calikatrina

a boy and his bunny

2012-02-17T15:15:00.000-08:00

three years now, the undying love between these two continues...

we went to this girl's super sweet bring-your-doll tea party on monday,

where ewan was the only boy, and bunny the only bunny.

bunny had chocolate for breakfast with us on valentine's day.

And yesterday, bunny went for a walk with us...

and skipped all the way home!

.....

It was a busy week for bunny. Not so busy for us. Just a lot of this...

the beautiful days have been too much this week!

....

In other news, you may be noticing the new look around here... was slowly making late-night edits all week. I am still sans computer, wah wahh. My iphone has been handy for little to-dos on the internets, but boy do I miss a good work space. I'm also starting to feel anxious about my almost full camera card and phone photo files... I've got nowhere to dump data. I just keep emailing myself pics and reminders, and the disorganization is making me go crazy! My plan for this weekend is to hijack the law-student-husband's computer and work up some sweet posts... I've got lots of Babiekins and photo shoots to share!

have a happy weekend!

this week

2012-02-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

one day, we're coming up with rainy-day activities by browsing my pins

the very next day, we're out playing in the sunshine!

I turned my head for one second, and I instantly had a stair climber

aaaand, piano-day came! it's here!

weekend plans include a farmers market trip, babysitter and winetasting afternoon, church, and some piano playing. currently, Jeff's the only player in this family. but not for long. ewan and I have no excuses now.

rain or shine, busy or not... have a great weekend!
..........

OH! And this just in... the new issue of Babiekins Magazine is up!
Go check out all the beautiful!! aaand see if you can spot graham and me in one of the spreads, eeek!

it's a crawl-eat-crawl world

2012-02-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Did I tell you... GRAHAM CAN CRAWL! Finally.

And totally, that was food bait. French toast.

It's been an exciting, exhausting week keeping up with the busy body. I'm on constant safety patrol, and Ewan is a little lost as to how to have his own play space without Graham barreling through and eating everything. Baby boy is definitely making up for lost time.

We also moved Graham out of our room and into Ewan's. So far so good. But there have been those mornings when Graham's up first and we hear Ewan respond to his cries with, "stop all the racket! i'm trying to sleep here." Exact words. Jeff and I get a good giggle on that one.

Ah, they kill me.
Now 10 months and 3... It just doesn't seem that long ago that I posted
a 3 month old and a 2 year old in the bed.

......

Oh, and that 10 month old can do puzzles.

genius, i tell you.

photo-a-day part 2

2012-02-07T22:57:00.000-08:00

And ta-dah! A photo-a-day for every day of January 2012. That was a fun one.

February photo-a-day is off and running, just without me this time.

One month was enough for me, whew. :)

The photo-a-day creator compiled a great post filled her fave instagramers... I love them all.

See post here, and see their photos here!

{And see my photo-a-day part 1 here!}

twogether at knotts

2012-02-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

You guys, Knotts Berry Farm is kicking butt in the family outing category!

They have a Twogether is Better promotion running through February with discounted admission and darling touches of valentine love throughout the park!

We behaved ourselves well enough last time that we were invited back, along with a sweet group of oc family bloggers, to experience another holiday time at Knotts! Breakfast with Snoopy and the gang, raffle prizes, Love is in the Air stage show, fresh dipped chocolate treats in Ghost Town, crafting at Snoopy's Craft Corner, and the rest of saturday to experience all of the historic socal amusement park!

After an early, yummy breakfast with the characters,
the bloggers and babies got a private showing of the Love stage show. Super cute!

reflection lake aka cell phone graveyard. ha!

no rollercoasters for this family of littles. but there's so much more to Knotts...

Ewan's favorite ride...

well, every train ride at the park was his favorite.

This train lover has no idea his ride is about to get jumped by robbers.

The kid was in no way afraid of the commotion and even made friends with the bad guys. :)

My favorite part of Knotts is the shopping. Handcrafted everything. gold, sticks, stones... I picked out a dreamcatcher to add to my wrist. And ewan was clearly done shopping and ready for ghost town...

historic school house complete with teacher, rules, and yard stick to enforce the rules.

Last stop of the day, you-dip fruit and treats in a chocolate fountain at the ghost town bakery.

