. Super fun, and now we have a membership, so hopefully the visits will be more frequent....

When we first got to the museum, we found a huge room with disco lights, a dance floor and a whole bunch of kids bustin' a move. Both Noah and Jasper were super curious, but not so sure about the whole thing. Lisa and I tried and tried to get them to dance, but it would only last a second before they were watching the other kids. Eventually they wanted to dance and run, but would not run on the dance floor, they were wall flowers :) By the end of our dance hall experience though, both Noah and Jasperoo were dancin' fools!

Enjoy the photos :)

Noah played here for 40 minutes...every time I tried to show him something new, he would run right back to this wall!

This was Noah's next favorite activity! He played here for another 30-40 minutes!

Jasper Pants is
soooooo CUTE!

I think Lisa and I liked the fog
fountain better than the kids!

and look where he had to make a pit stop before we left!

Tahoe Trip, Take 3, Part 2

2010-02-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

After leaving Papa and Hana, we headed up to Tahoe for Christmas #3 with Babach, Grandpa and Auntie Rose :) Noah didn't sleep but 10 minutes on the 40 minute drive, but it did the trick. We walked in the door to smiles, hugs, and two more tons of presents! Noah jumped right into the Cozy Coup and was pushed around the house in that thing all weekend. The kid was in heaven :) He scored some new crayons, coloring books, a soccer ball (he is a champ at kicking and even dribbling the thing), books, toys and tons more. He definitely got super spoiled :) We had a perfect Christmas morning/day and so so so happy to get to spend it with my fam.

Noah colored dad, dad colored Noah
and Noah colored himself!

On Saturday, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Anthony, and Cousins Emma and Grace all made their way up through the snow for the weekend. Noah IMMEDIATELY developed a crush on Emma. OMG! The kid couldn't get enough of her, or get close enough to her. He chased her around, hugged her, played with her hair, climbed in her lap and was practally attached to her hip. Shortly after, he realized just how amazing Grace was too! He was in heaven and chased those 2 girls all over the house. He still carries around a picture of all of them from the trip, he says "Memma" and "Geese" and of course "Rose." As long as he had those 3 girls, Noah could have cared less if I was around. That is until we went out in the snow :)

Noah is still not too sure about the whole snow thing. Though after 3 forced snow exposures, he would actually touch it, throw it and shovel it into his bucket, but he did so with trepidation and a slight look of disgust. Heaven forbid any of it stuck to his mittens, seriously, the kid hates stuff on him, and demands I get it off. He acts like he is melting! Soooo funny! Anyway, after bundling him up, which I think is half of the reason why he is opposed to the snow (walking in snow boots, snow pants, jacket and scarf is a bit challenging when you weigh 18 lbs), we got him in a sled by himself and he did actually laugh towards the end. Then while on their way to the big sled hill, Noah got dumped out of the sled and into the snow by accident, and took a while to recover.

snow angels!!

Over the next few days, we had more sledding, more Emma, Grace and Rose shadowing, a movie day for all the girls (Princess and the Frog, cute movie), and ended the trip with a Mani Pedi with my mama. Soooooo the best present, thanks Grandpa Chris :) After getting some pizza and saying our sad drawn out goodbyes, Jason and Chris managed to cram 3-4 tons of stuff into our car without breaking anything and leaving a small space for each of us to sit. We had a great week up in the snow and despite all the driving and packing, I am anxious for another trip.

No More Monkeys CLIMBING Out of Bed

2010-02-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

Often times at bed time, Noah decides to throw an "I don't want to go bed," fit. On some occasions, while in his crib he stands up and in a fit of anger, he starts throwing things; his binki, bear or blankets. At this point, we leave the room and let him have a little fit before trying again. A few nights ago, this very scenario played out. About 5 minutes after Jason left Noah in his crib screaming and yelling, we were sitting in the living room reading and suddenly, Noah's cries weren't coming through the baby monitor, but getting louder and closer....the little monkey managed to climb out of his crib, pull the door open and march down the hall to tell us just
how pissed he really was!!!

In complete shock, we gave Noah a once over to make sure he wasn't hurt, inspected the crib and the room and could find no evidence of a faulty crib rail or injury. We gathered all the items Noah had tossed out of the crib and in the next 10 minutes managed to get the monkey to sleep. We sat and stared at each other for a minute or two, hoping the other would be able to make sense out of it, and come up with an answer, but there was no other answer...
Noah can climb out of his crib!

The next day, Noah was kind enough to reveal his secret crib escaping tricks to Jason! Though he made it out the other night with out getting hurt, I think that was the only fluke part about the whole thing. There are so many things that could go so so wrong while Mr. Noah Knievel escapes his crib. After talking with friends and witnessing a repeat attempt, we decided that it was time to put him in a big boy bed. I would prefer he be safely tucked into a crib, and unable to roam free, and I suppose I am kind of sad to say that my son, my little bitty baby is ready for a BIG BOY bed!!!!!

