Little Pieces Of Gold

I have loved sharing these children's books with Sebastian! Little Golden Books are a such a great way to share classic children's stories with our children... stories that contain simple, and meaningful messages about life, portrayed through simple imagery and text. You can find obvious classics such as The Poky Little Puppy, as well as new publishing's such as Ratatouille and Mater and the Ghost Light... something for everyone! These little books are absolute jewels!

Water Wagon

While walking the isles of various toy stores throughout the past few weeks, I have been in search for the perfect water table and accessories for the summer. I wanted something well made, that could endure endless hours of play, and that looked nice as well. Most of what I found was plastic and not quite what Sebastian or I had in mind... So, we decided to make our own! I thought that we should start at my most favorite of stores, the littlest antique store in Carlsbad, where the littlest old man sits and waits for company day in and out... I love this place! Not once have we visited without finding an absolute diamond in the rough, something we could not go home without! I thought for sure I could find inspiration for my water table there! Sure enough, within ten minutes of wandering up and down the outdoor isles, I saw it! Ten dollars and a little imagination later, our water table had become a water wagon! Here is what we came up with... Take an old rusty wagon, fill with water, add various toys for pouring and scooping, maybe some jewels like we did, and there you have it! Wonderful Water Wagon! (You can even hang a hand towel from the handle for little hands to be dried before coming inside!) Perfect.

My Muffin Man

This morning Sebastian and I made some wonderful muffins for one another. We used Jiffy blueberry muffin mix and then added a generous potion of fresh strawberries! Twenty minutes later, our house smelled so yummy and breakfast was served! Bon Appetite!

Self Portrait

Sebastian has recently started drawing the most darling pictures of himself.
I love this idea of self-portraiture.
Sometimes he say's the figure is dancing, sometimes sleeping...
No matter what it is
that the image is doing,
it is adorable,creative
and wonderful!
Here is a series
that he created today! Enjoy!

Chalk Art

Brooklyn and I thought that it would be a nice gesture to draw some chalk art for Sebastian
today during nap-time...
We love you buddy!

$5.50 Fun

It's not often that $5.00 buys you anything worth writing about,(unless it's a huge vanilla latte), but this Target find, I have to share! While scouring the aisles for medicine, thermometers and Band-Aids,I found this DVD of original Tom and Jerry cartoons! It was a must have for $5.50! The cartoons are wonderful, and have brought a large amount of joy and laughter to a sick boy this week! I have to admit that I have watched as well, laughing like a four year old myself! This is real animated entertainment, created in the 1940's and just as fun today as I'm sure it was back then!

Making Crayons

Today Sebastian and I made a wonderful new set of crayons... We used the bits and pieces of his broken crayons, chopped them up, filled silicone cups with the pieces and baked them until they had melted together, cooled and become a ton of fun! We love these!

The "Sick Fort"

While waiting for Sebastian to wake from one of his Motrin induced naps today; I was trying to think of what would raise a four years olds spirits; when sick and stuck in the house... I decided that a fort was a great idea! I draped a blanket over a chair in the corner of the living room and secured it to the windows surrounding it. The natural light pours into this secret space... I filled the corner with some of his favorite toys and waited eagerly for him to awake...
He loved the fort.
His "sick fort..."
A place to play, laugh and get well..

Sickie Poo

Here is my sweet sickie poo, Sebastian.  Climbing into bed Saterday night, he informes me that he has an " ear-egg" (Ear-Ache)  Well, that ear egg ends up being a reptured eardrum and a litttle strep throat to go along with it!!!!  This child is so resiliant when it comes to pain... not a word about any discomfort until the eardrum actually gave way and drained itself.  Amazing... 

So we have been stuck at home with ear drops, pink bubble gum medicine and weather in the 90's...  

Sweet Dreams

Upon entering Sebastian's room tonight to tuck him back into his bed and turn off his lava lamp... here is what I found.

(I had to flip the light on and take picture.) 

 My beautiful son, with many of his favorite things surrounding him. 