We had the BEST day. And think we need passes now. :)

Ewan is the perfect age for the boy friendly park. And can't stop talking about the robbers, mine caves, train rides, indian huts, rock shops, panning for gold again... we love you Knotts Berry Farm!

valentine hearts in shop!

2012-02-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

After testing a million crochet heart patterns, I finally landed on a winner.

And just in time. It's February! The month of loooove.

This heart pattern was produced in Egypt, and I'm obsessed with it.

Hearts are popping up all over my house!

(Did you see Ewan wrote his name up there?? A proud-mama, fridge worthy piece for sure!)

Get yours now in the shop before they're gone!

I'm a handmade machine lately! Feels gooood.

buggs and bows are back!

2012-02-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

You may have already noticed, but I've re-opened up shop!

And the buggs are starting to overflow right into it, right here!

..........

As for the bows... come and get 'em! I've re-stocked and now have piles of them.

Including the new "oatmeal" color...

The sweet color request came from a sweet shopper.

She got hers. I got mine. Now you can get yours too, right here!

.......

And here is a simple tutorial to custom-fit your bow, to you or baby's head size...

You can wear the bow by leaving the ties hanging in the back as shown in the first picture. Or you can go with the seamless look in the last picture by following the tutorial. Either way works great!

(model-perfect hair creds go to my sis... thanks liana!)

.......

Oooor, you can slip the chain off completely and bobby pin it to a high bun like I did yesterday,
shown in the picture above.

........

NOW, send me YOUR pics of mama and baby bow wearing!

Or babies with BUGGS!

I 'm working up a post featuring YOU lovelies. email me!
.........

Thanks for the incredible response and continued interest in my crochet items.

The successful pop-up shop has turned into a permanent gig for now. And I'm lovin' it!

photo-a-day

2012-01-30T22:02:00.000-08:00

On January 1st, the above photo spread like wildfire on the iphone Instagram app. The challenge creator, fatmumslim, had no idea there would be such a crazy response to her little photo game. I jumped in and played alongside bleubird, natthefatrat, and a million others. Here are my daily phone photos from January 1st - January 15th...

As if you needed to see more phone photos from me... that's all I've ever got for the blog lately!

I've got two more days of photo-a-day fun for january, then I'll recap the rest.

More phone photos, promise. :)

To get details of all the pics, you can read their captions on my Instagram feed.

Or find me on the app! @calikatrina

.............

And woohoo! A little happy dance here for reaching 100 blog followers!

It only took FOUR years of blogging. wahwah. ;)

Love you guys!!

twenty nine forever

2012-01-27T15:38:00.000-08:00

I've been 29 for a week! And to be honest, it has me feeling kinda itchy and needing a change. I'm having wild thoughts about cutting bangs or going short again, or slicking on red lipstick like all the hip chicks are doin these days. Also trying to make the life altering decision of whether to remain a pc girl or make the move to a mac. With the computer crash of 2012, I now have a big decision... and since my iphone has been the best thing since the 10th grade pager (143 anyone?), it has me leaning towards mac. But at the decision rate I'm going, I'm gonna be computer-less for a long while. I hate pricey purchases. It makes the decision process grueling.

Birthday was a smash hit this year though! First EVER dentist appointment for ewan, BJs pizza and pizookie lunch after his fluoride set for an hour, toys r us run, cake and presents, a solo shopping trip, and my favorite part of the day... a TWO HOUR nap. That is forever a tradition now... my once a year, birthday nap. I was a renewed soul.

Record player, red lipstick, a possible mac in my future... 29 is making me anew. And let's hear it for being 29 every year, for every birthday, from now until forever! Not joking. Spread the word. xo!

eight, nine, and ten

2012-01-25T00:13:00.000-08:00

{chalkboard: rachel denbow, here, knit blanket by Jeff's grandmother}

{chalkboard: rachel denbow, here, knit sweater made by Jeff's grandmother, crochet blanket made by my sis Felicia}

{chalkboard: rachel denbow, here, knit blanket made by Jeff's grandmother}

My little chalkboard eater turned 10 months last week, and as usual I'm playing catch up with posting his monthlys. Going back to find those toe eating pictures from 2 months ago was heart melting. I can't believe less than 2 months ahead of us is baby's first birthday!