Soooooooo, last night we converted Noah's crib, and realized that we didn't have a bed rail to attach. After a few ideas failed, we opted for the good ol' pillow on the floor tactic and put him to bed. Around 11:30, over the baby monitor I heard Noah fussing a little bit. Not even 5 seconds later it was quiet, so I let him be. Around 1 AM I poked my head in the door to check on him and see my little baby sleeping in the big boy bed. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust, but when I finally focused on his bed, all I could see was his bear, no Noah! As my eyes moved to the floor, there was baby Noah, curled up with his binki and his blanket wedged into the boppy pillow, and sound asleep! I had to fight back laughter, as I pictured Noah rolling out of bed, onto the pillow, onto the floor and snuggling up next to the familiar smells of his boppy! In true Mommy fashion, before I scooped him up and returned him to his bed, I took a picture! :)

So, while my little Monkey is no longer CLIMBING out of bed, now my little Monkey is FALLING out of bed!!! Sadly, he has also taken to JUMPING on the bed, and now I can't get these visions of him roaming the house at night!! Wish us Luck!

Tahoe Trip, Take 3, Part 1

2010-02-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

Our annual Christmas trip to Tahoe this year started with a relatively smooth drive through the Bay Area (not our usual luck, but this year we left on the 22nd instead of the 24th :) smart!). However, we drove right into the remnents of a snow storm and the wind was kicking up all the fresh powder on the icy roads which resulted in a white knuckled drive over 88. There were a few moments where we could not see a thing, and could not stop the car....not fun. But over the river and through the woods, to Papa and Hana's house we went.

The next morning we woke up to a beautiful, but freezing cold day and headed out for lunch and games at Jethro's. We made a high chair work at bar tables, played pool, Noah was near pro status at shuffle board by the time we left, and a sharp shooter at Big Game Hunter. He was also laying it on THICK with our waitress, my dad taught him to say, "hey bebe" and he did it with all the batting eyelashes and coyness of a pro. It was seriously hilarious! He was also using his "oh-so-ridiculous" and yet insanely cute "cheese" smile when ever I took the camera out. Such a ham :)

Christmas eve was a relaxing day, it was nice to visit and play and smell Hanama's yummy cooking. Just before dinner, Hanama let the excitement of Christmas with Noah get the best of her and she gave him his first present! Noah was sooooooooooooo excited to have his own little couch. He sat right down, got comfy and we provided him with all the props (sans a beer or coctail). Super cute! Then we all dug in to THE BEST TAMALES EVER! Gotta love the tamale lady....and paired with Hanama's beans :) heaven! After dinner, we got comfy to watch a movie until we realized how late it was :) Noah got to open yet another present (which he still plays with daily "ball ball"), and we sent him off to bed. Then the work began....

After discovering that the tunnel/ball pit/tent contraption we bought was the size of a small country, we decided against setting it up in the living room, and spent the next hour with all 4 of us to build Noah's tricycle! I had no idea, how much work Santa did at night while we all slept! Shhhesh! Honestly though, I was soooooooooooooo excited to see Noah open all his gifts, I didn't want to wait until morning, I wanted to wake him up right then and there and stick him on his new bike :) But I didn't, it was seriously worse than waiting for Santa as a child. :) It took me a long time to wind down and sleep. Luckily, Noah is still little enough that he didn't realize Santa was coming, and let us sleep in. Papa and Hana on the other hand, were all too excited and we woke up to the sound of a camera clicking away in the doorway!

Confused and sleepy we all took a minute or two to figure out what was going on, but Jason eventually stumbled out of bed to set up the gigantic ball pit thing while I changed Noah's diaper. When we came out of the room, I expected Noah to make a run for the shiny new bike under the tree, the kid nearly takes out bicyclist as they ride by us, he is obsessed with "bicks!" Instead, he made a B-Line for the ball pit and tunnels :) I suppose it's not too big of a shocker, balls have been his favorite toy since he was 9 months old! He was throwing balls everywhere and smiling from ear to ear. I think I was probably smiling just as big! It make my heart swell to see Noah so stoked. I couldn't wait for him to see the bike though, and though he loves, in that moment, he only had eyes for the massive tunnels and new ball pit!

It took some serious bribery to coax Noah away from the tunnels and balls, but he eventually followed me as I held a candy cane, breakfast of champions, and we opened stockings and more presents before he was officially done. The kid got super spoiled and had more gifts than he was willing to sit and open! So we took some of our new toys outside for a test run while Papa cooked breakfast (shrimp omelets, delicioso!) After breakfast, I think we got in a few more presents, and a bit more play time before packing it all up and jamming it into the car. But we did, and while Papa and Daddy filled up a newly discovered leaky tire, Noah was making all kinds of noises and silly faces with no promise of a nap while we made the trip to Tahoe for Christmas #3!

Hanama made him this
beautiful blanket ♥

We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed Christmas morning with Papa and Hanama. Thanks guys, we miss you ♥

* original txt written 12/31/09 - geeeeeeeeze the new year started with a bang :)
i will catch up!!! *

Lost again....

2010-02-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

Be it the horribly addictive Twilight Books, a vacation, or a new knitting project, I have once again managed to fall terribly behind in my blog. Like always, I have a gazillion pictures, hilarious stories, and tons of fun to document and share! And, like always, slowly but surely,

I WILL CATCH UP!

(yes, I did say "Twilight." I love the books and wish they never ended...though I'm sure my husband and child were grateful the saga is only 4 books, I was rather useless until the last book was closed!)