He is dressed in his Dash pajamas; his "most favorite of all pajamas in the whole world..."

Curious George is asleep to his left, while Mikey, his cabbage patch doll in sound asleep to his right. 

Pinned under Mikey is Sunny, his beloved glow worm... 

His green wookie is resting comfortably by his side, while Ballie;the ball, is safely within reach.

Everything in it's place. 

I love this little boy so much.

 Sweet dreams my love.

My Heart

I love you, 

I love you, 

I love you...

My boys

I love you.

Apology Accepted

So... last night I decided to take a huge leap of faith and contact a girl that went to my high school. It's unfortunate but somehow throughout those four years at Vista High, she became my arch enemy.  Thinking about it now, I know exactly why the rivalry began,existed,and withstood all of these years. 

Jealousy is an ugly thing.  Honestly, is there anything worse than being jealous;of a person or a situation?  I was always jealous of "her".  Something that is now easy to admit, but then, oh, never would I admit to such a thing... "Jealous of what?" (That's what I would have said then...) She was prettier than I was, and guess what? She still is.  I could go on about the petty way's that she made me jealous of her, but I won't allow it. It's insignificant.  I will however divulge that she always posed a threat to my high school romance. A relationship that I swore was steel... and who was she to challenge my thinking? 

 

 Intimidated, the second worst of the worst ways to feel.  I was intimidated by "her", and thought all along that it was her fault for fearing the demise of my relationship. Needless to say, we broke up, the steel melted down into scrap, and my worst fear became a reality. "He" chose "her"  Now the intensity of my dislike for "her" was stronger than ever. I hated her. I hated her. I hated her. It was her fault. I hated her. I hated her. I was jealous. I hated her. 

Hating someone for no apparent reason and holding a grudge for years is exhausting.  I knew that the years of bitterness had to come to an end, and if ever I had the opportunity, I would take it.  Well last night, I walked the walk. I won't say how, but I was given a way to contact her. Directly. Randomly, but whole heartily. Twenty minutes and one email later, it was done. I had apologized to "her". For being young,and naive, and jealous and ridiculous and desperate and pathetic, for all those years of hating "her" for being her.  She responded...she accepted my apology and offered one of her own; and now fourteen years later this ill-will had been put to rest.  How simple.  Apologize, mean what you say and you may just resolve years of young minded nothingness...  and yes of course I accept your apology as well.

His Father's Shoes

I snapped these pictures this evening. As I was making dinner, Sebastian and Anthony pulled down Anthony's baby shoes off of our mantle and slipped them onto Brooklyn's feet!  I couldn't resist!

Love and Marriage

So you may have noticed that it took a few days for me to think about exactly what I wanted to say in my first entry about my darling Anthony and our marriage... 

I remember prior to being married, I had a few friends that were and would say things to me about how marriage was hard work, but secretly I believed that it didn't and wouldn't apply to us.  

Anthony used to make me feel like I was the only person in a crowded room...  and the last thing that I used to think about at night was how glad I was to have the right person lying in bed next to me. 

Then came the baby, (the first that is...),Sebastian was born and we had to learn how to still be the people that we had fallen in love with , while becoming new people all together; a mother and a father. And the worst of it was that we had to do it on two hours of sleep!

 I don't think anything could have prepared us or our relationship for how lonely this reshuffling of roles would leave us. At times not only did I not think I knew who Anthony was, I didn't know who I was myself.  Anthony wasn't cracking jokes like he used to;I wouldn't have had the energy to laugh anyway.  I remember how far away Anthony would seem across the great divide of our living room;watching television at night, he in his chair, I on the couch.  Who was this beautiful man???

And then one day, Anthony started joking again.  I was laughing, sometimes until I cried, and instead of him making me feel like the only person in the room, he made me feel like the most important person in the room, with a baby in my arms, spit-up and all!  

Only now do I feel like I can remember exactly why I feel in love with Anthony;the simplicity of our young love.  I remember the way I felt when I would see him across the room, the way I never wanted our conversations to end, because I feel the same way today.  