And wouldya believe he's still a stationary sitter. No crawling yet.I thought for sure the second baby would be the adventureous one, trying to keep up with his busy brother. But nope, graham is content being the patient observer. I was waiting to post this update with a 10 month in the making announcement that he's finally crawling because I really think it's coming soon! But I couldn't wait any longer. And don't hold your breath on it. Unless you can hold it for a couple days... 'cause it's gonna happen soon I tell ya!

And speaking of waiting, thank goodness I had this post drafted, because my computer crashed a couple days ago. Stupid virus. Pinterest? Twitter? Blogger?? I was just doin' my usual, when the dreaded happened late night sunday. Jeff is doing the IT work on it, while I try to remain calm. We have backup of most of the hard drive, but not all. Such a sinking feeling. So for now, I'll just be borrowing Jeff's laptop when he's home.

As for my brother, he's home and doing great! Still has a few more weeks in bed, trying not to watch too many movies and keep up on his freshman homework. And I had a fantastic 29th birthday friday... there's been counter-top cake eating here for days! Oh, and my sister Liana was proposed to on sunday! Another sister off the market. :)

see graham grow:
{month one and two}
{month three}

{month four}

{month five and six}

{month seven}

sister support for brother

2012-01-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

The five sisters (plus a couple besties) piled on top of eachother at my parents house yesterday, while mom, dad, and brother were at the hospital. Jared had two unrelated surgeries, lumped into one afternoon. We prayed, played, and waited to hear that everything went ok.

And as the surgeries went long, and the night got late, we crafted get well cards for our favorite 15 year old. My mom is staying with him, and we heard this morning that he is doing well in recovery. Hoping to have him back home tomorrow! Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. He is feeling the love!

And on another note:

My brother-in-law is the director of social media and partnerships at Sevenly.org and I'm helping him spread the word this week about Autism awareness. Autism Speaks is the charity of the week at Sevenly, and because I worked at an Autism learning center, and many times directly with Autism Speaks, it is a cause that is very important to me. T-shirts benefiting families with Autism are available on their website through Saturday! Thanks for helping spread the word!

FACEBOOK.com/sevenly.org

TWITTER.com/sevenly

SEVENLY.org

back to school for the birthday boy

2012-01-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

After a long winter break, Jeff went back to school today.
Just reminiscing on all the fun we had while he was all ours...
lots of daddy time with the boys, and dates with his girl!

Disneyland, swimming, room service, laker game, sushi date, toy story on ice, office crashing, antique shopping, sofa buying (almost!), costco stock-ups, cake eating, and lots of lazy lounging... which included the growing of a lazy man's mustache. :) We celebrated Jeff's birthday yesterday (33!), with one more date out just the two of us, for grilled artichoke at our fave Lucille's and a movie of birthday boy's choice - Mission Impossible. In (wildly large and way too loud) IMAX, mind you. Anything for the man I love, I tell ya.

Now back to class, back to schedules, study groups, and law-minded Jeff.
Ewan, Graham, and I are now counting down the days 'til spring break!

the dmv, disneyland, and my expired CA drivers license

2012-01-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

so monday, i glanced at my license and noticed it expired on my birthday THIS year.

meaning, NEXT week! oops. a dmv appointment for thurday should take care of that.

(always make an appointment!)

after taking this picture, I realized that's about how my eyes see the charts in real life.

couldn't pass the eye test without my glasses... "corrective lenses" was stamped on my license.

the lady helping me was doin' lots of typing,

and I was doin' lots of tight finger-crossing in hopes of not having to take a new picture, since

a) my current picture is my favorite EVER

(we all have that ONE miracle of a license picture someday or another)

b) i could swear i look no different from 6 years ago, fresh outta college, pre-children, pre-2amfeedings, bagsundertheeyes, and coffeeismylife...

and c) i'm standing there with wet hair and no lipstick. yep.

more typing... and then a whole lotta confusion...

since I was renewing my license, changing my address, AND getting replacements of my car registration tags that were mailed to the old address... the only way to do all three, was to pay $31, and then get a dmv refund of $102. um, ok. so confusing. but i win, i guess?

also, i ran into my sister and her boyfriend. at the dmv.

cause don't we all randomly run in to our siblings at the dmv.