Long Family Christmas

2010-01-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

The first of our 3 Christmas gatherings was on the 19th with the Long Family! We all got together at Papa's house for dinner, an ornament exchange, and all the shenanigans that come when you get all of us together! I spent the afternoon making my mom's delicious meatball recipe and brought 2 tons of them over for dinner. We all pitched in for a delicious feast and enjoyed the company!

"Gob-Gobi"
is Noah's Favorite

After dinner we exchanged ornaments, Papa stole the Christmas pickle from Nathan and Sierra, Lori stole "peace" and "hope" from Papa, we stole a Japanese style ornament from Chesna. Nathan ended up with a beautiful snowflake & Chesna, D & Soren scored a seahorse! Of course, in the middle of the fun, Noah had his once a day meltdown, crying sobbing and burying his head in my chest. His meltdown even trumped opening his Christmas presents!

Halfway through the gifts, as if nothing had even happened, Noah sat right up with a smile and climbed down to play with all the toys :) Though, Sierra got some toy hamsters that scared the crap outta Noah! One of them scooted accross the coffee table directly at Noah and the poor little guy screamed as he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. LMAO! I laughed so hard! All night long, he was curious about them, but if one of those hamsters got within 3 feet of him, he would totally panic and run away screaming "NO!"

Eventually we made our way into the playroom where the Soren became infatuated with a little car that he could take people in and out of, and Noah went to work coloring on the chalkboard. Once we got some dessert & everyone joined us in the play room, Sierra showed us what she has been learning in school and wrote a whole sentence on the chalkboard for all of us! I can't believe how big she is! Noah and Soren of course wanted to help her...which she didn't want, but, to help contain them, Uncle Nathan drew them a box in the corner to color in! It was a great way to end the night!

I love how big our family has gotten! Watching the kids grow up together is so much fun and our family gatherings just keep getting better and better!

"wish! Wish! WISH!"

2010-01-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

After a late night in Los Gatos watchin' all the lights, I woke up early, and packed up our stuff for a day trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium! After watching Lily and Noah stare in amazement at the fish tank in the Thai restaurant the week before, it was a no brainer that another trip to the Aquarium was in order!

After waking Noah up and getting him in the car with a snack pack of "yoi-yos" (cheerios) we headed down to Soquel for a breakfast date with Denise, Lisa, Jasper and Justine! Noah was a bit confused why were were up and out so quick and early, but was happy as could be to see all his Aunties and his buddy Jasper-Roo! We rearranged the furniture, had some great bagels, and probably made too much noise in the quiet little bagelry. Just as the babies patience started to wear thin, Auntie Denise busted out with some super cute Christmas gifts that kept them entertained a little while longer! You cant go wrong with Christmas duckies and crayons :) Thanks Denise!

Once we finished chit-chatting, we said good-bye to Denise and the rest of us made our way to Monterey! Thankfully, Noah slept in the car on the way down and was well rested for all the excitement to come...Jasper, on the other hand, was still wound up like the energizer bunny and rearing to get going! So after a quick diaper changed and packing of the strollers, we were off :) It was beautiful, sunny, warm and EMPTY! We didn't get bumped, pushed, or have to wait in line anywhere...the boys got to run wild and explore and we got to enjoy it. I dont know exactly why I thought it was a good idea back in July, but, I will never ever NEVER go back to the Aquarium on a weekend or holiday.

Anyway, we started upstairs at the outer sea exhibit and Jasper was in awe of the mass of sardines overhead. Noah could have cared less, but as he pushed the stroller into the next room, he caught a glimpse of tons of fish at eye level and took of running and screaming and laughing and shouting "wish! Wish! WISH!" while making the sign for fish. Noah and Jasper were both so excited! We moved onto the jelly fish (my favorite) and the boys were not so impressed, though Noah did freak thinking one was gonna get him!

When we got to the huge tank, Noah saw a few schools of fish and the yummy tuna and went running up to the glass. He pressed his nose against the glass and turned to tell me something I couldn't understand. I smiled and said "oh wow!," a typical response to indecipherable babble, and just as Noah turned back to the glass a enormous hammer head shark swam directly in front of his face! Noah quit breathing, stumbled backwards, trembling and fell just as I got behind him to catch him. The poor kid just about came out of his skin, he was crying and holding me as tight as possible. Noah thought that big creature was gonna bump right into him! The whole concept of glass and separation just didn't click. I was able to calm him down, sit on the floor a few feet from the glass and point out the fish with him seated comfortably, safely in my lap. Auntie Justine joined us and Noah was able to enjoy all the fish and sharks that swam by. His eyes were wider than I have ever seen and not a single thing moved in that tank with out Noah seeing it! While we sat on the floor, Jasper made his way up to the second level, stairs are just as fascinating as sharks you know?! He was running around with his mama, making friends and silly faces!

Next we made our way into a kids play area and had the whole place to ourselves for a good 20 minutes! The boys were running, climbing, coloring, playing with blocks and pushing buttons all over the place! For our entertainment, we kept encouraging the boys to push the buttons that made animal sounds; dolphins, seals, whales, and our favorite flatulent sounding elephant seals. Real mature, I know! The noise was pretty loud, and startling, but sounded like someone ripped a huge fart, and, his scared the crap outta the boys....especially poor little Noah. Jasper would keep pushing that button though!

We then made our way outside to the observation deck for some fresh air. Noah found a pigeon beggin for food, and he had a great times chasing it around before we headed down to the sea horse exhibit. Again, I think we were more awe struck by the sea horses than Jasper and Noah were, so we moved through it quicker than we would have liked, and headed to the cafeteria!