Yes, marriage and children change everything, it's impossible for them not to... but what a blessing to come out the other side and realize that those lost moments , the fear and the loneliness all leads to this amazing reveal... Wow!  I love my husband! Not only is he a wonderful man, but he is a dynamic father and again, the last thing I think about at  night is how glad I am to have the right person lying next to me...

Four years (and another baby) later, we are still figuring this out,making it up as we go along. Whatever challenges we face,great or small, it's all any of us can do.

I love you Honey.

A Few Of My Favorite Things

1. Butter Pecan Ice Cream
2. Purple
3. Diamonds
4. Vanilla Latte
5. Snuggling With My Children
6. Feather Pillows
7. Kissing My Husband
8. Hugs
9. Singing With Sebastian
10. Coloring
11. The way Sebastian calls glitter or sparkles, sprinkles..."Momma, you have a sprinkle on your nose!"
12. Artichokes
13. Fresh Cut Tulips
14. Brooklyn's Hair
15. Kettle Corn
16. Maple Bars
17. Beautiful Stationary
18. The Smell Of The Ocean
19. Fresh Strawberries

Cherished Treasures

When thinking about the items that I wanted to list, I couldn't help but think back upon the material items that I possesed as a child and how very much they had meant to me... and where the heck they were now...

1.My Cabbage Patch Doll,Cathy. I remember crying one night and my mother asking me why it was that I was crying... I told her that I was imagining my life without Cathy in it... so dramatic...

2.A grouping of handwritten note cards and letters between my Nana and myself.

3. Ceramic impressions of both Sebastian's and Brooklyn's hands as newborns.

4.My wedding dress

5.My original baby blanket that my mom made for me!  I have had this thing with me my entire life... from box to closet to box again!  It now rests clean and soft on the end of my bed... I love to see Sebastian grab it to warm up in the morning! Thanks mom.

S is for SEBASTIAN

Truth be told... I love this little boy more than anyone will ever know!  Sebastian never ceases to amaze me, from the conversations we have to the way he still likes to be held early in the morning and late at night.  He is becoming a big boy, but is and will always be my baby boy. Each month I am going to keep a list of what interests Sebastian has taken and what things may never change in the world of "Mr.Red"...

April 2008
Sponge Bob and Scooby -Doo are amongst the newest members of the super cool club... Max and Ruby are fun to watch, along with Word World and always... "George was a good little monkey, but always curious."
 Sebastian has mastered the television remote control and has memorized the channels that his programs run on, so at an given time in our home you might hear,"I want to watch one one", meaning channel eleven.
Jamba Juice is a favorite, Strawberry Crush with calcium boost!

May 2008
So in one months time, Scooby -Doo is i thing of the past, too many monster related question and dreams... and we are on to bigger and better things! This month was great because the weather allowed us to plant our vegetable garden! This is a garden that I have wanted to plant with Sebastian for years, and never had the space to do it, and now there it is in all of it's organic glory! He loves watering the veggies and reading the names off of the stakes... He has found a HUGE interest in the concept of time... he loves clocks and watches, especially his own Lightning McQueen watch... He is so sweet because he is yet to really understand the clock and the concept of time in a day. I might say something like, "We are leaving in five minutes, and he will counter with "How about three minutes, please?", not realizing that would leave him with a shorter amount of playtime... Sweet, sweet boy. Needless to say, he loves his watch and he knows certain times of the day...
School starts at 9:00 a.m and ends at 12:00 p.m. Curious George is on at 7:30 a.m and bedtime is at 7:30 p.m. These thPublish Postings he knows for sure.

June 2008

The latest and greatest include a new pair of Croc's adorned with multiple hand selected Jibbitz, a Dodger's hat that his "Big" Grandpa bought for him at Dodger Stadium, and a Poloroid camera that takes amazing, magical pictures... Sweet as ever this boy is ready for the summer. The beach, the local water park and pool are on his list of must see sights, sooner than later... 