after leaving, i drove past the cutest antique shop and just couldn't help myself.

and since I left Jeff hostage with the kids, I totally had time for a 10 minute secret pit stop.

out of the thousands of trinkets, I found this set of 6 glasses, which just so happened to be the owner's mother's old set from the 70s. she said her mom had matching floral wallpaper on the ceiling of the kitchen, and lime green carpet throughout the house. peggy had quite a pretty childhood home. the glasses now look mighty pretty in my cabinets. thank you peggy's mom. :)

and, after all that, we may have visited disneyland for dinner. just maybe.

so ewan has this pose... and graham slid off that mickey seat onto the car floor...

we recovered with lots of kisses and two times in a row on the buzz ride...

and we ran into my sister and boyfriend AGAIN.

AND discovered via facebook, that the other sister was at disneyland too,

a random sister meetup. cause don't we all do that at disneyland.

in the end, yesterday was a weird one.

sisters everywhere, bonk on the head for baby, dinner at disneyland with cousins from oregon (the actual reason for our quick visit.), antique thrifting, walking out of the dmv with cash handed to me, and oh yeah a new picture. wah wahh.

goodbye old favorite.

i'll never look that fresh-faced,

fully-rested-before-kids, again.

new picture and license stats coming in the mail in 2-4 weeks.

........

and there you have it, most words written in a post EVER. I'm not a writer.

the less words the better for me. and you just witnessed why. :)

have a great weekend!

it's our last before jeff goes back to school on tuesday!

must be taller than 42" to ride

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

two birthdays. two days. just the TWO of us. at DISNEYLAND!

and we knew exactly what rides we WEREN'T gonna ride...

no buzz lightyear. no toy story. no autopia. no tiki room.

adult rides only, pleeeease... yeehaw!

now I will never again be able to say, "I can't remember the last time I rode that ride." :)

we checked-in to the grand californian hotel on thursday,

checked out our view of downtown disney,

popped the champagne for some mimosas, and headed out to the parks!

christmas was still up. we even saw santa and the mrs!

besides the one time pictured above, where we handed the camera over to a cast member,

jeff manned the camera the whole time. it was his first shot at it since getting it for christmas.

there was a lot of "light testing"...

and busy blur shots...

he was so proud of himself. and so super cute about it. :)

i, on the other hand, stuck with my iphone...

and took pictures of the super cute photog in action!

jeff's camera castle on the left. my iphone castle on the right. we be dueling photogs. haa!

{although, since I'm the post-er here, I chose which one of his 30 shots made the blog. better luck next time, jeffy!}

disneyland's letterbox. anyone else playing along with instagram's january photo-a-day?

main street was not prepared for all the hand-holding and bum-grabbing from us free birds!

.............

day two... more button wearing, early entry, running to be first in line, lunch grubbin' at the warf,

bathings suits(!) and more mimosas... by the pool!

ahhhh, a good 'ol warm, california january is good for the soul.

{which had me remembering last january, and our warm-weather celebration.}

a huge thanks to jeff's parents for baby watching, and my fam for pup watching.

this was the longest we've ever left graham, and he was perfect!

we may just need to do this again some time... :)

now, on with january! and our real birthdays coming up in a couple weeks!

we have a winner!

2012-01-08T23:45:00.000-08:00

entry number 8!

drumroll......

it's kelly! one of my very FIRST followers! love love love her. and so fitting, eh!

congrats miss! email me the bow colors you'd like, can't wait to mail 'em off!

........

to all, thank you so much for entering my first giveaway!

and thank you for spreading the word via this crazy social web.

and thank you for being a huge part of this tiny internet corner of mine.

i just love you all to pieces!

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more giveaways coming in 2012! this was just way too much fun. :)

wip wednesday

2012-01-04T23:45:00.000-08:00

I've got projects on my lap today (and every day), getting ready to open up shop again next week!

If you haven't already, be sure to enter the giveaway below before Friday!

.......
Jeff and I are off to a two-day staycation at Disneyland! yippee!
Super pumped to ride every adult ride possible until we puke. Not even kidding.
And I just finished packing my bag, complete with a bathing suit! 80+ degrees again tomorrow!
I mean seriously. It's been weirdly hot here.
I'll be back monday to tell ya all about it... and announce the giveaway winner!
It may be too early to wish you a happy weekend, but I'm doin' it anyways...
make it a good one! xo!

happy new year!