While Lisa and Justine got some food, Noah and I watched the pod of dolphins that were playing in the ocean just outside the aquarium...that is until Jasper managed to dump his pizza off the stroller & shatter a plate to the floor, scared the crap outta everyone and embarrassed poor Lisa. She handled it better than I could have though! We vacated quick as they cleaned up and we laughed about it over lunch. Noah refused to eat most of what I brought, except for the oranges and chips of course, but I did get some peanut butter and honey sandwich in him despite his fascination with everything other than me, and lunch!

We made our way quickly through the kelp forest, the octopus and sting rays, and spent some time at the touch pools. Noah found great joy in the seaweed :) and tried extraordinarily hard to figure out a hermit crab. At this point, I think, Jasper was melting down and managed to pass out cold in the stroller. I could tell Noah was sleepy, but he was far to excited to sleep, so we headed up to the splash zone!

The splash zone is usually loud, crowed and chaotic, but that day, it was actually pretty mellow and we had tons of fun! Noah got inside the famous clam, went through the tunnel by himself and then spent most of his time at the slide. The next 20 minutes looked like this; climb up the stairs, take a peek in the window in the floor to see which one of us was in there, laugh and giggle, go down the slide, avoid mom and aunties goofing off with the toys...repeat!! We eventually made our way to the water play, the giant blocks, and the penguins, and when Jasper woke up we started over but we didn't last very long. All of us were getting tired.

On our way back to the cars, we made a stop at a candy shop. Ya know the kind on the wharf, full of barrels of candy, jam-packed so tight you can barely fit in there? We went in with strollers and tired toddlers :) Jasper grabbed everything he could reach, which was everything, Noah caught on shortly after, so entertaining, for everyone else! :) The last stop was at Starbucks for a much needed pick me up for the drive home...luckily, after the diaper change and MASSIVE MELTDOWN, Noah was sleeping 5 minutes after I got on the freeway and it was a smooth drive home.

I love our outings! I love our friends! and think we need more days like this one!!

The Fantasy of Lights

2010-01-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

After spending the week pulling out the rest of my Christmas decorations and decorating the tree with Noah, it seemed like a perfect time to take a drive through my oh-so favorite Fantasy of Lights at Vasona Park in Los Gatos. It is so pretty and so much fun! Though the price has gone up a little, it is worth the $15! There is just something about Christmas music, lights and hot chocolate that make me fell like a big ol' kid again. I know Jason doesn't love love love it as much as I do, but he takes me every year and listens to my beautiful voice sing along to the radio! :)

Noah was stoked he got to sit in the front seat with me, hang out the window and the moon roof, and mess with all the buttons on the dash, but I don't think he was about as excited about the lights as Jason was. Sure, he looked out the window and took in all the lights, but he wasn't bouncing up and down like I was! :) Next year maybe!

We had a lot of fun waving at all the others kids hanging out of their cars, waving at the dinosaurs and the elves, and of course, I loved the tunnel of lights, the penguins and the pirate ship....my favorites every year!

and a few videos for ya'

and cute baby Noah riding in the front seat, giving out kisses :)

Tahoe Trip, Take 2

2010-01-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

Just week and a half after we got home from our Turkey Day Trip to Tahoe, Noah and I packed up the car again and returned to the mountains to visit with Auntie Sarah and Lily! This was their first trip back to Tahoe since their big move up to the Oregon Coast and we were so so so excited to see them! Of course, just before we left, while I am packing and running around like crazy, Noah manages to hurt himself! The poor little guy managed to rummage through my bathroom stuff and got my razor! As soon as I saw it, I snatched it away and kept packing. A few minutes later I noticed some blood on the counter and then followed a trail down the hall...my heart about stopped. Noah managed to cut open his pointer finger on his right hand and it was was bleeding like crazy! It didn't seem to bother him until I cleaned it up and tried to put a band-aid on. We went through 7 of them before I found on that fit and he didn't rip it off. The kid acted like he had a broken finger for 2 days! He would hold his arm away from his body and keep his little finger out in air. He refused to use that hand for anything! It was quite entertaining, but so so sad! Good thing they heal quickly. Anyway, Jason stayed behind this trip, but on our way out of town, we met him at work for a quick lunch to say good-bye and break up our drive.

When we got to Tahoe, everyone had gone to watch Rose perform in the pit orchestra for the High School's "White Christmas" production, so Noah and I had some dinner and got cozy. He remembered the house and all the toys and sure did love the gigantic Christmas tree! While I was cleaning up dinner, Noah managed to get one of the "balls" (aka glass ornament) off the tree and threw it onto the tile :) He said "Uh-Oh!" before running off! He made it till 10 pm waiting for the fam to get home but crashed out just 10 minutes before they walked through the door!

The next morning though, he was happy as could be to see everyone. While Sarah and I visited, Rose wrangled up the kids and helped them make snowflakes with coffee filters. This was Noah's first go at markers and was having a blast. Lily was great sharing with Noah and was quick to point out that Noah was coloring on nearly everything but the coffee filter and was so proud to say, "I don't color on the table! I'm a big girl!" She couldn't have been more right. I cant believe just how big she has gotten and how vast her vocabulary has become. It really does happen over night! The snowflake extravaganza ended with Noah and Rose in a "Snow fight" and Noah throwing it all over the floor. We cleaned up and headed to Gardnerville for Tristen's big 2nd birthday bash!