July 2008

Summer vacation is in full swing and Sebastian is loving every minute of it... Let's see what have we done so far??? Trip to Nana's house in Arizona,check... multiple days spent digging in the sand,...check, picnics at his favorite park...check,train ride down the coast with Grandma and Grandpa...check! I could go on and on!  My sweet boy is really coming into his independence this summer in a way he never has.  He wants to do everything on his own, he doesn't need any help!  My goodness he's growing up quickly!  I am so proud of him and all of his accomplishments, but I have to admit, I still love dressing my boy in the morning and helping him into his pajamas at night... (Please let me help you, just one more time...)  Popsicles,trail mix and strawberries are high of the list of enjoyables this month!  Surf Up is a new favorite in our house... cute movie... Fireworks were amazing with Sebastian who was awake way past his bedtime! They lit up the sky and his face lit up as well with pure, untapped excitement, beautiful to watch, both the fireworks and his sweet little face...

B is for BROOKLYN

Not to brag about my own child, but this little boy has the light of the world in his eyes!  Brooklyn is pure joy from the moment that he wakes in the morning to the moment his sweet little head hits his mattress at night. I am going to track his progress throughout the remainder of his first year of life right here before your eyes! Each month I will list what amazing and extraordinary feats he is performing for us, his loving family!

We are currently in the middle of Month Five...
Brooklyn loves his excersauser and his jumperoo!  He loves to eat and stare at his brother!  He is full of smiles and drools all over the place!  He laughs when tickled and has discovered that he has feet on the ends of his legs...

Month Six...
This month Brooklyn seems to really be interested in movement. he is constantly rolling, both back to front and front to back! He likes sitting up, it seems for the view, but then most of the time will grow tired and slip into a Shamu position, (as Sebastian likes to call it... ) Face down, legs fully extended, arms to his sides, as if he were flying... fast. Head up, eyes wide open, ready to take in the world around him! He loves watermelon and grapes in his hand held food net and has taken to water in a tiny sippy cup! So cute! He sleeps extremely well, last night, fourteen hours of uninterrupted baby sleep... pure bliss!

Month Seven...

This was a huge month in terms of physical development for out little buggy bear!  He got two little teeth, about a week apart from each other!  He handled the teething extremely well, what else would you expect coming from the most incredibly happy baby in the entire world?  He is loving his toys, especially the ones that have flashing lights and make lots of sound!  He also has graduated into third foods, a bit chunkier in consistency, and he seems to enjoy them immensely!

Month Eight...

Brooklyn is days away from crawling... He can navigate his way around an entire room using an army pull and multiple rolls!  I also saw him pull himself up from sitting to standing tonight for the first time, determined to reach a toy in his toy box!  Amazing... I can't believe that we are in month nine already!  Brooklyn is an absolute blessing in our lives, the sweetest, happiest little ray of light I have ever  seen... thanks for letting me bast in your glow Brooklyn... Momma loves you.

Confessions Of A Stay At Home Mom

I love eating yogurt with Sebastian's child-size spoons; something about the smaller portions in the bite and the longer amount of time it takes to complete... so much more enjoyable, maybe thirty spoonfuls as opposed to seven.

Sometimes when I'm really tired at night while putting Sebastian to bed, I will narrarate a book for him instead of actually reading the words from the page.  I look at it like this... he loves the stories and it gives me an opportunity to exercise my marvelous imagination!

While driving in the car, I love reciting the Greek alphabet, it's fun and catchy, and Sebastian's finally catching on! I remember my mom teaching it to me... funny little piece of knowledge.

I find a great amount of joy in a huge bowl of mid-day popcorn.

There is a fresh pot of coffee brewing in our house between 2:00pm and 4:00 pm everyday.

I am addicted to flavored coffee creamer.

I am convinced that Brooklyn is telekinetic  because he wakes nine times out of ten the minute my head hits my pillow...

I still don't miss an episode of A Baby Story on TLC!  I love this show!  I cry each time the baby is born...