2012-01-02T23:14:00.000-08:00

from our crazy to yours!

it was a living room dance floor / photobooth party!

then the littles got the giggles...

and a few instagram tweets later, bedtime!

Just in time for Jeff and I to make our dinner reservations at 9pm... in the backyard!

{all set up, cooked, and served, by that sweet hubby of mine.}

A two-hour food / wine / reminiscing sesh,

and it was time to head in to watch ryan and the ball drop...

and mess around a bit. haa!

yay for 2012!!

blogoversary + giveaway!

2011-12-30T00:06:00.000-08:00

Four years. FOUR YEARS! It's been a long time blogging for me, and four years later I still love it and enjoy my time spent on here chronicling my family's dailys. And still after all these years, I sometimes find myself feeling like a newbie with so much more to learn and accomplish. Bring it, 2012!

This years blogging experience has been particularly amazing, and has me on fire for the coming year! I have recently enjoyed opportunities with blogger event invites (last one was at Knotts Berry Farm!), my first invite to do a guest post, a ridiculously fun modeling offer (Graham and I did a shoot for an upcoming issue of Babiekins Magazine 2012!) and product reviews have just started coming my way... again all new learning experiences making me feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, and totally loving it!

All your kind comments are so appreciated! I love sharing them with Jeff all the time and constantly confusing him by referring to you guys as, "you know, my friend ____, from her cute blog ____!" I cherish all the friendships that have been established and grown over the past four years and it means the world that you take time out of your day to stop by and say hi here. You're all invited to Graham-bear's 1st birthday party in March! :)

My Etsy shop! {Opened December 2nd, 2011.} Such an exciting, successful experience! Big hugs to all of you who have encouraged me in my crochet craft. The shop support I received for something I truly love, has me reaching for the stars now. So thanks guys. I owe you...

Well, how 'bout a GIVEAWAY!! YOU get a bow! And YOU get a bow! And YOU get a bow! (Oprah anyone?) Really though, FOUR bows (for four years!), ONE winner! Aaaand ONE surprise crochet item... I've got some new shop products in the works. Exciting, yes?!

To be the calikatrina-first-time-giveaway winner...

You must be a follower of this blog and leave a comment below. Let me know if you have any new year's resolutions or goals for 2012!

And for more entries...

blog it
tweet it (tag @calikatrina)
or facebook mention this giveaway!

Leave a separate comment for each and include the social link in your comment.
That's FOUR ways (ahem, four again) to win!
{Giveaway winner picked at random next Friday at midnight.}

Wishing you all a very happy new year weekend! xo!!

{comments are now closed. winner announced monday!}

christmas 2011

2011-12-29T22:58:00.000-08:00

one day, both families, three houses. here we go!...

christmas morning at our house!

santa brought this 3 year old the "matterhorn!"

yawn, it's eaaaarly...

"almost" crawling christmas morning

Jeff and I black-friday'd our christmas present this year... a new camera!

setting adjustments still a work in progress. :)

baby's first christmas - 9 month old graham-bear

.........

on to my parents house!...

dad had his dad's 1970 disneyland map mounted and framed for my home!

christmas eve birthday girl!

abigail's first christmas - 5 months old

sunny christmas brunch, check!

.........

now on to christmas dinner at jeff's parents house!

violet - 2 years old

wyatt's first christmas - 4 months old

4 grandkids this year!

our music for the evening.

...........

slippers all day, advent reading, pioneer woman cinnamon rolls, christmas quiche, babies first christmas (x3!), tamales, tiny toms, matching pajamas, piano playing, hugs, cuddles, kisses, calm....

5 babies this year (3 first timers!) was sweetness overload. and surprisingly calm and filled with so many memorable moments. best christmas ever! and ewan just asked yesterday during all his new-toy playing, if we could do it all again. it was that awesome. :)

sunset park play

2011-12-26T22:34:00.000-08:00

with our besties.

a lazy day after christmas, rocks.

christmas recap coming... oh my stars, it was the best christmas ever!

and a giveaway (my first!) coming friday!