Noah took a 15 minute nap in the car and was a bit overwhelmed by all the new faces, but was in love with all the balloons and too busy taking it all in to eat. He warmed up as the house started to clear out a little, but only had about 30 minutes left in him before melt down-thirty. It probably didn't help that I discovered a GIGANTIC splinter in his little finger and had to get it out. But Auntie Angel came through with a lollipop that made him forget the whole trauma, and little Tristen tried so hard to get Noah to play cars with him, "C'mon No-ahh! C'mon No-ahh!" Soooo cute! Our visits with the Ellis 3 are always too short, but it was good to see them and our old friends even for a little bit. Happy Birthday Tristen!!!

I sure do miss all those smiling faces! :)

Noah's melt-down continued in the car for about 20 minutes before he gave into the fatigue and passed out...but we had an hour to kill before we were supposed to meet up with Sarah!! Sooooo in the cold snowy snowy weather, we drove back to Tahoe to pick up Sarah and Lily and went back down to Gardnerviile for a visit with Papa and Hanama! Noah and Lily had so much fun playing together, running around in their socks and diapers, laughing and singing and entertaining us all!

The next morning Sarah and I took the monkeys out to play in the snow...Noah wanted little to do with any of it....especially after Lily landed a snow ball right inside the hood of his jacket! HAHAHA! After we took a ton of photos, we packed it all up and headed back to the Lake. Noah went down for a nap and my mom and I headed out to go watch Rose's performance. Sadly, when we got there it was sold out :( So I missed another one of Rose's bajillion performances, but had a nice few hours visiting with my mama at Starbucks while we waited for Rose. Quiet moments with my mom (or just quiet moments in general) are few and far between and we sucked up every second of it! LOVE YOU MAMA!

The last morning was a bit of a whirl wind with appointments, kids, packing and having to say good-bye to everyone. It seems like there is just never enough time to do everything and saying good-bye comes all too quickly. But we did all squeeze in a lunch at the Thai Orchid...and Noah reminded me of his fascination with fish (which lead to another aquarium trip). Anyway, after all the chaos, we sent Sarah and Lily off to the air-port and with sleeping babies in tow, each of us headed off in opposite directions to make the long journey back home. But not for long....just 9 days later, Jason, Noah and I made the whole trip all over again!!!

Thanks for making the trip down Sarah & Lily!! We had so much fun....we love you and miss you oh-so much!

Snow in the Cruz!

2010-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Now, I know I have become more of a wimp when it comes to cold weather. Since living in Santa Cruz, cold is has become anything below 60...I know, how did I ever live in Tahoe?! But I have been out of the snow for 9 years, and though I may not be as thick skinned as I used to be, snow, S-N-O-W in Santa Cruz means it was FRICKIN COLD!

Monday morning after playing at the tree farm, I woke up to texts and phone calls galore, "It snowed! It snowed!!" Being that I am from Tahoe, snow isn't that amazing of a phenomenon for me....usually means that there are stupid people on the roads, shoveling, slipping and all that other yucky snow related business.....BUT, snow in Santa Cruz was a bit odd, and this would be the first "snow everywhere" encounter for Noah since he was just a little little baby, AND I didn't have to shovel it, so it was cool!

After deliberating with Justine and Chesna as to when and where, we ended up leaving later than we would have hoped and despite the fact that it was her idea, Justine didn't make it :( So, Chesna and I made our way up to the top of Highway 9 and just as I was losing hope that all the snow had melted, we turned a corner and there was the most beautiful dusting of snow covering all the tress and the sides of the road. Snow is so so so so pretty, and even though I don't miss dealing with it, I do miss seeing it, and playing in it!

Noah passed out in the car just 10 minutes before we got there, so when I woke him up, he wasnt too too happy about anything. He kept his "stink face" on for most of the adventure, didnt want to touch the snow, didn't like walking in it, and really was not having too much fun. He had this look of disgust, and when I encouraged him to play, I swear his eyes said, "SERIOUSLY! It's cold, it's wet and this is ridiculous! PICK ME UP & LETS GO!" hahahaha :) poor kid! He even found the spots to stand where there was just dirt, no snow, and would watch from there!

Soren on the other hand, was ALL ABOUT IT! With out one word or example, Soren knew exactly what he was supposed to do....throw it and eat it!!!!! And he did just that! He teamed up with some other kids and threw his fair share of snowballs. Soren even tried to get Noah in on the fun...didn't work, but he tried! :) I enjoyed watching him run and slip and play and laugh, just as much as I enjoyed watching Noah not really know what to do or think. They are so different and yet so much alike sometimes, it cracks me up!

Anyway, after snapping a million pics, and having to coax Soren back to the car, we made our way back into the sun and enjoyed playing in the snow without having to shovel or drive for 4 hours :)

look at Noah's face! :)
he does not want that
snow! hahaha!

but he got a big ol'
Soren Hug instead!

and Soren got to have a
snowball fight with Mom!

we love them so much! :)

sometimes I forget to zoom out before taking a self portrait, but it doesn't always turn out so bad!! :)

The Great Tree Hunt

2009-12-31T11:05:00.002-08:00

After a traumatizing tradition with Santa, we moved on to a more fun Christmas family tradition... hunting for our Christmas Tree with the Long Family! Sunday morning we all met up at our house, and in the wet foggy morning air, we headed out to the Johnson Farm here in Boulder Creek. It is absolutely beautiful, and though the prices are a bit higher than we would have liked, the scenery and atmosphere were well worth it!

