Nyquist New Branch

(c)HI town, nice to see you

2012-02-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

hello chicago
homeland of my husband
what a great visit we had with friends and family
the weather was so nice (always a plus for this california wimp)
the people even nicer
and the boys got a chance to hang out with their cousins

and while it's always great to say hi to chi
it's even better to say hello to home

photos of the phun:

[cousins! ps this was the start of little son NEVER smiling in photos without a bribe for treats or threat of timeouts]

[isn't my son so pretty? he needed a nap and the only sleep sack we had was cousin violets. pretty pink passie too.]

[husband = working out]

[time with mor mor. - side note grandpa nyquist's name is 'Bapoo' (don't ask me why) but my sister emailed and asked if we were having a great time with mor mor and 'Bo-peep' and i almost wet my pants]

[this is my favorite place in northpark, tre kroner. a swedish breakfast, brunch, lunch place where the coffee is strong and their quiches are homemade. it's like the local swedish 'watering-hole' of the neighborhood. i was a 'local' after going three days in a row]

[again no smiles from little son but cuz drew and the gorilla were having a blast]

[our future leaders]
[crazy to see them grow year after year]

twitter

2012-01-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

oh my gosh
late to the party
but not too late to enjoy the party

i love twitter
it's become my headline news for the day
my own version of an rss feed
my comic relief
my current events ticker
please, don't bother following me
i have nothing to say
but everything to read

i mean where else could i find the best blog post on being a mom (seriously i was crying i was laughing so hard)
and who else is going to make me laugh every day with stories of his 'rude' 7 month old. (he tweets what i think about my 7 month old!)
and get sound bites of the state of the union without having to watch it (i also read thru sound bites of the golden globes and saved myself the 3 hours).

thank you twitter.
you are a time saver
and a time sucker
but let's focus on the positives

tweetly-deet

ps - before you start attacking me for liking twitter=social media, may i point out that twitter is totally different than facebook. but really it is.

want to know why i didn't blog this week...

2012-01-20T22:34:00.001-08:00

because any free time i had was put into finishing THIS BOOK

truthfully, for someone who likes to be an original, i have average taste
cause seriously if it's available at costco, i kind of don't want to read it
which is lame, i know. since i have read those books at costco...because my mom buys them and i steal them from her to read! but i feel like i should be reading the classics, the new yorker, or poetry, or something super smart rather than 'the girl with the dragon tattoo' (haven't read this one either).

anyways, let's get to the important topics
i forfeited sleep to read this story
my sister was explaining it to me and the whole concept of people killing each other sounded so barbaric, i was disgusted. but i read the first chapter and was hooked. so phewph, i'm done so now i can finally sleep.

other important topics in our house this week included:
this book
who will read this book next
there are two more books in this series and i'm too scared to start them because i need sleep.

oh and i have kids
that's right

one got ice cream and then helped wash his dish:

the other one started solid foods, or mushy foods, or whatever you want to call it. watery cereal. he luffs it. mmmm plastic spoon.

The bittersweetness of working from home

2012-01-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

do you see this photo?
do you see how i am surrounded by my work necessities (lap top, smart phone, notes)
and surrounded by the baby necessities (book, passie, exersaucer)

some people may not be able to handle this
but moms
Moms are amazing multi taskers

baby hair

2012-01-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

this is not another post about my boys
ironically, this is about ME

for those that have known me for years, you will recognize this story
as it has happened once before in my 36 years of being alive

after smasher joined our family, i blogged about my hair loss
and while there was some comfort to know this is a postpartum side affect, i was ready to move forward in life with half my hair and look into some voluminous shampoo.

but wait.
wait 6 months. and suddenly i am face to face with new baby hair.
it's been growing unseen the past few months
but it's now visible
you little brown hairs
bless you for being brown
and for coming back

when this happened back in college, i had a morning regime.
each morning those little baby hairs would be spiking up at attention
'look at me!'
so i would gel those babies, bobby pin them down and wait til they laid down
that would get me thru at least a few hours without the embarrassment of these spikes

now in my season of being a mom, with 2 real babies
i don't have time to pay much attention to these baby hairs
other than to give them a few affectionate pats after a shower before i'm off and running

so please excuse my appearance
my bonus bangs
i'd love to say this is the new urban hipster hair
(to go along with my urban hipster amish clothes)
but really, i'm just helping raise these babies so they can grow up big and strong

my new year's resolution

2012-01-08T20:28:00.001-08:00

was to ignore my blog
i'm finally able to keep a resolution

just kidding
be back soon

happy new year

2012-01-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

[smashers 1st modeling gig courtesy of our neighbor fred who needed a 'new years baby' for his client]

On the first day of christmas

2011-12-28T20:25:00.001-08:00

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

12 trains on the new table

11 people lined up

10 minutes of free time

9 hours in pjs

8-ty bucks for theatre

7 stories with sarah

6 remote controlled cars

5 'fit as a fiddle' performances

4 cooks in the kitchen

3 new chew toys

2 matching track suits

and a great christmas with my family

Luke 2

2011-12-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

We are so inn

2011-12-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

it's time for the 2nd annual living nativity presented by the oaklandish family players.

Staring!
Monrovia scarlet scout as Mary
barely walking baby Myles as Joseph
mute cousins Ruby and Sadie as The Wise Men
the fisher of men Micah as a Shepherd
mature and adult Ashlynn as the Angel
don't be fooled by her wings Brennan as a Shepherd
Little Son as the little Inn Keeper
husband as a big hairy Animal
and Smasher in the role of a life time as Baby Jesus

seriously how cute is that
until little inn keeper put straw all over baby jesus's face and then the inn keeper was put into a timeout. the first noel, the first timeout B.C. [before (a) crowd]...whatever you want to call it.

and then there were the strolling minstrels:

such a fun tradition! and i have to tell you, it was so funny to me how my son decided to be the inn keeper. i was showing him the nativity story books we have, going thru the pages...you can be a shepherd, or a wise man, or an angel or joseph. His response: "I want to be the inn keeper." I was silent for a minute...hmm that wasn't one of my options. The inn keeper made that big an impression on him? And when I asked him why he said "Because I can say there's no room in the inn." and then it hit me...of course he is my son. the Inn Keeper is the only one with lines. Bring on the academy awards, he's already an actor.

Wine Night(s)

2011-12-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

most nights are whine night around our house
but this is about wine night

i'm talking a glass of 'mommy juice' (aka wine in our house), clean sweaters with no drool or puke on the shoulder/sleeve, food that took longer than 10 minutes to cook and contains no noodles or peanut butter and jelly and adult conversations that leave my brain feeling alive instead of drained of all intelligence and patience.

have i blogged about these nights before? i don't think i have, and yet this tradition has been going on for 7? maybe 8 years? what started out as a way to find good wines, has become a great reason to gather together for great food, great friends and laughter. The location rotates from house to house. The wine theme changes each time. But the rules stay the same: each couple brings a wine bottle wrapped in foil (avoid being influenced by the name or label), taste and rank each wine to determine your favorite, combine scores and unveil the winners and looser of the night. there are always some great laughs. there are always great 'themes' and comparisons of the wines, and there's always a spittoon close by.

this past wine night was in honor of my friend, nancy, who's one birthday wish was to get us all together for a wine night. well happy birthday, merry christmas and thank God for babysitters, because we all gathered together for one of my favorite nights in a long time.

[i LOVE this photo. i have known these ladies pre married, pre kids, pre greys and wrinkles. and yet, i think they all look more beautiful today then ever.]

[don't let this cute label fool you. i think this entire bottle ended up in the spittoon]

[husband and cohost with his 'christash']

[i love this photo. each of these merry men are enjoying one of the great parts of the night - conversation, creme bru le and more wine.]

[my two favorite artists who have taught me so much about style and creativity]

[cheers to the birthday girl and to wine nights!]

Advent

2011-12-15T22:34:00.000-08:00

have you had the time to enjoy this season?
normally i love the feeling surrounding christmas
it comes from the music, the lights, the decorations, the good will towards men

but this year, i'm experiencing it a new
and it's all thanks to my 3 year old and our daily 'Advent Activity'

I was inspired by my friend's Advent Calendar she made last year for her family that I decided this year, little son was big enough to partake in some holiday activities. so the moms got together a few weeks ago and spent an afternoon crafting (some kids helped) and we each created our own Advent Calendars.

Mine is a series of 3x5 cards decorated with holiday clippings, wrapping paper or stickers. Some are old christmas cards i cut up. and on each card i wrote an advent activity: decorating the christmas tree. making hot chocolate and reading the christmas story. making snowflakes. driving to look at christmas lights. checking christmas stories out from the library. making sugar cookies to deliver to the neighbors. buying soap and socks for the homeless.

the list goes on. every day little son gets to chose an activity. his face gets super excited.
today's activity, make pop corn to eat and string as garland.

and as little son and i sat on the couch having fun, listening to christmas music, i realized again, how this season feels different. i've taken the time each day to do something to celebrate the season. i feel like i've helped take the focus off consumption and put it on memories together. my son knows that Christmas is about Jesus birthday cause we've read him the story, we've acted out the story and we've put stickers on a story book to celebrate our 'Advent Activity.' We've made memories decorating the tree and putting lights on our house, making christmas wrapping paper and sending homemade christmas cards. And even though it's been for him...it's also been for me. I feel like I'm celebrating the anticipation of christmas coming every day! And isn't that the meaning of advent? The expectation. The preparing.

So I encourage you...in this last week before Christmas, take a moment each day to do something fun to prepare for christmas. Dance to Christmas carols. Call up your relatives and sing a christmas carol on their answering machine. Make an ornament or sleep under your christmas tree. Make a fire in the fireplace and read christmas stories. Or just read THE Christmas story. Tis the season.

[yes all activities mentioned in this post have appeared in our 'Advent Activity Calendar']

[photo taken by husband]

[photo taken by little son...artsy]

[photo also taken by little son]

sugar and spice and everything nice

2011-12-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

christmas=my moms treats
when i was growing up my mom would host this 'christmas tea'
she would bake for days, stock up the fridge with cookies and cakes
and when it was over, we would get to eat all the left overs
mmm christmas memories

well, a new tradition that started a few years ago includes a bake day of said treats with my roomies, nancy and sooz

so get excited for sugar bombs of goodness
pounds of fat in the baked goods and therefore pounds of fat on my goods

[in the mix and the mess]

[this is the kitchen i grew up in. making magic happen]

[this is literally the most delicious dessert ever. chocolate chip bread with a sour cream base. a combination of all my favorite things, cinnamon, bread and chocolate]

[gigi and smasher. and nancy trying to poison my breastfed child with chocolate.]

[such a fun afternoon. thanks mom for all the flour, sugar, and love. favorite quote of the afternoon "does anyone have a real teaspoon? i don't know how to convert 'dash of love' and 'pinch of goodness' into actual teaspoons." - nancy]

Nyquist Nativity

2011-12-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

Little Son: "Who is that"
Me: "You know who that is, who is that?"
Little Son: "Mary"

Me: "That's right, and who's lying down?"
Little Son: "Baby Jesus"

Me: "That's right. And who's that?"
Little Son: "Daddy"

Me: [thinking...] um, yes, you're right

an open letter to my 2nd son

2011-12-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

dear samuel,
yes that is your name
i know you might think it's 'judah' because you hear me say/shout that name all the time, but no, you are S-A-M-U-E-L.

Speaking of your older brother, I apologize now. I apologize that I am unable to keep him off of you. I'm sorry i can't keep him from smothering, mauling, suffocating you. Really, he loves you. And he's jealous of you. and he loves you. all at the same time. which is why he snuggles and burrows into and then pokes you in the eye and says 'no baby'.