3 and 9 months

2011-12-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

It's going to be the best christmas ever with these two!

Jeff's waiting downstairs for me right now, to watch love actually and get our wrapping on. :)

have a wonderful weekend filled with lots of love and joy! {Luke 2:10-14}

merry christmas!

photo sesh by my girl Em! {oopsy daisy photography}

our last disneyland trip of the year

2011-12-22T21:58:00.000-08:00

just me and the boys, and my bff and her babies

i instagramed my way through disneyland that day, and apparently I'm not the only one.

and see pics from bry's camera here and here. aunt shawna was there too!

well, that was it for disneyland visits until 2012.

but look out main street, jeff and i already have a night booked {a room for 2!}

at the grand californian hotel in january. birthday month is coming! :)

it's snowing!

2011-12-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

{in the living room!}

the last awaited christmas package came yesterday, and just like that, shopping was done!

and boy oh boy, packing peanuts are just too tempting for a 3 year old.

sooo, we made it snow! complete with snow angels.

and graham has never laughed so hard.

that makes for a whopping THREE things that will crack this kid.

he's a quiet soul, but can't resist a good belly laugh for:

packing peanuts......balloons......surgical gloves

strange, i know. but logically, they're a small collection

of things with that weird, squeaky texture.

And then today, I was feeling kinda lame for not doing any christmas crafts with ewan yet,

so during graham's nap time I dug through the craft box and brought out the works!

ewan's attention span lasted 5 seconds, and he then thought it was way more fun to just

scoop up the beads and glitter and throw them up in the air. awesome.

we resorted to cutting scraps of paper and vacuuming for fun.

and I cut out a flurry of flakes, which he thought were pretty cool to open and see the surprise.

in the end, 3 year old boys couldn't care less about crafting (guess i need a girl for that)

but i feel like i earned a few cool mom points over the last two, messy, snowy days. :)

...................

On another note, I was recently mentioned on Juggling in Heels! Love her! We hit it off at a blog event in October, her and her family were the coolest. And I just wanna pass that sweet award right back to her and her fabulously chic blog! Thanks Sarah! I'm passing this Liebster on (read about it here) to five new, up-and-coming blogs I have recently come across, with the exception of the first one... that goes to my BFF Bryann (we've both been blogging for quite some time now) at Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust. :) And four more to hand out... Shades of Gray, A Girl In Transit, The Pinterest Project, and having 4 sisters myself, I love the idea of the Five TD Sisters blog! Happy blog hopping!

thomas

2011-12-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

Last month, we surprised our train lover with a ride on Thomas!

And just like last year, it was the best {rainiest} train day ever.

And this year, Graham got to ride in my lap instead of in my belly. :)

Ewan had a talk with Santa last week, and if he was a good boy (he is!)

Santa will bring him a "new Thomas track that goes 'round and 'round with a train that sings."

Oh man, can't WAIT for Christmas morning! :)

a christmas lights hunting we will go

2011-12-17T23:54:00.000-08:00

With our coffee and cake pops, bottles and blankets, this pj wearing family spent tonight in the car...

we scouted the best and the brightest! This was always a favorite memory of mine as a kid, and experiencing Ewan's excitement with every passing cheeseball-blow-up-santa on the lawn, was everything tonight.

School's out! Jeff's first semester of law school is complete, wahoo! And his first day home with just us and no studying included pjs all day, lots of mario playing on the wii, a big brunch and snacking our way through the rest of the day, and then the late-night lights.

And after making it home with two sleeping boys, and lots of light inspiration, we just may have added a few more twinkles to our home. You know, for this last sweet week before Christmas is here!

california adventures with the plaid family

2011-12-13T00:20:00.000-08:00

went to california adventure park on friday.

ewan went to disneyland with his nana and papa yesterday.

and we're braving the holiday crowds one more time wednesday.

..............

the best part, we squeezed in time with the jolly man at the disneyland hotel.

(way-hay-hay better than the mall.)

and yep, we somehow walked out of the house all wearing plaid. cause we're awesome. :)

date night weekend

2011-12-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

two date nights, two movies. one night in, one night out.

saturday night: dinner and drinks out, and new year's eve

sunday night: dinner in, and late-night egg nog, fire, it's a wonderful life, and a flashcard-making law student.

whether out, hand-holding, drink-sharing, and laughing 'til our heads spin,

or staying in, sharing quiet company and smiles from across the room...