As soon as their feet hit the ground, all the kids took off running. It was almost instinctual...big open space, puddles, and mud...GOOOOO! First thing, Soren marched over to a bucket of water with a frozen top and plowed his foot right through the ice! :) hahah such a boy! That kid ran harder and faster than I have ever seen! He fell about 200 billion times, was covered in mud and soaking wet, and did not care one bit! That is until we tried to clean him up or slow him down, if we just stayed out of his way, that boy was happy as a clam!

Noah had a hard time keeping up with everyone, but once he caught up, he was smiles and giggles the whole way! Uncle Nathan wasn't feelin too hot after a long night of stomach issues, but he and Sierra trekked right along with us, and one by one, we all found the perfect tree! Noah helped Papa cut down his tree and once we found our tree, he insisted on helping Daddy cut it down. That is until he saw a bird or something and took off running!

We made our way back to the general store, where there was a fire, hot chocolate, goats and bunnies, a wagon and the most beautiful old barn :) We explored each and everyone of the attractions and managed to get a group shot just before the rain started! We were all cold, wet and tired and made our way back home...

I think this is probably my favorite Christmas tradion and cant wait to discover yet another new Tree Farm next year! :)

"Na-Na"

2009-12-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

The Saturday after retuning home from Thanksgiving, we took Noah over to Tiny Tots Boutique to meet Santa like we did last year...only I had no real hope of it actually going as well as it did last year. Noah is super friendly, knows everyone at the supermarket, waves to people as we walk down the street, but he is also a bit shy and timid when the time is right. If the person is up in his face and really vying for his attention, Noah usually buries his face in my neck. Or if the person wants to hold him and pushes it, Noah declines. And in general, if the person looks a little different or intimidating (aka, huge white beard covering your entire face, glasses, hat, gloves, boots and a fuzzy red suit), Noah will start letting out the "no" word and running in the opposite direction! As he should, I suppose. I was right in not getting my hopes up for the smiley Santa picture, but honestly, I think the crying Santa pictures are classic and glad we got one :)

When we showed to get our pictures taken, Jasper and Soren had come early and were already finished...Soren was a champ, no tears, and Jasper shed no tears but wouldn't sit on Santa's lap! Soren and D hung around so we could all eat after our pictures and the boys had a blast playing with all the toys in the botique. Then, they called our name...and we stood outside the door as another defenseless child screamed through the torture of the Santa pictures and I sang loudly, and off key, in a sad attempt to distract Noah from the shrieks coming out the door. He didn't buy it :)

Looking back, I should have walked in with Noah's back to Santa, plopped him down in the Big Man's laps and took off running before he had a chance to figure out what was going on. Instead, I tried to be sensitive, hoping that if we talked about it and waved at Santa I could simply pass him into Santa's open arms...STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! Noah was ok with the talking and waving, he even began sayin, "Na-Na" which in Noah speak is "Santa." But with every step I took the tighter Noah's grasp got and this voice got quieter and quieter. By the time we reached Santa, Noah had fully turned around, was screaming "NO!", gripping me with his feet, legs, arms, hands, and head. There was NO WAY IN HELL I was going to get the kid off of me and in a fit of laughter, I squatted down next to Santa, swooped Noah to my opposite knee and called Jason over! If we weren't laughing so hard at Noah's complete terror, we would have staged a "family cry fest" but there was no way, we were laughing too hard!

With the photographer, Uncle D and an Elf all making funny noises and gestures to get Noah to look at the camera and smile, his fear, I think, turned into confusion and he stopped crying. Until he remembered who I was sitting next to. The poor kid would lean over and look around me, and as soon as Santa was in his eye shot, the kid would lose his marbles all over again, and in turn, Jason and I would become hysterical with laughter. Eventually, we got Soren in for a pic or 2 (original hope was for the 2 babies to be on Santa's lap alone), and the torture session was over. As soon as we got about 5 feet from Santa, Noah turned around, smiled and waved at Santa! Go figure!

We collected some gifts and our pictures and headed into Downtown Campbell for some dinner. Unknowingly, we we walked right into a winter festival of some sort! The whole main street, and a few side streets were shut down and there were jump houses, a sledding hill with real snow, musicians, popcorn, ponies, and yes, even the Big Man in Red joined the party! Soren was all over the place, running and falling and Noah did his best to keep up. Dinner turned into a complete and utter melt down for Noah but on the walk back he perked right up and enjoyed all the winter shenanigans. Just as we pulled out of the parking lot, Noah discovered his nostril for the first time, and kept his fingers jammed up there for the better part of a half hour! :)

too much fun = middle
of the street meltdown

we came up on this puppet show, and little Soren took one look at those puppets and took off running. I assumed he was just bored of it and off to the next thing, but oh-no. He bolted straight to the back of the puppet studio and by the time I got there, Soren already had one leg squeezed between the partitians and was climbing in with the puppeteers! LMAO! Luckly, seeing the backstage didn't ruin the magic for him, he was front and center waving and laughing and smiling the whole show :)

and lastly, I leave you with the cutest nose picker ever....