Meanwhile, Samuel, you have reminded me what my favorite stage in life is. It's now. It's the 5 month old baby. It's when you stopped being a blob and became a baby that could hold his own head up. Look at me and smile constantly. Snuggle into my neck when I hold you. Reach your hands out to me and pat me while you're feeding. And yet, you're still immobile so I don't have to run or chase you around. And you can't talk back to me. And you don't have public tantrums. And you listen and obey...really, I think you're my current favorite son. Good thing neither of you can read this. Is it fair to say I have favorites at different times in life?

but you are seriously the cutest
all you do is smile and coo at me and i melt. and your eyes, they're awesome. they are like a color that has yet to be invented. or maybe it's called hazel. but i like to think they are an unnamed color of blue and slate and gold and hints of brown. and they are deep. and loving. and they follow me everywhere i go. and they stare me down until i smile at you and you return my smile. and i can't kiss your cheeks enough. those big smushy, pudgy cheeks. and then it makes you giggle and i have to do it all over again.

and you have a bald patch on the back of your head from where you rub it at night. oooh and nights. you're just starting to learn the value of a full night's sleep. you didn't ask us for this life lesson, but we're teaching it to you in love. you'll thank us later.

and samuel, i'm sorry for all the things you don't have...i'm sorry you don't get your own room. i'm sorry you spend your naps on our bed and your nights in the dining room. i'm sorry you never got a mobile or your own set of drawers. we keep your clothes in a bucket in the closet. it's so sad and yet so convenient. i'm sorry your brother chewed or ripped up all the books. i promise to get you new ones. i'm sorry i have limited photos of your first 3 months of life. it was a sleep deprived blur.

but samuel, i'm so excited for the things you do have. you have new clothes. for reals 2nd born. you can thank mormor and the fact that you were born in opposite seasons from your brother. you have a less freaked out mom. you have the best toys (we tested out the lame ones with the first born). you're so loved. oh. my. gosh. i love you so much. your father loves you so much. and your older brother, we've discussed the love. you will never be bored. you have a constant show of activity racing around you and screaming, singing, talking, and laughing. you already have a best friend who can't wait for you to grow up. i can't tell you the number of times i've had to protect you from eating a goldfish (cracker) or picked you up before you got dragged to play with trucks. 'someone' is really excited to share his life with you, but please take your time growing up.

so at a time of the year, when we celebrate the coming of another little baby...we are really blessed to have you as our little baby. welcome to our family. we love you samuel asher.

PS - son, i forgot one more apology. please forgive the naivete of this blog post. the facts of life have shown me that i was wrong. i love you just as much (currently more as admitted above).

Flossing

2011-12-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

pros: clean mouth
cons: takes too long

pros: prevents gingivitis or one of those dental issues
cons: the floss cuts off the circulation in my fingers as i try and use it

pros: i hear it adds years to your life (by helping prevent heart disease)
cons: now that i have been flossing, there is more space between my teeth and so more food gets stuck in my gums. which then, makes me have to floss more.

pros: i'm out of ideas
cons: one more toiletry item to buy and then watch as little son unravels the entire box (just like the toilet paper, and the kleenex box, and the diaper wipes)

pros: still out of ideas

cons: not recyclable. and i bet it's like those soda can plastic 6pack holders...if they blow out of our landfills into the sea, they strangle the ducks, fish, dolphins, otters, sealions, wildlife.

pros: [crickets]
cons: if we were meant to floss, we would have been given flip top mouths. is it just my mouth not being big enough or does it hurt everyone to keep it open that wide, that long.

Cutting Down our Christmas Tree

2011-12-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

Shopping List

-milk
-eggs
-bread
-vegetables
-fruit
-chicken

-christmas tree
um yes, just put that in my cart

nothing like getting a christmas tree from our local grocery store
i'm sure it was local and organic as most things in your store are
we love you farmer joes
merry christmas

Things I'm loving right now...

2011-11-29T19:19:00.000-08:00

1. christmas lights. it's the most wonderful time of the year! and i love you organized people who already have your lights up. you just bought me a 30 minute activity during my kid's 'crazy hour' to strap then in seat belts and drive around (aka lull them to sleep)

2. spell check. thanks for making me look so smart on my emails.

3. disposable diapers. this one is tough to admit, after i was such a cloth diaper fan. but add a 2nd kid and you are looking to make life easier at any point. thanks diapers.com for delivering the very next day too.

4. speaking of .com, thanks online shopping. i plan to do all my christmas shopping online.

5. amazon universal gift wish list button. thanks cyber-sooz for showing me how to install this on my browser so at any point i see something for me or the boys for christmas i hit the 'add to wish list' button and suddenly my christmas list is full of glam glow, wooden blocks and pat the bunny books.

6. christmas music. luff it. and guess what, so does little son. we've secretly been listening to it all year long but now we don't have to hide it. favorite new christmas album purchase: Hillsong's 'Born is the King'

7. 500 photos for a penny a piece. snapshot is awesome. until i realized i had to upload all 500 of those photos. come on! who has the time?! but what other awesome online deals are out there? tell me tell me.

8. bathroom time. um not that kind. well maybe that kind. i now understand those mothers who said they would lock themselves in the bathroom. it's the only peace and quiet in my day. so i swear i have taken more baths and longer showers than ever. and sometimes i will just sit there and read my magazine for an extra 5 minutes as i listen to my husband deal with the kids...don't-want-to-leave.

9. and of course, i can't leave without saying that while i may hide from them, i also am totally in love with these 2:

little son and chubs.

so what are you loving these days?

Phricking Pharmacy

2011-11-25T18:52:00.000-08:00

having children has meant not only do we get every sickness that passes thru north america, but we also have bought every over the counter medicine in stock. and here we are again, all of us sick.

seriously, i am an oxymoron. i'm a hypochondriac, afraid of getting sick or thinking i'm sick, and yet i never take medicine. i never even bought medicine. until i had kids...

we have a hall closet filled with meds for cough and cold, and fever and another fever reducer if necessary to rotate. and benedryl and nasal spray and a humidifier. and after little son's birthday 'sickness' turned out to be what the doctor thinks is 'constipation' i've got little rocket looking glycerin tablets. and all natural vitamin e rockets that didn't work. and don't forget the 5 kinds of band-aids and hydrogen peroxide and neosporin and the all natural emu oil husband just bought at the health food store for scars (the one little son has had between his eyes the past week). and then there's hydrocortison cream and anti-fungal cream and some other cream that has myrrh in it. then there's the wellness immune booster drops and the children's vitamins and the free sample of some medicine that was at little son's preschool. and i just looked and found the pedialite and desitin and i swear if i didn't have kids i would never have known what to do with all these meds in the first place...lock it up.

like i said, a phricking pharmacy.

Happy Birthday-Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

hey son
remember that birthday when you were sick and could have cared less that it was finally your birthday. the day you had been talking about all month.

i remember
and now, thanks to this video, you will too

[more thoughts on why i'm thankful for you to come...]

do you hear what i hear?

2011-11-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

ps um, yes, as a mother, who hasn't done ridiculous looking things for the love of your child. nice bangs.

little drummer boy

2011-11-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

it gets funnier every time you watch it

happy birthday weak

2011-11-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

happy birthday little son
what better way to celebrate your 3rd year of life
then a trip to one of your favorite houses...
the FIREHOUSE

woohoo!
three cheers for the Oakland Fire Department who were SUPER kind and nice to let seven little 3 year olds climb all over their trucks.

my son was committed to experiencing EVERY thing he could at the fire house. he sat in every chair:

touched every steering wheel:

slid down both poles ('slid' = daddy lifted him up a bit to slide down):

tried on every outfit and helmet

yes every outfit they would allow:

played with every button:

We love Firestation 8!

and then while the rest of us partied on, little son crashed from exhaustion.

and it's only sunday. i've still got school celebrations, the family party and his actual birthday to come! will we make it?

PS - smasher was there too. cutest fireman in the station

We are the 99%

2011-11-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

Me: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Little Son: "When I grow up I'll be a firefighter, policeman, and I'll be a garbage man"

Me: "Wow, you're going to have all those jobs?"

Little Son: "And I'll be a mailman"

may we all grow up to have blue collar jobs
we are the 99%!

65 year olds know how to party

2011-11-17T07:45:00.001-08:00

we partied with my parents last weekend to celebrate my mom's 65th birthday

happy birthday sexy sally

they gave us a private room for dinner (have you heard my family laugh? it's a good thing we had our own room)

there was a great moment when my dad gave a toast in honor of my mother, which turned into a chance for all 16 of us to take a moment and honor who my mom is in our lives

iPhones: bring generations together

these are my parents = good genes

Cheers to the worlds best mom

on a side note, i had an out of body experience this weekend when i realized that suddenly all my mother's friends, who had been the young moms in my life...were now old. i'm not trying to be mean by calling them old, i'm just saying i had a real life perspective shift. i suddenly saw my parents friends and realized they had aged. and now i am the young mom, raising the next generation and how weird that felt. i need to hurry up and get mature if i'm going to be like one of those moms.

Party weekend!

2011-11-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

where have i been?
recovering from 4 parties in 2 days
we are animals
and now you will see the same faces, over and over with different faces and backgrounds...

[happy birthday sadie ladie]

[my big boy in a bucket car]

[his favorite place at fairyland...the belly of the whale...jonah? i mean judah.]

[riding the train!]

[chicago love in fairyland. mormor this one's for you]

[and there were cupcakes]

$267

2011-11-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Oakland,
I really hope our $267 worth of parking tickets that you've given us in the last 7 days is going to help with the city's shortfall of cash.

With Occupy Oakland and all the other problems, I'm thinking this extra dough might really come in handy.

I hope you're as vigilant with everyone as you have been with us.
We're honored.
Would you take a payment plan?

Sincerely,
us

who taught you how to be a girl

2011-11-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

time for some girl talk

have you ever thought about the people in your life that have helped you become the woman you are today? i'm not talking about the real life growing up into a mature woman kind of help. i'm talking about the superficial, who taught you how to wear make up? who taught you how to be a girl?

i was thinking about it, and i realized how many different people were involved in my life at different stages to help me figure out how to be a woman. some modeled it by example and some physically taught me. it's a fun list to think about and it might even surprise some of my friends to read:

my mom taught me about fashion (black is always in style) and helped me get my ears pierced, twice. oh and she permed my hair which in the 80's made me feel super cute.

my highschool friend bethany taught me how to use gel and a hair dryer for my bangs.

my college friend kacie taught me to not be afraid of talking to boys.

although i think it was nancy who gave me the confidence and agreed to double date with me to go on my first real date with a boy.

the M.A.C. make up counter ladies taught me how to wear make up.

my college roommates nancy, brenda and kacie taught me...um how do i say it, to use a feminine product.

julie taught me to use lotion to remove makeup vs soap.

sooz showed me that it was worth paying a lot of money for a good hair cut and fun highlights and how to tweeze my eyebrows.

nancy introduced me to the wonder of a spa/massage and the key to the best brownies is a special small metal pan. (baking feels girlie to me)

my dermatologist confirmed that i have sensitive skin and introduced me to cetaphil.

Ingri larsen let me use her razor at summer camp and taught me how to shave my legs.

janet tennyson taught me the value of a good pair of jeans (she would give me her hand me down guess jeans in highschool...now i invest in my own version of over priced jeans).

i know this list may seem random. and some people might not realize or like that's what they taught me...but it's true. i mean, i've learned so much more. my biblestudy of women have taught me how to raise kids. my mother has counseled me endless times in life and taught me how to be a wife and mother. my dad has been my trusted adviser in work stuff. but i'm just saying, on a superficial random level, i was thinking about all the different girlie skills i've learned over the years. and those that have taught me well. thanks ladies.

and now it's your turn in the comments section. please share, who taught you how to be a girl?

squeeze me

2011-11-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

yes please

smasher 4 months old

diggin it

2011-11-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

i was laughing last week when i read this article about how coldplay's chris martin sings the feelings of a pimple faced looser, when really he's an attractive rock star married to a movie star. case in point, their music bums you out and is best listened to when feeling lonely. (Read funny article here)

And then, thanks to one of the show's i have already admitted that i enjoy, even though it shows me that i'm hecka old...I'm talking about Parenthood. Who watched last night's episode? cause forget about the drama and let's focus on that INCREDIBLE rendition of a joni mitchell song by this guy james blake. thanks parenthood for the new itunes song! loving it. and yes, it fits in well with the 'crying my emotions' coldplay songs. (read the article and this line will make sense)

anti scary day

2011-10-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

all i know is halloween used to mean free candy
now it means avoid all places in town that have scary freakish creatures hanging as decorations cause little son got scared just trying to pick up milk at the local market when the ghost/gobblin was hanging over the entrance.

but we did have a fun family day carving pumpkins. well honestly, husband carved pumpkins. i hung out, smasher chewed on metal, and little son threw some seeds around.

funniest part, we asked little son what face he wanted on his pumpkin, and he showed us. where he got this look? i have no idea. maybe the grocery store.

PS - 8:30am update - driving to work i saw 2 demonic masks, a skeleton face and some joker/scream combo version of a scary mask. my children may not be able to leave the house today

things i'm loving right now

2011-10-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

my sister told me about the show community
it is so witty but the hands down, best part of the show is troy (donald glover)

i don't know if it's because i loved 'the Voice' but i can't help it, i dig this song. if it comes on the radio in the car, you will find me moving like jagger.

and finally, on this october 29th, i am totally loving this man...
Happy Birthday Husband. You are what i'm loving now and every day.