I love it all. every minute with my man.

(now hurry up friday, so finals can be over and I can steal more minutes!)

top photos: instagram iphone app

bottom photos: oopsy daisy photography!

a california christmas tree lot

2011-12-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

nothing says christmas like a chain-link fence with lights. :)

we got our christmas tree last wednesday, in our usual 10 minute fashion.

.................

decorating it, on the other hand, takes us daaaaays.

got the tree wednesday, got around to decorating it friday,

continued hanging ornaments on sunday,

and there are still red christmas boxes in my living room monday morning.

jeff was more interested in taking pictures of my backside than actual decorating.

and then my entire decorating team pooped out on me last night.

but I couldn't fault them, it's cozy by the fireplace.

instead, I joined them a few minutes later. :)

hope you had a cozy weekend!

christmas gingerbread houses

2011-12-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

today we did this in nana's kitchen...

...and were on a sugar high the rest of the night!

it just doesn't get better than a 3 year old and 2 year old's christmas candy house.

caving roofs and crumbling walls and all.

p.s. we used the gingerbread recipe from The Chew, so yummy!
and made star cookies with the leftover dough, it makes a ton.

p.p.s. let the cooked house pieces cool completely. then hopefully your roof won't cave. :)

pop up etsy shop tomorrow!

2011-12-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 2nd at 1pm (california time)

www.etsy.com/shop/calikatrina

I can't believe I'm actually doing this, so nervous! I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to etsy shop setup, but there's no turning back now. So please hang with me if I crash and burn with the technical stuff tomorrow at shop open, ahh! Thanks for all the sweet comments, tweets and retweets... you guys have ME excited. :)

After making BUGGS for every new baby I know this year, I had a stash left of five.
I'll be listing a pair in pink, plum, grey, denim, and aqua.

And then there are the bows. Tons of bows!

Took lots of pictures today, and am going to be up all night drafting the rest of the listings. Please contact me at my etsy shop with any questions regarding tomorrow!

Big hugs to all of you for encouraging me in my craft here on the blog. It means the world. And big, big shoutout to my sister, who's been persistent with the etsy shop talk and lead by example with her crochet shop that has recently taken off! Love you felicia! Thanks for having all the answers to all my questions at all hours of the night. :)

gettin' the buzz started...

2011-11-30T13:13:00.001-08:00

happy december eve!

need a christmas baby gift?

two day pop-up {etsy} shop coming soon!

(if this first-time etsy seller can get all her ducks in a row, it'll be friday!)

spread the word.

:)

baby's first thanksgiving

2011-11-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

with placecards and turkey butts

my family's annual christmas card picture taking

pretty pretty tables for big big families

christmas trees and kissing cousins

birthday candles and card games

and sweets eating all night long!

First half of the day at my parents house, second half at jeff's parents.

they live across town from each other, so we eat twice!

I can never be thankful enough for having such an abundance of food

and family love, every year on thanksgiving. xo!

weekend recap

2011-11-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

christmas card preview from saturday's shoot!

{via our fab photog emily!}

christmas movie marathon sunday!

complete with wine and pizza pickup,

twinkle lights, and a straight-from-the-airport-visit...

uncle alex made it from missouri for thanksgiving!

hope you enjoyed a rainy, cloudy, cozy weekend too!

ewan rocks in blue socks

2011-11-17T22:56:00.001-08:00

Graham gets a lot of press on the blog because 1) he's new around here, and 2) he can't run away from the camera like a 3 year old can. But man that 3 year old, he's somethin' special. And we just had one of those perfect days together. No agenda, just wandered around town and messed around at home,

baked cookies and stayed up late.

We also made an extra long list for santa, even though Ewan keeps asking when halloween is gonna come again. So tonight we watched The Grinch and The Great Pumpkin. Totally not confusing him at all considering that next week is actually Thanksgiving. :)

3 week finger and some bootie

2011-11-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed my tiny finger cast lately? I've been trying to hide it in pictures.