Gobble Gobble Gobble!

2009-12-07T23:13:00.000-08:00

Every year we travel the day before Thanksgiving, and it is INSANE! This year, we didn't! We left late at night, 2 days before Turkey Day...Noah slept most of the way there, there was no traffic, no rain or snow and though we got in late, it was an easy drive! We woke up the next morning and surprised Babach with a new "fan" (aka a new computer that Jason built) and picked Rose up from school! After running around a bit, Noah and Rose sat down for a jam session in the kitchen and next thing ya know, we are all in the kitchen making tons of noise! Noah looooved it! Then we headed down to G-ville for dinner with the Lamb family!

Thanksgiving morning, Noah woke up at dawn (ugggg, so not my kid, I don't do mornings!) and was ready to play! I passed him off to dad and went back to bed...slept till 9:30!! Anyway, it was pretty mellow through out the whole day. In fact, it was so mellow, we didn't even get out of our pajamas. I took a nap, knitted, played with the baby, ate some pie scraps and enjoyed the company! When dinner was ready, we all hit the table in our pj's, except for Noah, he was all fancy pants :) and chowed down. Noah ate tons of turkey, devoured the stuffing and gravy and played peek-a-boo with Grandpa around all the food on the table. I think we all ate till we were sick, then went and fell down in the living room....well Noah kept charging right along while we digested. We ended up racing cars around on the kitchen floor for about an hour! But when he crashed, he went down quick and missed all the pie! It was a perfect Turkey Day, polished off with a great movie!

playing cars is hard work....then he laid down he smiled and said, "night, night" or "nigh nigh" to be correct!

Watching Football!

How funny is this...same nail polish as my mom, not planned!

The next morning, Noah was up again at dawn, but this time I couldn't pass him off. I gave him cheerios, turned on cartoons and passed out on the couch! Mom of the year, I know! Whatever!! After a breakfast of pie and bagels, and lots of coffee, we decided that Jason and I should take advantage of the free child care and go to the movies. We wanted to see New Moon, and managed to drag Rose along and convince my mom to go too! We put Noah down for a nap, and Grandpa stayed home with him! When we got home, we found Noah and Grandpa hiking out in the woods with all the essential hiking items...OREO COOKIES of course! It was so cute! There were little snow flurries, they were throwing snow balls, and Noah was covered in cookies and wouldn't let go of it for anything!

After making our way back inside, we packed up our 2 tons of crap, said a tearful goodbye and headed down to Gardnerville to see Papa and Hanama! This was the first Turkey Day in 10 years that we did not spend with them, and we were anxious for a visit (and prime rib leftovers!!). We rolled in just in time for dinner and heated up all the left overs we could get our hands on! Noah freaked out about the dogs and quickly remembered to "use your words" and was yelling "NO!" with his hand out all night long...even if the poor dogs were on the other side of the house! Though he never actually got super comfy with the dogs, it didn't take too long for Noah to warm up and relax a little! The poor cat though, he had to run run run....Noah was all over him! He even got a few scratches that we didn't know about until later!

Saturday morning, Noah actually slept past dawn...but not by much. We got up and went in to harass Papa and Hanama and daddy didn't get up until Hana started cooking chorizo and eggs! Food, go figure! Anyway, we had a mellow morning and decided to go bowling after Noah's nap. Unfortunately, Noah had absolutely no intentions of actually taking a nap, so despite my hesitation, we went to the bowling alley anyway! What was going to be 3 games and some french fries, turned into 5 hours of bowling mayhem and tons of drinks! Noah charged right along for most of it..played with the bowling balls, threw a few, snacked on some fries and then all of the sudden, he was out cold! Jason tried to bowl with him in the Ergo carrier, but between the booze and the super slippery shoes we decided it wasn't such a great idea. Hana and I got some chairs and collected all our jackets, and Noah snoozed away in the middle of all the chaos in his make shift crib! Sooooo fun!

When he woke up, we were in the middle of our last game/drinks, and mom of the year bribed him with a tootsie pop so we could all finish! He was one happy guy, and didn't hesitate to share with everyone! We all had so much fun, and Noah even got a strike!!! The night didn't end there though...we ended up back at the house, ordered pizzas, poured some more drinks and busted out the Phase 10 cards! It was at least midnight before we finally called it quits and boy, did we all pay for it! Bowlers Butt, sleep deprivation and I think a few of the crew was a bit hung over the next day!

i was actually winning and
and then I fell into 2nd...grrr!

showing that his sucker
is all gone...

then started the first of his new
"CHEESE" face for pictures...lol

Sunday, we lazed around in pj's, watched movies and ate more leftovers :) before packing it all up and heading home. Of course we made a stop over at the Ellis' before leaving town, short and sweet, and geeeezeee it made me miss them! Anyway, our drive home was again, quick and easy and late a night. Noah slept the whole way and transitioned right to his crib, no problem! Lets hope he travels this easy for the next 2 trips up to the Lake before the end of 2009!!!!

Farewell For Now...

2009-12-07T22:58:00.001-08:00

After reconnecting the Baliey's, and having some GREAT times with Nikki, Martin, Nick and Ty, it was really hard to say good bye to our friends. I suppose it was bitter sweet...they are moving on to bigger and better things and made the best choice for their family. Though we will miss you all oh-so-much!