Preschool Mom Fail

2011-10-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Today I realized I'm not a great preschool mom
let me count the ways

1. upon arriving at preschool today, i noticed superman, spiderman and a mermaid had come to school. wait what? it's tuesday october 25th did i miss something. maybe i should ask this mini doctor or princess. or the teacher dressed as a butterfly. were the kids supposed to show up in costumes? where was my memo? oh that calendar of dates you gave at on the first day of school? i was supposed to keep that? where am i supposed to keep that? my fridge is full of art.

2. meanwhile i may have forgotten little son's costume but i did remember to bring a pumpkin!
until i was told those were due last week and i looked over to see a bunch of already carved pumpkins. dang. strike two.

3. and then after school as i was trying to make lunch, am i the only person who literally fights with the new jar of Trader Joe's peanut butter? It's me against that freaking oil on top and the lumpy peanut blob that will not mix. So I am covered in greasy, smeary peanut oil and little son is loudly asking for food and I know this means I will smell like peanut butter for another few hours...

and it hit me
seriously, i'm not making it as a preschool mom

i need a phone call Teacher Beverly...just like my doctors office. I need you to call or email me the night before some big event at school so I don't forget.

and I need pre mixed peanut butter Mr. Joe's

and I need a personal assistant to deal with my clutter and calendar

and i need to invest in yoga pants because that's how every other preschool mom is dressed when they drop their kids at school. in a perpetual state of working out? cause they look good and i still look 4 months pregnant.

and really...i just need a nap.

[one of his many costues...this would be the king of sweden thanks to my husband]

apples + vegetable fat=delish

2011-10-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

remember those apples we pic ked
just call us Marsh-a Stewart and Judah Child

cause we've been baking some apple pies in this house
and someone rocks the house!

who's up for an apple pie bake off!
bring it

farmer nyquist

2011-10-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

what better way to spend a crisp fall afternoon than to go pick crisp fall apples on a farm.

husband awoke last weekend with the idea that we needed to take a trip and pick apples before apple picking season was over. having never picked apples, i didn't even know when and where to do this, but we found an awesome little family run farm in petaluma and took off with the boys to have some fun.

seriously, i have not spent enough blog space talking about wanting to live on a farm. technically i just want to live on it and let other people work it. it was so beautiful out in the countryside. they had sheep and goats and pigs and chickens and an organic vegetable farm where you could pick produce. and rows and rows of different types of apple trees.

i felt all omnivores dilemma and thought michael pollen would be proud of me because they even had grass fed cows grazing a few yards away from the grass fed beef that you could buy.

what a great afternoon. what great people run that farm! what yummy apples we got. what great naps the kids took on the way home!

Sophie's Choice

2011-10-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

when i was little, i found my mother's paperback book of 'Sophie's Choice'
(um yes, remember real life, feel them with your hands books, you kindle loving, ipad reading, ebook buying peeps)

i love reading and asked my mom if i could read the book
she told me, 'oh no, it will break your heart. you should wait til your older'

yeah, wait til your older and you actually have kids of your own so your heart actually understands how devastating it would be to have to choose which of your children you would save. that's a better idea.

which brings me to the two EARTHQUAKES we had yesterday. Faithful readers may remember that husband helped us get prepared a few months ago, and while we didn't need to break out our thermal ponchos or water purifiers, i was pretty shaken up (no pun intended. too easy)

what are the chances that both earthquakes happened while my kids were sleeping? the first one during naps, and the 2nd one after they were in bed for the night. so they have no idea what happened.

meanwhile, me? i'm a wreck. experiencing an earthquake for the first time being a mom is the most terrifying feeling i've had in a long time. when the first quake hit, it was strong. the epicenter is 2miles from our house. so a 4.0 rocker is going to wake up the neighborhood. i jumped up from my desk and stood there frozen. do you want to know what i was frozen thinking? OMG which kid do i run to grab 1st?! (they were in separate rooms)

my own version of sophie's choice. do i grab the infant on the bed who probably wouldn't know what's going on? do i grab the toddler who may wake up crying and scared? wait, will the infant fall out of bed or will the toddler? is there something above the toddler's head that could fall on him in bed?

and as i stood there frozen trying to figure out what to do and where to run...the earthquake ended.

okay for reals people, i need some training. and it's not on earthquake preparedness. i know to look for the life saving triangle or the strengthened door frame. what i really needs is how the heck do you save 2 kids at once?!

[impossible to choose, i love my men so much]

your suggestions in the comment section below.
did you feel the quake? what did you do?!

fall (ing in love)

2011-10-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

i was looking back over the blogs of the past
and realizing the 2nd child syndrome has already come true
i posted every new facial expression and motor skill that little son learned in his infant years
and i think the last photo of smasher was the week after his birth

okay not really, but the point is, while you may not see many photos of my 2nd son here, i feel like i get to see him all the time. and that is because i see him all the time. we are feeding friends. and napping buddies on the weekend. and snuggle muffins. and hip-ster hangout buds...meaning he's on my hip while i multi-task, lest you think i was referring my social status.

so i get to see his adorable face and beautiful eyes all the time.
and i apologize you have been deprived.

but we were taking a family walk in nature the other day, enjoying the fall weather
and as i was walking, wearing samuel on my chest, i couldn't stop kissing his little head
and my heart swelled with love for my little man

and i realized something...i am able to love my 2nd child because of my 1st
let me explain

when judah was born, it seemed so weird...to have this new person in my life
i had instinctual feelings to protect this tiny being and keep it alive
but looooove? i don't know if i would call it love at first sight
i think i was seriously overwhelmed and my emotions were already a postpartum mess
i've compared it to dating...i think judah and i were emotionally dating
i was interested, flattered, a little obsessed,
we'd stay up all night talking-feeding
you know all the beginning stages of dating
and slowly, as time went on, i fell in looooove with this little man:

but an interesting thing happened when samuel entered my life
the minute he was born, i was crying and asking the doctor to put him on my chest...immediately
my heart was full of so much love for this baby i had never met, never spent time with
because i already knew from experience, that he was going to change my life for the better
and i knew that my heart would be expanding even more to love him, as it had for my 1st son

so thanks to him:

i am able to love him:

i love my boys

OAKtoberfest

2011-10-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

it was the annual OAKtoberfest in our neighborhood last weekend
in our house also known as 'the weekend little son got seriously infected by the worst virus i've ever seen in my life'

but for this blog, we'll focus on OAKtoberfest
last year's fest was pretty fun for the kids so i was looking forward to the people watching and the neighborhood lovefest.

it started with a barbque at our friends house and ended up in the bank of america parking lot which had been carpeted for the kids zone.

here are my thoughts:
a. where did all you people come from? every visit to the dimond district is full of the random mixture that makes up oakland. some ghetto, some suburban and some ghetto suburbanites. but at Oaktoberfest it was full of gen-x urban hipsters. seriously where did they all come from? cause they're either hiding out, or we don't shop at farmer joes at the same time.

2. oaktoberfest is just one big kegger. i realized why these fests are so popular...because it's like hanging out in a bar but in the street with more space and more people. one big street party. see for me, it's fun cause of the free stuff for my kid. i don't like beer. but all those hidden gen-x hipsters, it's a big college kegger.

but all questions and kidding aside, it was super fun to run into our neighbors and friends and to make little son put his face in one of these

[the ogdens who have commemorative oaktoberfest cups from every year. don't worry, i'm pretty sure that kid is 21]

[someone is screaming at me cause i wouldn't let him out of the stroller to dance. this is after i had to chase him around a parking lot for 15 min to get him back in the stroller. stroller=straight jacket for toddlers]

i may not survive

2011-10-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

wow where to begin
i seriously love blogging
it's fun to post photos and tell stories
except when life falls apart
then there's no time for frivolous fun

this past week has been one i need to remember and reflect on to build my empathy skills for mothers everywhere. and if you're one of those people who says i don't want to hear about your mommy troubles because you chose to have kids...then why are you even reading this blog? please go visit two-incomes-no-kids-dot-com and laugh at their dog or work stories. you will thank me for having children when they are making the world a better place in 20 years. wait, it may take them longer, give them 22 years.

anyways, i had big plans to blog about my birthday eve and my birthday and my birthday boxing day but that didn't happen. why? because i got sick for my birthday. and then my son got sick for my birthday. technically he got hand foot and mouth disease which should not be confused with the bovine version called hoof and mouth disease. two different viruses. same result. the patient is seriously having a cow. haha i kill me.

for reals, little son has had 4 days of torture with sores in his mouth, hands, butt, etc. poor little man. and poor us. no one is sleeping in this house. i mean, it's not like i was sleeping before with the infant. so i've been a zombie for 3 months, but this was worse. every 45 min little son would wake screaming and crying from the pain. and ps there's no cure for this. it's the modern day chicken pox. its spread thru saliva and contact and you just have to suffer thru it and then he'll build up an immunity to it.

And while I am totally sympathetic to his pain i have been faced with 2 of my own personal issues.
1. he got this because he kept stealing this other kids toys at a party last week. this little boy (who no one knew was highly contagious with the virus) was at this party and little son kept grabbing every toy he'd pick up. i kept telling little son to stop and share but he wouldn't listen. hm, i wonder if he realizes this is called karma?

2. i am a hypochondriac. seriously what was i thinking having children? they will constantly get sick and my JOB is to hug them, care for them, get all up in their mess to help them get better. I'm sorry but there is no way i will avoid getting their sickness. this is seriously my new greatest fear. not just hand-foot-and mouth, but all of it. the sore throats, the puke, the runny nose. all the while i'm hugging my child and he's drooling all over me from his mouth sores and i'm thinking, "i need to burn this shirt and scrub the skin off my hands when i'm done. i am a terrible mom. wait, no i'm not, i'm still hugging my child so just shut up overactive conscious."

and to top it all off, i figure since no one is sleeping, we might as well start sleep training smasher. it's time. his brain is ready. again if you want to judge me on sleep training, i'd love to let you watch my infant for the next 3 months of no sleep and then you can tell me you don't believe in sleep training. but this means when he wakes in the middle of the night for his 'fake' feedings (really he just loves to snuggle) i have to let him cry back to sleep. don't worry, he's still getting fed, just once rather than 4 times a night. and he's plenty big, he's not in danger of starving...see...
so that was our week. a bomb of reality
sleep deprived and sick
but i promise more fun to come
photos of simpler times
family times
and birthday times

ps. moms seriously how do you prevent yourself from getting sick every time your kid is sick? please share so i may build up my immunity and knowledge.

Fess Up

2011-10-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

someone is super funny
funny (wo)man, you can privately pat yourself on the back,
or reveal yourself and confess to your comedy so we can all give you public props.

this past week i got a letter from my assemblyman sandre swanson
not just a political mailer
but a real letter, typed out with stamped signature
why would sandre swanson send me a letter?
because i supposedly contacted his office in support of AB1162

what is AB1162?
a bill that would 'increase the civil and criminal penalties for various types of poaching violations, including trophy hunting.'

um seriously, who did this?
who contacted sandre on my behalf
cause the funny thing is i totally hate hunting
and i've had conversations with people who have their trophy 'hunts' on their office wall
it's so barbaric. why do you have to kill animals for sport?
i mean i'm not a vegetarian or anything, but really, do you need that mallard duck on your wall? can't i interest you in a nice framed piece of husbands art?

all this to say, i did not have a conversation with sandre about his support for this bill
and somehow, he thinks we did
i mean, i know i've been sleep deprived, but i'm not drunk dialing my legislator about PETA politics.

so thanks for the real piece of mail sandre
thanks for taking the time and the 44cents to write me
but i think you have me confused with someone else
although you had my name and address correct
which means...for reals, funny person
confess
did you do this?

First Day of School...2 weeks later

2011-09-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

To school!
see it's not 'Back to School' because we've never been to school in this family
there's no 'back'
there's only 'To School'
and that's an order little son

little son is going to preschool this fall
i read on another blog some parents call this 'adult christmas' and that gave me a chuckle

and while we missed the first week because we had our family vacation planned (yeah, we're cool like that. or we just had no idea when school started...the beginning of september you say? again, we're not back to school night parents yet)

anyways, now we are unique in sharing our 1st day of school photos since everyone else did two weeks ago:

[so cute! the start of a tradition]

My big boy. I was a little teary. Maybe because i was projecting all my childhood 1st day of school memories. i hated the first day of school. it always felt a little scary. not knowing your teacher, the other students, who will sit with me at lunch. but little son was so excited. we've been talking about this all summer...getting him ready. and getting him potty trained for school. which is another funny story, that's all little son knew, that school and potty were connected. we told him he could go to school as soon as he used the big potty, so when his teachers asked him if he was excited for school...his response, 'Yes, because I can go pee pee and poo poo in the potty.' their looks were awesome.

And with this new life of To School, i am looking for advice.
Seriously WHAT do you do with all the 'art' sent home

I guess little son has a cubby at school (had no idea)
and it overflowed with art and notes cause i wasn't empty-ing it when i picked him up (again, please see above reasons)
so today i had a stack of construction paper with lines on it. or weird photos of people in a boat with more colored lines across it. and the ultimate 'blue collage' that had blue things glued to it and blue lines across it.

seriously what am i supposed to do with all this stuff?
my fridge isn't big enough to hold the 'friendship fan' and all 8 pieces of art with lines across it.

am i a heartless mom if i don't save them all?
am i a good environmentalist if i put them in the recycle bin?
for reals, someone school me
To School!

my family vacation, by little son

2011-09-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

because the first time was so funny
our family vacation when a 2.5 gets a hold of your camera:

[this is everyone having dinner not paying attention that i have found the camera]

[this is my dad's elbow]

[this is my dad's hand]

[this is when i like to put the flash in my eyes and push the button]

[we had a door in our cabin. i liked to run out the door at full speed and throw myself on the porch swing]

[this is when i went poopy in the big potty and got a treat. it's a big deal these days. mom took these photos. amateur.]

[why are you laughing mommy? i'm just eating my chocolate ice cream after i went chocolate poop color in the potty]

[my family vacation, by little son]

How am I not bald and other random thoughts

2011-09-16T19:53:00.001-07:00

hey!
how are you?
yeah I know we haven't talked in a while
we were gone for vacation for a week
i was gone in dc for training this week
but good news...we're back
bad news...i seem to be loosing all my hair

which brings me to this random post

1. um seriously, how am i not bald. i run my hand thru my hair and pull out fistfuls of hair. i didn't think i had hair to loose, but apparently, I'm wrong. i'm not kidding. EVERY time. i have wads that i watch pile up in the shower. sad. i promise to never complain about my grey hair...i'd just like to keep my hair. (my mother has confirmed this happens after pregnancy...we shall see)

2. do you know that not flossing leads to heart disease? really? according to my dental hygienist, really. and i really hate flossing. but i really hate dying more. and i haven't been to the dentist in forever. and my gums proved it.

3. we had such a fun week in the santa cruz mountains last week. annual family trip to mount hermon. and our 7th anniversary! happy anniversary lover. it was our first overnight without both children since Smasher's arrival. i-luffed-it. i seriously staged my own protest and would not leave our bed until 11:31am before I would check out. i needed to enjoy every last minute of freedom. (check out was 11:30am)

4. our church is moving locations. the current building is being demolished and we've found a new place to rent. but the funniest thing...remember when i compared my son to a dog? today he peed in every bathroom he could find. he flushed his way thru 2 floors. no joke. he christened the place and left his mark.

5. i just got home from our nation's capitol after a week of training and while i'm sure you're wondering why i traveled, all i want to tell you is why i will never fly jet blue again. i brought Smasher with me as we're still connected like a ball-and-chain-i-mean-breast-feeding-friends. Anyways, flying with a 'lap child' is tough when your child is 95% in length and weight for his age. and jetblue's chair tv controls are on the arm rests. no lie, i changed the woman next to me channel at least 8 times rearranging my son, trying to help him sleep-feed-stop crying. I also increased her volume to the maximum level and then muted it at least twice. All the while, I never could remember or seem to realize what I was doing. My elbow is possessed. Hilarious now = yes. at the time = not funny until she ordered a bottle of wine and suddenly she didn't care and loved my son.

and now the photo journal:

[favorite vacation spot...the creek. hours of enjoyment. i need one in my backyard]

[my boys! i say this whenever they're together, now judah will scream for me...'mommy look my boys!']

[picnic at the beach. yes, my arm is that long]

[our fun anniversary b&b! there was even an outdoor hottub]

[1 year of friendship + 3 years of dating + 7 years of marriage = i am a better person because of you]

Let's hear it for the boys

2011-09-01T15:04:00.001-07:00

trying to get a cute photo is like herding cats...someone is always moving

[fail]

[i know you love your brother, but look over here]

[put your hand down]

[open your eyes!]

[look up and smile]

[no look over here!]

[yay!]

[yes they are wearing big and little brother shirts. so. freaking. cute.]

i love you friday night lights

2011-08-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

remember my last maternity leave?
i found a show that kept me occupied during my everlasting feedings

well i have found my current past time feeding show
i love you 'Friday Night Lights'

if 'Arrested Development' is my all time favorite comedy
the i have found my all time favorite drama

oh my good-tv-ness
have you seen this show?
if not, the good news it's on netflix instant watch
which is how i watched all five seasons because the finale just happened last month

i love you dillon, tx
i love you tim and billy riggins
i love you lyla and buddy garrity
you're okay julie taylor
i think you're hilarious landry-lance
i like you better on parenthood vince

and while i love this show for the great story lines and real life portrayal, what i love most about this show is Eric and Tammy Taylor (the coach and his wife).

I have never seen such a great example of a loving, committed, respectful married couple on television. ever. i'm telling you, the show is terrific in the character development, story lines, moral dilemmas, relational drama, but Eric and Tammy's marriage was inspiring. And on TV, it's unheard of. They went thru 5 seasons of life stuff and it was so awesome to see how they treated each other, served each other, respected each other's dreams, cared for their family thru tough stuff, and never dishonored the other person. I'm telling you, it was an example to me. Television being a good example?! and this wasn't even on PBS...

There were other things I loved...growing up in a family of all girls, I've always thought football was a violent sport. But this show totally opened my eyes to the value of football. teaching young men respect and honor and loyalty and friendship. those are hard things for a young man to learn in life. and i actually care about those things now, raising my own boys.

i loved seeing the guys who had no father figures (tim, billy, matt and vince) become such quality men who looked out for the people they loved. never having had it modeled for them. and the special bond between the coach and his players.

seriously, i'm ridiculous, i know. i'm talking about this show like it's real life. but it portrayed real life and as you can tell, i'm now a huge fan. so while it's already off the air, which is pretty much how i find the greatest shows ever, please enjoy Friday Night Lights.

you'll thank me.
and you're welcome
texas forever

Grand People

2011-08-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

i read this article the other day talking about how no one uses 'Grandma' or 'Grandpa' anymore.

It's true
We have a Gigi, Doot, MorMor and Bapoo
Poor little son will be confused when they have 'bring your grandparent to school day'
he'll be like whaaat? who's that?

speaking of older people with funky names, they just came to visit us a week ago
husband's parents (mormor and bapoo) flew out from chicago to meet smasher and hang with little son

[mormor is like santa, always bearing gifts. it is thanks to her that our son is clothed]

[bapoo used to own a landscaping biz and loves coming to california to enjoy the 'flora and fauna' and family time.]

[we had my parents over for a meal and a walk to find treats]

Thank you MorMor and Bapoo for coming to visit. We miss you.
And you...do you have funky names for your relatives? or maybe yourself?

Improv Everywhere

2011-08-25T12:58:00.001-07:00

i love these guys
i first learned about them years ago for the epic food court musical

today i just smiled thanks to their creativity

musical notes

2011-08-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

so i've been digging some of my new music purchases

the last 3 albums i've bought

1. mumford & sons. better late than never i say. i luff them.
2. adele. at 21 i was barely holding a job. she is singing her soul out
3. william matthews. this guy is a worship leader we love from bethel.

so it's got me thinking, what other great albums are out there
please share your latest purchases or recommendations
this mommy needs more than 'if you're happy and you know it clap your hands'

Anderson Cooper's potty mouth

2011-08-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

both of these videos made me laugh this week

this is my life...i laughed out loud:

and this made me laugh because who knew Anderson Cooper could be so funny...although potty humor is always funny
(who even watches anderson cooper?)

Jr. High Flashbacks

2011-08-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

I'm having a full on Jr High Flashback right now

When I was in Jr High it was prime 80's time
legwarmers, fluorescents and perms
and lucky for me, my mom knew how to perm
she and her friends were self taught perm-ers who would take turns doo-ing it up

but my mom would only perm my hair on one condition
that it was cut short
so while i had visions of having long luscious curls
i had to cut my hair short and then the perm would shorten my hair even more
(for some reason i didn't think i should perm my massive bangs but instead gel and curl them under which my mom called the 'sausage roll'. my parents house has the 'wall of shame' photos that chronicle these hair diaries)

anyways, for some reason, every time i got a hair cut and perm i would cry
because i thought this time it would be different
this time my hair wouldn't look so short
this time the curls would fall the perfect way
whatever the case...it never happened
but what did always happen is i would end up crying on my bed feeling ugly

skip ahead 20 years and you'd think i would have learned my lesson
don't mess with my hair
but um no
let's see there was the 'fun french hair cut' i decided to give myself when i was traveling europe after college = hysterical international tears

the 'free hair cut' from the stylists in training at the paul mitchell studio = you get what you pay for tears

the $15 hair cut from a recommended stylist who worked out of a closet = i can't believe i haven't learned my lesson yet tears

and every time, i end up back at my real stylists chair apologizing for ever leaving him and swallowing the huge lump sum i pay him to fix my mess(es).

which brings us to today...
have you been watching project runway? cause if i had the balls there's a hair cut i told husband i'd love to have. but of course, i could never pull it off because i'm not a former miss trinidad and tobago:

instead i spent $12 on a pair of scissors and thought if my husband can cut his hair and our son's hair, why not let him try mine...you know how this story ends... = the i can't believe my stylist is booked for 2 weeks before he can fix my hair tears.

ps - and no i won't believe you when you see me and say, it's not that bad. because you're right, it's not that bad when you compare it with real life issues in somalia. but that's not the issue. it's bad compared to how good i know it could look.

and pps - it's not husband's fault. the man is an artistic genius. girl hair is totally different than boy hair.

and ppps - a late edition, i seem to be forming a zit on my upper lip. so now it's full on jr high flashback. bring it on.

Transformation

2011-08-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

the old man has gone

the new has come
literally

look at my baby boy

7 weeks old

such a handsome little man

baby steps of growth

more:
neck strength
time between feedings
hours in his first round of sleep at night
smiles

less:
eye goop
crying
hair
poop
(well same amount of poop, just less diapers)

my friend nancy came over last night...

2011-08-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

wine - check
chocolate - check
hot wheels - check

happy birthday august 6th

2011-08-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Three years ago on august 6th i spent the night in the kaiser waiting room while TWO of my friends were giving birth. one to a boy. one to a girl. so how fun is it to have a joint birthday party for two 3 year olds? super fun. especially when you try and combine their favorite things into a 'Train and Wild Animal party.'

happy birthday Micah and Laurel!

[little son dressed up as a train conductor]

[husband enjoyed the party decorations]

[accessories]

and somehow i have no photos of the birthday boy or girl. oh wait that's right. because when i wasn't chasing after my toddler i was feeding my newborn. i am totally rocking this mom with two kids thing.

Thank You

2011-08-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Remember that incredible story I told you about the other day?
the BirthBillsProject.com

I wanted to tell you the story has a new ending...

our auction closed Friday night with a bang. a $5,105 bang

can you believe it?
i still can't

we had our friends who created the online auction over for dinner to celebrate and watch the closing bids.

[our incredible neighbors amy jo and taylor who created the online auction site and gathered gifts]

Thank you doesn't seem big enough to encompass the gratitude in my heart
for those that donated gifts and services
to those that purchased those gifts and services
i have a list of thank you notes to write
and there's over 80 different people and families that have contributed to the success of our online auction!!

it's all so generous
and overwhelming
i keep telling husband my heart hurts
like it's being squeezed and i can't breath each time we receive a gift
i have issues with money so to see people give freely is so mind blowing and such an incredible example
even strangers who don't know us!! i'm not even their friend and they're giving me money!
it's humbling and i realize i'm not used to being a gracious receiver
there's a pride in me that wants to just be the giver

i think generosity is so appealing. it is something i find so attractive in my husband.
and i am so much more comfortable when i can give to someone else
i love the feeling of sharing that kind of love with them
but there's a humility that comes in the receiving
and that has put me in a quiet place of reflection
and i struggle because i know there's no way i can give back to all those that have blessed us
so i have to find peace in the place of gratitude
and hope that all those who gave are blessed in return

thank you all for showing us we were not alone in this
for being a part of this awesome testimony that i will share with samuel as he grows up.
his life was literally bought and paid for by God and thru our community

someone shut me up

2011-08-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

the irony
for 4 years i was a morning show dj
5 hours every morning i would chat it up with my cohost, interviewing musicians, authors, news makers, whoever. it was the best job i've ever had.

i was paid to talk for a living

10 years later, i'm a mom
and while i seem to still have a 4 am wake up call (alarm/newborn=same thing)
and my audience is now a 2.5 year old and newborn, I can't stand the sound of my voice.