Tom and Jo, sure knew how to send them off right though. They hosted a BBQ to say farewell to the Bailey's allowed our kids to rip and tear threw their house, and torment their cute little dogs! It was really nice to see some old friends, meet some new kiddos and sip on
Jo's wicked spiced cider!

We will miss you 4 terribly and hope for playdates when you come back to town to visit. We wish you the best of luck with your new adventure and expect plenty of pictures and updates!!!

the dynamic duo

Noah just loved the doggies, that were smaller than he was! Poor puppies didnt stand a chance!

Another Visitor!

2009-12-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

Auntie Cerissa came into town just a week after our visit with Georgia. It had been a REALLY long time since we had actually spent some quality time together. We got to keep her all to ourselves for a little while, and though it has been years since our last real visit, it was just like old times! We drank a little too much, stayed up a lotta too late, and chit chatted like teenage girls! It was just what we needed! We even got a night out on the the town with some old friends! It was all about, "Team Having Fun!"Though the visit was perfect, it just wasnt long enough...it never is!! We love you and miss you and need more Cerissa time!!

Butterflies, Beaches & Bars

2009-11-20T00:47:00.000-08:00

This month got off to a great start with visits from good friends that we haven't seen in a long time. On the 3rd, Georgia flew into town to stay with Justine for a few days and we all got together for a walk amongst the butterflies down at Natural Bridges State Park. Like last year's visits in both January and November, we managed to go at the wrong time and see very few butterflies. Aparently, when it is too cold, the butterflies all huddle up in the tree branches for warmth, and every visit I have ever made to the reserve is on a coldish day. But I am determined to see those stinkers in the masses one day!

Despite the lack of butterflies, we had lots of fun. For a little while, we were the only ones around and we ran all over, laid on our backs, and resorted to goofy giggling! Then a couple of stoned kids wandered down and Noah kept staring at them with a look that said, "who invited you two?!" It was pretty funny! Shortly after the stoners showed up, the place was invaded. First by a class trip, that was full of well behaved kids and parents. The second group though, I think it was a brownie troup, the kids were wild and most of the parents were totally oblivious and inattentive. That group was our cue to exit, but even that proved to be a challenge trying to get through the crowd of monsters was ridiculous! We had some good laughs at their expense and made our way to the beach!

None of his pants fit his skinny booty...so he is just a saggin' baby!

when he wasn't trying to see monarchs,
he was busy pushin his truck!

can you see 'um....they are camouflaged in the trees about 30 feet up!

the lone butterfly brave enough to come down from the trees!

Noah was kinda-sotra into the sand, but was makin the stink face and showing signs of the not so distant past when he was afraid of the sand. He was however, delighted by the birds and the waves, so I scooped him up and took him down to the water. Though walking is just a bit too boring, so we flew!!! He loves when we fly him around like an airplane, and the giggles that come from him make it hard to resist. Georgia snatched up the camera and got some super cute pics of us "flying" (and a funny one where it looks like I'm using Noah as a guitar!). Thanks G!!!!

When we got back to the blanket, Noah and I were burying my feet in the sand, and he started to dig his little shoes into the sand. Naturally, I took off his shoes and socks thinking we could bury his feet, but OH WAS I WRONG! The kid totally flipped out! So, in true Mommy fashion, I grabbed the camera and snapped pictures of him before rescuing him from the big bad sand! By the time I got the sand off his toes and his feet tucked safely back in his shoes, Noah was done, done, and done! We got a group shot and made our way back to the car...Noah was asleep before we made it down the street!

see...I did save his little toes! (after a photo opp!)

dont you just love the stink face he makes all the time

After naps, and a snack, Justine and Georgia came by the house with our designated driver and we made our way down to Santa Cruz for a girls night out! We started at the Happy Hour at the Palomar Taco Bar.....the yummiest tacos ever, and the best prices! $2.00 tacos and and $11.00 pitcher of the strongest margaritas around! After stealing a table, and consuming the cheap deliciousness, we made our way over to my old stomping ground for a pub quiz...99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall!

It seemed pretty quite when we got there, but we were greeted by one of my old co-workers and ordered some pints while trying to decide on our Team Name. With no help from the boys, who were making suggestions via text messages, we decided on Sugartits, influenced by the margaritas I'm sure! Though we answered all the questions, our 16 out of 30 didn't win us anything! But we were pleasantly surprised that some of our "shot in the dark" answers were correct and bummed that we second guessed ourselves with some of our wrong answers! All in all we had a blast and weren't ready to call it a night when the pub quiz was over.

So, we hopped on over to the 515 for some of the most delicious cocktails ever! Cozy by the fire in the comfy chairs, we got a little silly, had some good girly chats and then called in the D.D. Despite having to wait for us while we finished of our last drink, Matty waited a bit longer while we attempted the infamous self portraits on the sidewalk before piling into the car and giggling all the way home! Thanks Matty, your the best!

It was so so so fun to hang with the girls! Justine, thanks for sharing G with us! and G, you do know that frequent trips back to the mountains are now mandatory?!!

thanks to Matty our fabulous DD!

and thanks to Jason for hanging with Noah so I can be with the girls....and for letting us wake him up and take pictures of him! lol!!