Being a mom has destroyed my greatest asset
People used to tell me, you have a radio voice...now i have a 'mom voice'
what is a 'mom voice'...anything you say, but you have to say it a billion times because your child doesn't listen.

i hate the sound of my voice
my voice saying:

'Judah, please come pick up your toys' (5x before he will respond)

'That's an outside voice, do you want to be fun or go to your room?' (10x in a 2hr time span)

'Do you want me to read you a story' (3x while he ignores me and the minute I leave he starts calling for the story)

'You can have more fruit after you eat your lunch/dinner/real food/anything other than fruit' (during the 30 minutes it takes him to eat a crumb off his tray)

'Please be gentle with your baby brother' (infinity/day)

'Come here son' (1 million times a day as he runs the other way)

and so goes the adventures of amy and little son*

*this is funny cause our show was the adventures of amy and larry. word up homie. check out the J.O.B. for current creativity of my cohost

The BirthBillsProject.com

2011-07-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

Want to hear an incredible story?
sit back and relax, this could take a while...

Once upon a time, there was a family called the Nyquist's that lived in a far away land called 'Oakland'...but this isn't a fairy tale, this is a true story.

For the past year, I have had to pay hundreds of dollars a month for COBRA health insurance (thru my previous employer) because my current non profit job didn't offer insurance and years ago I had thyroid cancer...and while it's completely gone, insurance companies won't cover me with an individual plan until it's been at least 5 years of no cancer and no doctor visits. Trouble is, I will always have to see a doctor to monitor my thyroid levels...so while you may hate Obama care, I'm counting down to 2014.

Anyways, back to my story, so I'm on COBRA and every month I have to send in my payment. And for the past 14 months I have always paid my bill, on time. Until May 2011...

If you're reading this blog then you know as of May 2011, I was 9 months pregnant and for those who have been pregnant, there are many good and bad things that can happen while you're pregnant. Without going into detail, let's just say some bad things were happening to me and the pain it was causing was affecting my sleep and potentially the baby in my belly. So I had to have a little procedure...which was actually quite painful and took me 2 weeks to heal. Because of that, I lost my mind and paid all our bills late. House payment, PG&E, even the water people sent me a letter asking if I still wanted to keep my water on...um yes, thank you for checking.

So my COBRA payment was mailed 4 days late and by now it's June. As a courtesy, I called my previous employer who was offering/required by the Federal Government my COBRA, to give them a heads up of my late payment. And standing in the frozen foods section of Trader Joes, on the phone, 39 weeks pregnant, is when I was informed that because of my late payment, the company had dropped me from their insurance.

I-lost-it
Full-on public breakdown
tears, confusion, begging...how could they do that? How could you give such a major penalty for such a small mistake?

I was about to give BIRTH and had no insurance. I spent the next week trying everything I could to get coverage, but guess what...no one is going to cover a 39 week pregnant lady. We don't qualify for half the programs and the other programs take 3 months for processing. The only people who could help was my previous employer, who continued to refuse based on their company policy. I even called the Department of Labor who monitors COBRA and asked if they could do anything to convince my former employer to reinstate my coverage, explaining why I had missed my payment, asking if a letter from my Doctor would event help. The Dept. of Labor wrote a beautiful 2 page letter asking for 'compassionate exception' to their rules on late payments and my previous employer still said no. Totally heartless and awful I know.

Finally after a week of emotional heartache, anger, hate, sadness, and fear, I had to let it go. I was about to birth a baby for goodness sake...I had to get ready and move beyond this awful situation. I needed all my strength, emotional and physical to birth a watermellon thru a straw.

And sure enough, my water broke and Samuel Asher joined us on June 16th.
But the story doesn't end there. It gets better...

In our week of desperate phone calls, my husband had talked to the hospital and they offer help for the uninsured so we were able to prepare for the sticker price of birthing our baby. Instead of the going rate of $24,000 for a one night stay in the hospital, we could get a 60% discount for being uninsured and if we paid the bill within 30 days, it would cost around $12,000. That was better than $24k but still, who has that kind of money lying around? God does.

What started out as the worst possible scenario, has now become a miraculous story...

It started out with a check that came in the mail 3 days before I lost my insurance. One of our elders had felt the Lord encourage him to send us a financial gift and bless it 10-fold. At the time, I thought it was so kind...three days later when I realized we had no insurance, I was reminded that God had already been working on a solution to our problem.

That check was followed by a check from a friend and another check from another friend in the mail. Then my parents told us they had an emergency fund and wanted to help.

Then a generous financial gift from a community group had me in tears and my husband laughing for joy at how people were coming around to support us.

And then my wonderful neighbor told me she felt compelled to help with our bills. Together with her boyfriend, they wanted to build an on line auction. She called her friends, we called our friends and together found people to donate towards our fundraiser. So I present to you The Birth Bills Project:

The auction opens today. Every dollar raised will help us pay our medical bills. I am totally overwhelmed by the love and kindness we've been shown. By our friends and by the businesses and individuals who don't even know us that were willing to donate.

Who does this?! People do.
It's so humbling to be in a place of receiving. I feel much more comfortable when I can give...or when I can do something myself. But these past few weeks have shown me, I can't do any of this myself. And it's so incredible to feel this kind of love from friends and family. It's addicting. It bonds me closer to our community. It makes me want to give generously in return. And it makes me so grateful.

I have a story to share
and it's not about the awful loss of our insurance
it's about the people who came together to help us in our time of need
and this story...this testimony, has power, has hope and has life!

And we lived happily ever after.

www.birthbillsproject.com

Mr. Makeout

2011-07-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

It is always my favorite game...
mess with an infant's rooting instinct
don't knock it til you try it
it's hilarious
put your face near theirs and they're throwing their head against your cheek
put your nose to their mouth and they'll suck for substance
it makes me laugh every time

and samuel is no different
this kid is a monster rooter
i mean seriously, for a guy who can barely control his neck muscles, he sure can throw his head towards any flesh at the speed of light. to the left to the left. to the right to the right. now slide baby slide.

so it's my new favorite feeding routine. meet mr. make out

weak sick, I mean week six

2011-07-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

week 6 as a family of 4 and we're doing good
we're all alive,
all in love
all a little sleep deprived

let's count them down:
husband ripped open his finger in a game of basketball on a wire rim net. one trip to the E.R., 19 stitches later and he's a one handed diapering fool

little son got some sort of flu/food poisoning. one night of throw up and two days of...dealing with diapering down below...i can't even type it. gross

little dude has been struggling with eye goop since birth and today the doctor confirmed my suspicions - he's got bacterial pink eye (thanks webmd for the heads up). and a hard core case of 'cradle cap' which is a lame term to explain why his head, neck and shoulders are covered in bumps. so i'm poking, rubbing or feeding him every hour.

but even with all our ailments, we have fun family time

and plenty of laughs:
funny communication errors around these parts
please enjoy with me

Judah: "I want to see that movie" (pointing to a harry potter film)
Me: "That's an adult movie"
Husband: "We should probably use a different term like 'mommy/daddy movie'"
um yes, you are probably right

My mom: "when you go pee pee in the potty you can wear big boy panties"
Husband: "actually they're called underwear for boys"
that's what raising 4 girls does to your vocabulary

Me: '...and our neighbor John was weeding topless'
Husband: 'Shirtless. Men don't wear tops, they wear shirts'
whatever

I smell like a european and other random thoughts

2011-07-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

the lack of posts can be directly related to the lack of sleep and free time i have these initial weeks.

for reals, the people who say 'it goes by so fast' forget how long it feels in these sleep deprived first weeks/months. cause it feels like forever since i've had a good night sleep. and i don't want to complain...i mean i love this baby. but seriously son, can you grow a stomach and self soothe yourself, you're already 5 weeks old (sarcasm)

meanwhile,
i stink. it's hot. it's summer. i have an infant on me most times. we sweat together. he milk burps on me. so i have body odor. But funny story, we have begun the life of spelling things because little son is brilliant and has bionic ears so every time he hears us spell something he says 'i want [fill in a bunch of letters here]'. Like he's trying to spell back what he just heard and he knows we don't want him to have it...so of course he wants it. Are you following me? So when I told husband the other day my B.O. was killing me, Judah was like 'I want B.O.'

awesome

and then my mother returned from a lactation conference with this shirt:
look again
do you see the 'm'
and they think people will wear these?
speaking of, i am a milk maker and must go

my smashy

2011-07-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

it's been 4 weeks since samuel asher has joined our family
affectionately known to me as my smashy
sam+ash+y (cause he's a baby) = my smashy

thought you'd like to get to know him too
get to know him and his monk mullet and benjamin button expressions

(oh he's cute)

(this may look like the same photo but it's not. notice he's looking straight at the camera and his mouth is open.)

(again, you think it's the same photo but its not. he's looking wistfully out the window)

(and you may think this is the same photo...okay it is. it's just a full body shot. and don't be hating on his yellow 'dress'. it's actually a nightgown and way easier/faster to change diapers without all the buttons.)

(and while i wish he spent more of the day looking as quiet and cute as he does in the above photos, this is more of what he does during the day...'feeeeeeeed meeeeeeeee')

superficial mom

2011-07-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

i'm really glad my kid can't read
otherwise he'd read that i don't like his new haircut

he was blonde (bald) for so long that when he finally got all his hair
and it started getting curly
i loved it
he was so cute

and husband has been the best barber
until now...
someone got a summer haircut
and someone else has been having a hard time getting used to the new do
and someone didn't think the guard would cut it this short
yes, i'm enjoying the use of 'someone' so as not to name any names

why does his shaved head make me think he looks like a white trash discipline problem?

seriously, tell me to calm down
tell me this is what little boys look like
tell me how long it takes to grow hair back?

Google Maps

2011-07-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

you're not going to believe this
but we are famous
i know i know, you think we've already had our 15 minutes of fame
what with our house detectives tv remodel show and my morning radio show
and don't forget david's 1min 30 sec interview on NPR
but this time, it's not just local or national, it's world wide fame

visit google.com
click on maps
look up 'fruitvale & lyman, oakland, ca 94602'
and what do you see on the corner?
my son and our friend michelle on a walk from the park

autographs available

red(wood city) white and blue

2011-07-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

i have a new 4th of july tradition
actually two
1. leave oakland. i can't handle the fireworks/gunshots bonanza. yes i said gunshots. yes i live in oakland. yes it is safe. but for some reason, every 4th, the entire town looses their mind and decides to let off fireworks ALL NIGHT LONG. and for those who don't have fireworks, they let loose their guns. I can't tell the difference so I am out of here.

2. now my new tradition is the Redwood City 4th of July Parade. Hometown love. We went downtown and watched 30 minutes of local firetrucks roll by. Surrounded by americana, patriotic people, flags, fun...I got inspired. Little son screamed 'hi', little dude slept thru the entire thing.

can't wait til next year!

getting to know you

2011-07-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

getting to know our new little dude has been fun-ny
here's his baby resume

already in the 75% for height and weight at his 2 week appointment. we know we make over achievers in this house.

have you seen the mits on my man?
he has huge hands
for reals

and while little son has webbed toes, our 2nd son could write a letter with his lengthy toes. is it just my son or do all babies have really long appendages?
he's a double pooper
this means as soon as i change his diaper, he lets loose another one. this is funny when you read it, not funny at 3am.

he eats well (ie. 75% in weight)
doesn't fit into newborn footie pj's (too long, ie 75% in height)
likes to sleep in his car seat (just like his brother)
has a lot of eye boogers

likes to snuggle into me after his early am feeding (and while we weren't bed share-ers with our first, i've found i can get another 2 hours of sleep if i let him sleep next to me)

beyond that, we are loving getting to know our new little man
who looks like his daddy

Birth: a tale from three people

2011-06-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

people have been asking, how are we doing as the new family
i was thinking, birth is so different depending on who you ask.

for example
little son:
i think he gets that mommy used to have a big tummy and now has a medium size tummy (i look like i'm 4 months prego). and that baby brother used to be in that big tummy and is now out in the world. but he was way more interested in the thermometer and birthday cake at the hospital than his new baby brother.

as we transitioned home, I can see his little heart and mind racing. He's been the President of Kidland in our house for 2.5 years and now he's not. He used to have all our attention and now he doesn't. He has such a sweet heart to want to be gentle and loving to his baby brother...but he doesn't always know how and doesn't always control himself. So there have been more 'no's' in the past few days than he's heard in a month. And I can see his mind trying to figure out life - he'll take the negative attention rather than no attention at all. So suddenly he is regressing into this land of disobedience that is exhausting. He can't make decisions anymore. Yes I want, wait no I don't want. Wait. Tears. Hugs. He'll hit and then cry and say 'kiss' (which is his way of saying sorry and making the boo boos go away). Poor little son. You will get thru this. And I promise you'll love having a friend to play with all the time.

Husband:
How do you sit next to someone for 18 hours as they writhe in pain? How do you forfeit sleep all night and keep loving your wife as she is digging her nails into the palm of your hand? How do you watch birth? (not sure he did :)). How do you take care of your new family when everyone's having a break down. I don't know, but ask my incredible husband. Because somehow he's kept the laundry going, occupied little son, got dinner on the table, helped me remember to take my ibuprofen and sacrificed sleep, all without the adrenaline that I have. He is so strong. I need him so much right now. And yet, I want to try and take care of him too. Make sure he's sleeping, getting some time to process alone, getting some time with our new son, getting some time with me. I may have to ask him to guest post cause i'd love to hear his thoughts.

Me:
Birth is such a physical and emotional ordeal. I think we focus on the physical side more. The pain of labor and childbirth. The pain after it's all over. I had sore arms and legs, like I got beat up in the fight club. My innards are sore, i can't sit normal, everything hurts. But the emotional side is a bit more surprising. I can take medicine for the physical pain but there's nothing to take for the emotions. There are waves of overwhelming that come out of the blue. What-have-i-done? It all seems too much. How can I function when a newborn keeps me up all night and a toddler wants to play all day? I have so much love and no energy to function. I want to help out around the house but can barely help myself. Survival mode is all I think of.

a story of my not so impressive moment...the 4 of us are in the car driving to the hospital for a blood draw for baby samuel and I'm on the phone trying to get him added to our health insurance. It's vocally responsive and keeps picking up judah's shouting in the back seat. suddenly those overwhelming emotions i was talking about flood my brain and after 4 attempts to get an agent on the phone, I put the phone down and tell judah to 'SHUT UP'. then i start crying. I can't believe I just lost it on my 2 year old. I'm a horrible mother. And he quietly says, "Mommy, don't shout like that.' and I turn to him and say, 'I'm so sorry, please forgive me' - he sees my tears and sweetly says 'mommy don't cry, it's okay'. to which i cry more.

that's what my life is like right now. it's being full of hormones, pain, love, exhaustion, happiness and fear. overwhelmed with this new life and new family and being loved and mothered by my husband and 2.5 year old who have more grace for me, than I have for them right now.

stinkin cute

2011-06-22T22:30:00.001-07:00

one part of this photo is cute
one part is stinkin

for reals, samuel's umbilical cord smells like death
rotting flesh
and it looks like a freaky creature from the matrix crawling out his middle

tonight little son was like...'i smell him'
in reference to his brother
and it's not the cute baby smell

happy birth-fathers day

2011-06-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

more photo journaling of the arrival of our new son

so it's a funny story...

june 16th has always been a popular day
it started out as my dad's birthday
but was quickly taken over by 30 years of graduation celebrations with 4 daughters
and then for the past few years, dad got his birthday back

until now.
now samuel asher joins the party on june 16th and i laugh that another child has stolen my dad's day. truthfully he says it's the best birthday present ever. and i believe him. because of the shared day, my mom has given them a shared name...Grandude and Little Dude:

we had a fun birthday party for both of the boys. (well not really if you just look at the cake. see it's already starting)

Cute aunties were there to help hold one of my two squirmy wormy boys

a fun birthday celebration that fell into a father's day celebration for Grandude and my amazing husband.

PS side note:
i had to include this final note of love for my two amazing girlfriends nancy and susannah. who labored with me via text in the beginning, brought coffee for my sleep deprived husband, took Grandude home to sleep while my mom stayed to labor with me at the hospital, and brought us dinner back that night after it was all over. the only photo i have of these amazing women is a photo that looks like nancy is pointing at the size of my son's package. but i love them. and had to honor them for all their servant heart rock star ways.

He is here.

2011-06-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

someone is super timely. arriving on his due date.

welcome to our world
Samuel Asher Nyquist

born June 16th at 7:26pm

weighed 8.5lbs
20.5 long
but as i always say...it was his 14.5 size head that matters to me

18 hours of labor
no drugs
some profanity
my husband and mother were the most amazing labor support ever

praise God for my two sons, my amazing husband, incredible mother, loving family, awesome friends and that the labor is all over.

more stories to follow

ticking time bomb

2011-06-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

no baby yet
but it's so weird to be functioning in public
thinking at any minute
my water could break
and all you people would have to deal with my crazy

it's so weird to be at the park, thinking
next week, at this time...i will have a 2nd child
this will not be my life

or to sit down to dinner with my men and think, will this be our last night as three?

meanwhile, we try and go on with our lives, but it all feels sureal. and i make sure the flipcam is charged and we have batteries in the camera.

we took an adventure out to the berkeley marina the other day. to fly little son's kite. so adorable. we had a little son size kite:

and we got it up in the air.

but compared to the other beast kites it was comical (yes that's an octopus)

what a beautiful day!

Like

2011-06-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

this is so funny to me
i've thought about this all the time!
how odd online behavior (facebook!) is in REAL life

(it's actually an add for a new opera in london, but it's too funny)

only child

2011-06-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

i spy with my little eye

a little son

who has been the only one

but in a week
his only child streak
will reach it's peak
and he'll probably freak

when suddenly he's not the only one.

Legend vs Legacy

2011-06-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

i doubt anyone has been following the story of kareem abdul jabbar and scottie pippen. the only reason i know is a. because i'm married to michael jordan's biggest fan, and 2. because yahoo news tries to guess what stories i'll like and basketball stories appear when they think i'm husband.

anyways, brief recap, with the NBA finals on tv, many people like to always guess who will be the next michael jordan and right now, lebron james is the golden child. (aren't you glad i am your basketball thesauraus? ps i've had to spell check each of those names). but scottie pippen (former jordan teammate) said 'Jordan is and will be the greatest.' To which Abdul Jabbar wrote back a public letter showing all these other stars who scored more, won more titles, etc, including himself in the mix of greatness. Meanwhile, no comment from Jordan. I think he's too busy trying to buy struggling basketball teams, coach his son and develop his next overpriced basketball shoe.

there is a point.
husband and i were talking and he was saying it's sad to see this older generation of basketball stars have to bicker over who was the greatest. He said he wished they'd stop trying to be a legend and instead leave a legacy.

deep thoughts for a monday morning.
i've been thinking about it a ton.

there is this quiet mental place i've entered before baby boy #2 arrives. a sobering reality of what is to come. a mix of fear and anticipation and this massive life change ahead. and the idea that motherhood/parenting, is so sacrificial. but in that sacrifice, rises greatness.

God gently reminded me, that my life is about leaving a legacy. A legend is someone where things end with them. A legacy is when you give of yourself so that those after you can be greater. Parenting isn't the only way to leave a legacy. Friendships, mentoring, investing, coaching, training...the list goes on.

When we hand over our greatest parts, our greatest accomplishments and we say, here, start with this and see how high you can go.

I want to give that to little son. i want to give that to both my sons.
just call me the MJ of mothering
(that would be 'michael jordan' again for the basketball illiterate)

mrs. clean

2011-05-31T07:24:00.001-07:00

please rejoice with me
my house, has never been cleaner

another story in the preparing for baby #2, we were given a gift of a house cleaner for one saturday. she arrived at 8:30am with 3 helpers, rags, buckets and a vacuum, and she literally left me with a new home.

it was like christmas
i was so excited to see what they would do
these women were AMAZING
they moved furniture around that we haven't touched since we moved in
they cleaned, vacuumed, wiped down, sterilized everything.

little son's room was rearranged
our bedroom has never been such a clean sanctuary
our bathroom was white again
we found toys that we had given up for lost under some of that furniture

mrs. clean herself never left the kitchen
she scrubbed all our pots (even though they were 'clean' - but not mrs. cleaned)
she showed me that our oven didn't have a rose colored window...that was built in grime
she wiped down the refrigerator drawers inside and out!
she even got the drain catcher glistening again

i'm telling you, for the rest of the day, david and i kept freaking out at new things we'd find
'they cleaned out the medicine cabinet shelves in the bathroom!'
'did you see, they even scrubbed the soap dish'
'i think they re caulked our tub'

so now, i have to move my 2yr old out
my house is so clean, i can't get it dirty
and with a toddler, all he has to do is step foot into a room and it gets hit with a tornado of mess.

okay so we're not moving out, but i really do wish i could hold on to this level of clean in my house. there's this peace of mind that fell over me on saturday when they left. when i sat in a chair and could actually look out my windows (which they had cleaned) and thought, this is a beautiful place of order. thank you mrs. clean and crew. you guys were amazing. and thank you mom and dad for the incredible gift.

right before the chaos
woohoo!

[you can't see it, but this chair, that had caked on grim from 2 years of meals, is shiny and new. just waiting for more food droplets to fall...]

rich

2011-05-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

i'm so rich
.01 richer to be exact

little son said he swallowed a dime
he pooped out a penny
either his body kept the change, or he needs to learn currency

either way, i am breathing a big sigh of relief

a good laugh

2011-05-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

i needed a good laugh
this did the job well
please note: no one reacts to this kid...hilarious

scary

2011-05-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

have you ever talked to your after hours advice nurse?
i have, many times.

have you ever met mrs. poison control?
i have, she's super nice

have you ever called 911?
last night was my first

little son swallowed a dime
i'm still in shock

the paramedics came
husband called our doctors office to get a 2nd opinion
it was overwhelming for all of us

little son shocked himself that he swallowed it
and he started crying when he could feel it in his throat and he started asking for water

it was so hard to be the 'adult/parent' and keep your child calm when all i wanted to do was cry and freak out. i had visions of pumping his stomach or surgery to get the lodged coin out of his esophagus.

but his airways seems to be clear
the paramedics couldn't hear any blockage
and he stayed a normal color and temperature
and the doctor thought we should monitor him and see if he has any reactions to the metal.

otherwise everyone thinks this coin will pass out his poop

so we sat up eating strawberries to make sure everything made its way to his tummy
watching 'the best of elmo' at 9pm

and then turned on his baby monitor that we haven't used in 18 months to monitor him thru the night. only one of us slept well last night...little son. which i guess is the good news.

he woke up saying 'momma, i have a bad taste in my mouth'
yes, you probably do son.
but this too shall pass.

Nesting 2.0

2011-05-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

it's been medically or maybe scientifically proven that pregnant ladies go into a 'nesting' period before the baby arrives. but that's always struck me as funny because suddenly you want to clean up your house but you can barely move cause you have this pregnant belly. thankfully, i have an awesome family and my husband and parents came over for a work day! woohoo. i got to make lists and cross things off! they showed up with gardening tools and sun visors ready to work.

'we' painted the kitchen (husband)
'we' weeded the back yard (my dad)
'we' planted our veggies (my mom)
'we' cleaned out the cars to make room for baby seats (my mom and dad)
'we' swept down the play areas (my mom)
'we' wallpapered the hallway/new baby room (husband)
'we' did so much!
'we' also went out to pick up lunch (me!)
'we' went thru baby clothes and baby items to get them washed (me!)

a great day
a beautiful day to be outside
thank you family for your awesome help!

[my dad rocking the weeds. for a man who pays someone else to clean up his yard, he did a better job than his guys!]

[husband working on some new decorations for our kitchen]

[our veggie garden. come on over in 2 months for an overabundance of tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers.]

[my mom with her little 'helper' cleaning out the car]

3-4 weeks

2011-05-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

just an update
i'm scheduled to push a watermellon thru a straw in 3-4 weeks

yes, this marathon is in the home stretch
it sounds long to say 10 months
but it feels like this went way fast and i'm not ready
although the past few weeks have made me long for my body back

i was making a list the other day, to remind myself of the good things of pregnancy. i want to remember

1. my hair and nails are awesome
2. my skin glows
3. people let me cut in line
4. i can eat whatever i want (although really i can't because the baby has taken over my entire middle so my stomach is squished to the size of a walnut that gives me room for about 2 bites of food)
5. i have a constant companion. a little kicking machine and it's freaky fun to experience.
6. um i need more

cause the list of things i won't miss seem to be winning
1. remember you have to pee all the time
2. and you don't sleep well with a basketball on your belly
3. and you have trouble breathing at times - cause you're growing a human being in your body and they say it's like hiking a mountain just to walk around
4. and you can't drink (as much) coffee and wine and eat sushi (as you want)
5. and you have nausea and weird food likes and dislikes
6. and strangers think they can weigh in on your weight
7. and your pants always fall down (cause nothing can fit over the belly or hold up under it)
8. and this 2nd time around i've had to wear a stomach brace belt which reminds me of the neck brace joan cusak wears in 16 candles, but it's around my middle, not my neck.
and i want to remember that i think i dropped at 35 weeks
and i think this baby is coming early
and that he kicked all the time (which i think is more than our 1st did but husband tells me it is the same)
and you have emotionally unexplainable moments
and i started to snore
and there's a lot of pressure down there
and you miss your clothes

but all of this will be a fleeting memory in 3-4 weeks
when our life of 3 becomes a life of 4

but when i see how much i love this one:
i can't wait for more

da bulls

2011-05-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

ahh it's good to be back
back to life
back to reality

had some pregnancy issues but the good news is baby boy #2 is awesome. he was always doing good. it was more my problems. and i'm doing much better.

so meanwhile in my life, this has been a common scene in our house:

what are they so fascinated with?
Basketball and the Bulls
twice a year husband watches tv: march madness and nba finals.
the funny part is we don't have cable, or tivo or satellite
we have bunny ears. so it used to be impossible for him to watch the games.
but he found the games online. so he hooks up the computer to our tv and together, my men bond.

my son high fives my husband
he screams 'he did it!' when they shoot a basket
he grabs his own mini basketball to dunk (throw) it on the ground

somehow my son now is able to spot Derrick Rose every time he's on tv (that would be the Bulls star and the NBA MVP this year. Is he the next Michael Jordan? Ask my husband. Better yet, ask little son).

[Derrick Rose high-fiving some team mates after some amazing dunk i'm sure]

this is just so funny to me. it's exactly what i knew was coming. what my life in a house of all men would be. people, people, i barely played sports let alone watch them. does tennis even count as a sport? mascoting? don't get me wrong, i'm all about cardiovascular activity. but i love a good dance party. not a dunk contest.

someone's happy because the Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks. Which means, 2 more weeks of basketball games.

Error Message

2011-05-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

hi
i really appreciate you stopping by today
and i'm sure you're wondering where i've been
i'm on a temporary hiatus
dealing with a few things that have taken over the creative space in my brain

so please hold
for temporary maintenance
we should be back up and running soon

thank you for your patience
and your patronage

the staff at nyquistnewbranch.blogspot.com

multiple me's

2011-05-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

when i met my husband, and he wasn't my husband
he was a vegan vegetarian, trying to grow dreads, letting homeless people sleep on his couch, asking the meaning of life questions, kind of guy.

very different from me.

i was a know it all, college grad, working in the city girl, with a ton of confidence thinkingt i knew everything about life and what i wanted.

very different from him.

which is why i had already decided we weren't meant for each other when he told me he liked me.

but God is awesome
and so is my husband, who continued to pursue me and my 'know-it-all' heart til i saw him for who he truly was. And God showed me the potential of who he was going to become. and sure, we dated for 3 years because I was still scared and wanted to make sure we could get thru anything together, even with all our differences. but ultimately we got married, and it was the best thing that has ever happened in my life.

why do i share the brief synopsis of how i met my husband? because the story didn't stop there. i realize the person i was when i married my husband years ago, is not the same person he's married to today. i've probably been 4 different me's in our marriage (at least)...

'the dating know it all' me
'the newlywed confused and scared what have we gotten ourselves into' me
'the i'm no longer a morning show dj identity crisis, who am i' me
'the i'm content and happy now' me
'the i'm a mom and totally confused and scared what have we gotten ourselves into again' me

and so has my husband. he's gone from painter to pastor, from unemployed to knowing his destiny. from single guy to married guy to dad. and wrestled with so much in the process.

it's a question i love to ask other people, how many people have you been in the course of your marriage? cause it's so revealing. have you really changed? marriage isn't supposed to hold you back, it's supposed to make you better. it's partnering up with your best friend for this adventure. but we're still changing and growing. so you've got to learn to change and grow together. cause those changes could have you growing apart if you didn't work at loving and appreciating the new person. or the fear of growing apart could keep you from changing so you get stunted and become 'default you.'

Suddenly this post feels really self helpy, which wasn't the point.
the point was to share my thoughts about what i've been appreciating in marriage
we've talked to a number of newly engaged couples and it makes me realize the person you marry will change. it's inevitable. so make sure you love the core of who they are. and keep that love connection. you'll have to work at it. there are fights when your differences rub against each other. when your dreams are not his and his are not yours. 'irreconcilable differences' are always going to arise in marriage. it's the strong ones that can sustain the differences. and you don't have to do it alone.

so how many me's have you been?

Royal opinions

2011-04-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

how can i not comment on the cultural phenomenon going on today
the recap of the royal wedding

i personally do find it overrated
but i know others who sat by their computer this morning to watch the ceremony

i didn't click on any videos til i saw my friend susannah's blog
but seriously here are my (superficial) thoughts

Kate is totally normally
she waves to the crowd like i would wave at someone across the room
which is the exact opposite of the queen who's wave is as proper (stuck up) as her demeanor (will i be arrested for that comment? guards!)

Kate also has nice teeth. isn't there some stereotype that the brits have bad dentists.

She looks pretty. But I think all brides do. And when your grandmother in law gives you a diamond tiara to wear on your wedding day, it's kind of a nice accessory.

I love her parents. Cause they're super normal, down to earth and love their daughter. try having a normal life now...it's gonna be hard.

now on to the deeper thoughts:
I saw Prince William and his brother walk out for the wedding and I almost started crying (yes, probably cause i'm pregnant). I was moved because I realized these 2 brothers, grew up without a mom. That sucks. That makes me so sad. They never had a mom to take care of them. Maybe a bunch of other servants and whatever in the palace, but no one replaces your mom. Who talked to them about girls, and helped them get dressed for prom? and gave them mommy hugs and tucked them into bed and snuggled with them? I love doing that with my son. For all the ways the world loved Diana, that was their mom.

also, getting married is scary enough. You're pledging your life to love another. I was freaking out just getting married in front of our friends and family. What about getting married in front of the whole world. Dude, the pressure. It's not really your day anymore. It's the world's day. How do you find time for just the two of you and the realization of what you're REALLY doing. It's not a show. It's your life.

so on with my day
is it a holiday in england today?
also the brits like hats. and feathery hair pieces that fluff in their faces.
okay i'm done
for reals
please world, let's find a new focus
like rebuilding the middle east

your thoughts?

two become one

2011-04-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

i was thinking the other night of all the things i used to have as my own, but now that i'm married, i share. the personal products i use - my personal space. i'm not talking life changing massive things. i'm talking about:

1. a bed. i used to have my own queen and was content to snuggle down alone. it took me a while to get used to someone being in my bed. waking up when he rolled over or made a noise. but now, years later, it's so normal, i love sharing a bed. it's my safe place in the house to talk with husband. and now when he's not there, i can't sleep.

2. deodorant. get grossed out all you want. pre-married, i did. i knew my parents shared deodorant and i was like ew. i don't even think about it now. we totally share Toms of Maine. why is that a passage of marriage?

3. cups. could care less if it's mine or his. if i'm thirsty, and it's there, i need a drink. and sometimes at dinner, we just grab one glass of water and one glass of wine and share both. back when i was drinking wine.

and even with this list of 'shares' there are certain things i will not share. no matter how many years we are married:

1. towel. even though it's probably the cleanest moment in the day, and i need a towel to dry off, i can't share his towel. i need my own. even though he's just used it the day before to dry off his clean self.

2. toothbrush. ew. just ew. scrubbing the food out of your teeth with the same bristles. it makes me bristle. and as i was telling husband i could never share a toothbrush, he told me, we already did. i almost gagged.

do you share these things as a couple?
or am i just crazy?

egg hunts, egg hunts and more egg hunts

2011-04-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

it was the weekend of egg hunts!
every year it's suddenly easter (which happens when your holiday never has an exact date)

and every year i'm like
should i go to a good friday service?
should i feel more bummed out on this friday?
what do i do on saturday?
what time do we need to be at my parents house on sunday?
can i please try and remember what this holiday is all about?

but this year, i threw it all out the window
no guilt
just freedom
and i took the days as they came.
thru the eyes of my 2 year old
which turned out to be 11 egg hunts. maybe 12.

i didn't try to tie the meaning of an easter egg hunt into the resurrection of christ. i thought about how to do that, i tried to tell him the story of jesus, but really, he's 2. he wasn't interested. so we just hid and hunted for eggs. all weekend long. it was hilarious and so fun.

saturday we had our first hunt at micah's house. in the backyard. i'll be honest, we did some training exercises on friday night to prepare.

(and they're off!)

(you can't see it, but monrovia has a basket full of eggs and j has 3. she is a pro, he kept wanting to open them as soon as he found them. but eventually he got the point to gather them, then open them)

(uncovering the loot. even though we tried to fill the eggs with a majority of stickers, pretzels, silly banz, and coins, little son found almost all the eggs with the gummy bears and treats. his 6th sense about sugar now makes me blame myself for giving into ice cream. also after this hunt, we went home for naps and that afternoon, little son asked me to refill his eggs so he could open them and see what was inside, again, and again, and again)

then it was sunday morning. we decorated our eggs and then hid them around the house for our next egg hunt!

(after he found the eggs, he had to open and eat the treats. more gummy bears and raisins and pretzels. but then, he kept saying 'hide them again!!' and he'd run away and "hide" and we would hide the eggs again. this went on for 3-4 more hunts)

Then it was off to my parents house. For more egg hunts!

(the egg hunt was derailed for a few minutes when he remembered the water table. he had to splash around, water a few plants and then we were back on the hunt)

(the photos i post = what you see)

(the photos i don't post = what is really happening behind the scenes)

and of course, after this hunt was done, thanks to auntie sarah, j got to keep hiding and finding eggs all afternoon. it's seriously his new favorite game. even today. on easter boxing day.

(so maybe next year he'll learn the true meaning of easter. for now, he's hyped on sugar. happy easter.)

Fancy Friday

2011-04-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

will i ever grow tired of this?
i wish i could say yes...but no.
hilarious. wait til you hear how they instrumentalize the rapper!
oh the comedy!
a true testiment that everything sounds prettier when it's classical music

(shout out to auntie liz for the forward)

Hide & Seek

2011-04-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

have you ever played hide and seek with a 2yr old?
cause it's more like see and seek

little son loves this game
he will giggle and run away to 'hide'
and as he lays there giggling under the pillow, we pretend not to see him.
as long as he can't see us, he is 'hidden'

in his little world, where there are realities that he keeps learning
this is one fun game that i don't mind keeping in pretend land

Hunting

2011-04-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Husband is a talented hunter
a talented thrift store hunter
he's seriously king
i think we've decorated our house for $1.50
or i should say that's the average price he's paid for the furniture and cool stuff he'll find thrifting.

it's in his genes
his mom would take him on the weekends
and now he takes little son
and the two of them comb the aisles of Urban Ore, Creative Re-Use and the 'Junk Man' (he probably has a store name, but that's what we call him).

Some are winners
some are the photo above
he's found canvas and stretcher bars for his art
he's found chairs
he found a fire pit for our backyard
he can comb thru trash and find the gems

but overall i just had to brag on my hubby for one of his many talents
and see if anyone wants an inflatable deer head

mrs. no depth perception

2011-04-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

did you ever watch saturday night live's sketch comedy with Kevin Nealon in the 80's called Mr. No Depth Perception?

I just remember laughing at one of the episodes when the No Depth Perception family was sitting down to dinner and someone asks for a bread roll and Kevin Nealon throws it so hard it flies out the window.

Meanwhile I have become Mrs. No Depth Perception.
This pregnancy has totally messed me up.
My body has doubled (tripled) in size and I still think of myself in pre-baby size

For example:
I think I can squeeze behind my husbands chair and the wall...which I can't
I think I can roll up to my desk, but I get there faster and smush my stomach
I seem to keep closing the car door on my stomach - even though i think i'm far enough away

the list goes on
but you get the idea

the only perception i do have is that i can't fit little son on my lap anymore for evening story time. in our house 'baby' sits in my lap and little son sits next to me for story time. or maybe i should say, little fireman sits next to me.

'My Hand is a Dolphin'

2011-04-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

i swear this is my last post on this phenom...

aglow

2011-04-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

what a weekend
it was full, but full of fun

it involved many meals shared with friends
a birthday party
and a facial

a what?!
yes, a facial

i've decided that i'm starting a new non profit service
i want to call it a ministry but it's not religious
i seriously want to start an enterprise that just takes care of pregnant ladies

i want to give out free pedicures
and massages
and facials
and babysitting
and home cooked meals
and _______ fill in the blank of other nice things you can do for people growing human beings in their bellies.

the story of the facial is an awesome testimony of God literally answering a private prayer/conversation david and i had one weekend. i had an overwhelming moment one weekend (aka = breakdown) of feeling like as a mom, a wife, a full time worker, i give to everyone else, and never have the time (take the time) for myself. and i was crying (which is totally fine cause it helped me reset the situation) about all these emotions, and about a new baby coming, and about the lack of 'extra' money to spend on myself. and my compassionate husband was reassuring me it would be okay. and after i calmed down (and I think I took a nap), i was better.

2 days later we were having a gathering in our house and one of the college girls tells me she really felt like the Lord was telling her to give me the gift certificate she had for a facial and pedicure. she was crying out of compassion for me...telling me she felt like i give so much as a mother, a wife and never take care of myself. Um hello, sound familiar? It was crazy weird. Crazy God weird. So i start crying and then laughing, how could she know that was how i was feeling? I didn't tell anyone. and then i'm like, there is no way i'm taking this girl's gift, she's a student for goodness sake. She got it as a treat for herself! But she was insistent. It was truly humbling.

So here I am...aglow from an awesome facial and green tea pedicure. from a little love gift from a friend and from the Lord, who wanted me to know He heard my cries and wants me to know it's okay to take care of myself and He'll always provide the ways.

be encouraged. treats like this do happen.

ps. also fun weekend report includes little son's first band practice. they don't have a name yet but they're working on a set list and took some publicity shots this weekend:

[the band is a little heavy on percussion with monrovia on kleenex/rice shaker, sadie ladie on tambourine, micah on 2nd tambourine and judah on vocals.]

[this is so how U2 started out]

an open letter to 'people'

2011-04-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

hi people
there are so many of you out there
and sometimes that's super great
i'm social, i like my friends, i like meeting new people

and sometimes it's not so great
sometimes we're mean to each other
sometimes i wish there were less people out there

but really, i just wanted to remind you people that sometimes, it's good to think about what we say and why we say it.

cause when you see a pregnant woman, and you ask her when she's due
and she says in 2 months
and you freak out and ask if she's having triplets, um, that's not really nice.
what is the pregnant lady supposed to say?

and sometimes, people, when you see a pregnant lady at the park with her 2 year old,
and you ask her how far along she is,
and she tells you,
and your eyes get big and you say 'wow you're already so big'
um, that doesn't make the pregnant lady feel really good

and all the while, when people are making these comments, i'm reminded of all the times i've said thoughtless things, or spoken an opinion without considering the other person's feelings. and i feel bad. so i want to apologize to all the people out there who i may have unintentionally hurt with my words. i really am sorry.

cause it doesn't feel really good when people see you and tell you that your stomach is huge. cause really, i'm growing a human being in my body. and i don't have a lot of control over how big he's getting.

[actual size: 30 weeks]

It's Time

2011-04-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

randomly i have started receiving TIME magazine
I say 'randomly' but it's happened a few times before
someone out there thinks that i am a doctor's office and keeps sending me the weekly magazine. i know this because i called one time to find out why i was receiving it and they said a group named 'waiting room' was paying for the subscription.

come on that's funny and awesome.

anyways, i now get the weekly updates on headline news, social commentaries and i feel 10% smarter. in fact, i think this new baby is going to come out with a cap and gown because he listens to me share all these smart facts at work, listens to me read to little son every night, and then listens to me tell husband about all the smart facts i'm learning from TIME.

My favorite little fact i've learned recently is about crying. there was a story about how crying at the work place is not the worst thing. in fact, it's a way to 'reset' the situation. brilliant. so true. the article talks about how men and women have thresholds to deal with stress, problems, challenges. we process them emotionally and psychologically but after a while, all that build up has to be released somehow. when we cry, it releases the tension and stress and we are able to think more rationally and clearly.

i love it
i am not afraid to cry
can't say i cry at work (anymore)
i do cry at home,
when talking to girl friends,
when i've had a long day and little son is out of control and i feel like he'll never grow up
so i've totally been using this new 'reset' knowledge.

feel free to cry today
you're just resetting your emotions
it's okay
give yourself some TIME

am i that kind of woman?

2011-04-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

i need some advice
i need to know that i am normal...or not normal

i had a great weekend
but it ended with tears at the ice cream shop.
ironic i know

the sun has brought us all out of hiding, and last night, i think the entire population of the east bay was at fenton's ice creamery. why not, it was beautiful weather and they have the best ice cream.

but the line took forever. one poor kid serving up a huge line of people. at first i was okay, waiting my turn. watching my son and husband run around across the street. but after 20 minutes i suddenly became aware that my kid was 'this close' to melting down and i still had 3 people in front of me.

and then it happened.
these 2 people cut in line
they knew the people in front of me. and they were all excited to see each other. and suddenly they were in line and ordering. and i felt myself getting hot and irritated. and they never looked back. they would have seen a red faced pregnant lady. the people behind me started going crazy. it was like we all wanted to say something, but didn't want to be THAT kind of person. So I just took a breath and told myself, what is another 5 minutes.

But then as i went to the cash register to pay for my scoop, all of a sudden there was another woman who appeared out of nowhere to try and buy a tub of strawberry. I saw the cashier look at me, look at the woman, and kind of make a face like, who do i serve first. and the other woman just kept place her order. and that's when i lost it.

poor little highschool (maybe college) girl. i told her as politely as i could between my clenched teeth, i have been waiting for 30 minutes to pay for my ice cream and have now had 3 people cut in front of me in line. I can't wait any longer. I handed her my money and didn't even wait for my change. i turned my pregnant belly and bumped into someone else trying to cut in line and ran outside. that's when i started crying. yes, probably pregnancy related. but it made me so sad and mad.

it's so weird to have these unspoken social rules in life, but when people don't live by them, it makes us mad. i value grace and trying to have an unoffendable spirit, and yet i totally lost that in an ice cream line. and i felt so bad for getting upset. and making my family wait for so long for such a dumb thing.

i don't like who i had become and yet there's this sense of justice that comes over me. who's going to enforce the rules?! and is that rule really important?

so for reals, i'm serious, are you the kind of person who can speak up when something like this happens? or do you just let it happen? and how does it make you feel?

and ps, ice cream doesn't taste as good when it's mixed with tears. lame.

Friday

2011-04-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

daddy's full of hot air

2011-03-30T07:43:00.001-07:00

performing daily

2011-03-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

by request, (and he takes requests), the von-nyquist family singers present:

'tinkle tinkle lil sar' (aka, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

ps. he grabbed that prop himself

very busy

2011-03-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

where have i been?
i've been very busy this week
thus the lack of posts

very busy learning:
4 weeks after she hit facebook - rebecca black is a huge hit. have you heard about her? i don't have facebook so i have to learn things the old fashioned way - personal conversations. so forgive the old news, but i love the story. i guess she paid a company to write her an original song and music video and it went viral. the lyrics are super smart cause they know that "saturday is tomorrow and sunday comes after that." but for reals, i can't throw stones because this is just a high tech version of what my highschool friends and i did at our birthday parties. except we were singing and dancing to marky mark and the funky bunch.

watch the original video:

cause then you have to understand that hundreds of cover songs came out after this video and my favorite is the epic mullet man:

as you can see i've been very busy (thanks auntie liz for keeping me hip to the current buzz).

also, i have been very busy:
learning that after Google shut down my favorite free toll free information number (800-GOOG-411) there is still free Google TEXT which will send me the phone number of whatever place i need. for reals. for free. (thanks sooz for knowing everything).

also i have been very busy:
thinking of my next blog post and not blogging
reading your comments about me not blogging and not blogging
reading other blogs and thinking i still have not updated my blog
i don't even think this counts

i will never make fun of kum bay yah again

2011-03-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

today in the car, little son was asking to listen to 'daddy's songs'
when husband was a child, he was paid $1000 to sing on a 'golden books' tape of songs. nice life. nice payout. and nice that his mother found a copy of the tape and sent it to us.

so while we drive around town, little son can sing along with daddy to the 'Monday Song', 'John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith.' and 'Kum Bay Yah.' and today, i hear his little voice in the back seat singing 'kum bay yah my lord, kum bay yah' and i started crying. CRYING. and don't tell me it's cause I'm pregnant. because that has nothing to do with it. and everything to do with my son's little adorable, soft voice. and the way he can't really pronounce all the words. and how he was in his own little world, singing to himself.

there is something that changes in your heart when you have a child. you see the world differently. you feel the world differently. when adults sing kumbayyah, i laugh and roll my eyes. when my son sings kumbayyah, i cry. there's no explanation, other than my heart has been changed by this innocent, little life.

emergency preparedness

2011-03-18T22:01:00.001-07:00

my week has been consumed
with so many things
work
family
life

but also japan.
at first i was freaked out about radiation poisoning leaking from the nuclear reactor
but i've calmed down
(seriously people, calm down. it's going to be okay. and besides, i've already had thyroid cancer so really, i don't need to take iodine pills for protection)

after i moved past my own self thought, and the safety of my family, i've now been thinking about the people in japan. it's winter. freaking snow cold. and they're having to evacuate. and some don't even have homes to evacuate. and who knows what will happen at the power plants that may affect their soil or water for years.

and in the midst of all of this...i know that i live in earthquake country. and for my entire existence i have been warned of the big one. not the big one i felt in 1989 when i was in highschool and we lost power for a night and had to do our homework by candlelight. and bridges and freeways collapsed. but the BIG one.

it's made our family get a little more prepared. so i thought i might encourage you to do the same.

we have a bin in our backyard i've kept update with food and water. currently, it's become little son's favorite storage unit. he throws the water bottles around and climbs in to sit in the container. we also seem to use it as a chalk board at times. it's full of bottled water, cliff bars, almonds, pasta stuff, canned veggies, hydrogen peroxide and i think a bottle of salsa. we stocked up to take care of you too.

this week, husband did some good research and bought some more things for our cars and kit.

1. a First Aid kit we'll have to add some band aids. little son thinks they're stickers.

1. light sticks. for the car or for a power outage. always handy to have.

2. a tent. we are not a camping family. if you're a reader of this blog, you know our definition of camping involves a cabin, running water and flushing toilet. but we have a tent now for emergency, and to set up in our living room when little son has his first slumber party.

3. water filter. no, not a brita, but a real water filter in case ground water needs purification. i don't understand how this works, but we also bought

4. water disinfectant which is supposed to go along with the filter. i can't prove it, but i think they may give us mutant ninja powers.

5. Mylar Blankets. these are awesome. warm, reflect-able and compact. plus they make me feel like an astronaut.

6. Fire starter. I would have thought we needed one of those plastic red things that you click for a flame. silly me. we needed a flat, solid paperclip.

7. a Knife

8. and some Rope

I know i'm making jokes along the way, but I totally appreciate my husband's research and preparedness. He's my own Bear Grylls. Having a kid totally changes your perspective on emergency preparedness too. If it was just me and the husband, i know we would just make our way home and figure stuff out. But with a tiny child, and a baby on the way, suddenly the thought of doing everything you can to protect your family becomes a main priority.

So while we keep shoes by the bed (in case windows break glass on the floor) and we've bolted our house to the foundation, the rest I can do right now is pray hope over Japan. Those people are taking care of each other. They are calm. They are not looting their stores, but helping their neighbors. I pray the best case scenario for them. And that they are able to start rebuilding. And in the meantime, I learn a lesson from this tragedy.

We've learned to get prepared. Don't freak out. I say that, cause I tend to freak out. It will be okay. And besides, we're here to help take care of you. Come share our tent. We've got plenty of space (and salsa).

(had it not been for husband, this would have been the only tent we had in our emergency preparedness kit)

carob chips are not chocolate chips and more weekend adventures

2011-03-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

how was your weekend?
ours was good
real date night friday night
my parents got to come check out our church on saturday night
and we had some great family time on sunday
some highlights include:

a real live digger
we went to a park on saturday in between the rain and little son got to touch his first live digger. he tried to climb in the drivers seat and move the controls, but that didn't happen.

cookies
a rainy sunday afternoon inspired me to bake. we had everything we needed for chocolate chip cookies, except chocolate chips. so my kind husband offered to head up to our little all natural food mill and pick some up. but that all natural food mill didn't have chocolate chips. only 'carob chips' which, as the package stated, is a great chocolate substitute. um yeah, the package lies. carob tastes like a fruity root. with maybe a faint hint of cocoa.

story time
our living room looks like a bookmobile blew up in it. little son has thrown, scattered, read his books all over the living room. and i'm tired of picking them up. only for him to throw them again. so we left them out all weekend. which actually provided many fun hours of reading in the rain. i love this photo of my 2 favorite men.

beyond that, i spent the weekend praying and thinking lots about japan. one of our elders was there for the earthquake! he was on the north west side so not in the heart of everything, and he actually got a flight out of the country the day after the earthquake. but the devastation is sad. and the threat of nuclear leakage is freaking this hypochondriac out.