Once upon a time, 3 weeks ago, I was chopping leeks and... yikes! Had to say goodbye to my nail and tip of my finger. So thankful we live closer to family now, cause with Jeff at law school that night, I called my mom to take me to urgent care, my sis to watch the boys, and my dad to clean the cutting board and continue on with my potato leek soup dinner. :)

I have to change the bandage every 2 days, take a one-handed shower with a plastic bag over the other hand, and leave the bathing of the boys to jeff which means it's only been getting done once a week. Heal faster finger! Can't wait to regain full use of my left hand again. And hopefully with a not-too-wonky lookin' finger.

Luckily, I worked up that crochet tutorial before my hand wasn't so pretty anymore.

I haven't picked up my hooks in 3 weeks! Here was the last project I finished, for sweet newbie eden...

Also wanted to give a high-five! or high-four in my case :) to those of you who have shared your shortcut crochet projects with me, loooove them! Keep 'em comin! And check out the new "Featured" page, up today HERE. Was super excited to be included this week in Freshly's weekly mashup!

seven months

2011-11-13T22:54:00.000-08:00

{chalkboard: rachel denbow, here, knit blanket by Jeff's grandmother}

Graham is 8 months old tomorrow! And as usual, I'm always a month behind in posting his monthlys. I'm pretty sure I claimed 6 months as my favorite age last post, but man oh man, 7 month Graham was by far the cutest ever! He was cleverly taught by his daddy to stick out his tongue, shake his head no, wave hi, and blow kisses... all with his signature squish face expression. I, however, am selfishly working on getting him to say mama... haa! Baby boy is still the quiet observer here. Loves to sit and watch his big brother. No signs of scooting or crawling yet. In fact, tummy time is like torture to him. Full-on flops his feet up, stretches out his arms, screeches for mercy, and then throws his head down in exhaustion after 10 seconds. Eh. We'll get there. :)

see graham grow:
{month one and two}
{month three}

{month four}

{month five and six}

I feel like I should tag this post... #dizzy #stripes #3Dglasses... :)

weekend recap

2011-11-13T22:52:00.000-08:00

We surprised our train-lover with a ride on Thomas!

Said goodbye to our crazy fun, week-long house guests!

But not before we pitched a tent for a campout their last night. :)

And today, we stood on stage at our church to dedicate our boys.

Complete with both our families there for the celebration.

Hope you had a sweet, family-filled weekend too!

hello disneyland

2011-11-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

hello 3 sweet days of magic in the last 14 days.

and now lets make that many more.

we are annual pass holders again!

finally.

weekend recap

2011-11-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

This busy weekend... we rang in Christmas at Disneyland!

And ate dole whip in Adventureland.

We celebrated my sister's 18th birthday!

And ate cake.

My dad bbq'd in the rain! (Nothing comes between an Argentine and his sunday asado.)

And we ate meat, more birthday cake, rice pudding...

We all (including Divot!) took advantage of the daylight savings gain,

and enjoyed cozy time with the fireplace and oven baking.

And ate late night, pistachio-dipped chocolate chip cookies.

To recap... we ATE! A lot. It was a yummy weekend. :)

Happy Monday morning!

after dinner

2011-11-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after dinner, we took a walk across the street...

to play a little sunset soccer...

divot watched the game, graham kept score.

Then we walked over the bridge...

for some treats...

then headed back over the bridge, across the lake, across the street,

and back home with pinkberry full bellies and anthro additions to smile about.

We love living near walking destinations. It used to be the big park and starbucks we last lived next to, now we head to the lake and anthropologie, or as jeff affectionately refers to it as "overpriced thrift". Haa!

If you live near here, and are ever at the lake, call me! I'll walk right over. :)

candy, a ghost, a bear, oh my!

2011-11-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

This year we had a ghost, a doll and her teddy bear, superdog, and a lumberjack? :)

He wasn't so sure about the yarn wig.
(made via skunkboy tutorial immediately after I saw super-cute Katie and her Hope doll!)

baby's first halloween

a sweet, squishy teddy Graham, good enough to eat!

And oh man, Ewan as a sheet-over-the-head ghost was too cute to handle. It was exactly what he wanted, and I couldn't have been happier with his classic choice. (Lucky boy got to pick TWO costumes this year!) A few crochet details to Graham's store-bought, a good 'ol white sheet from grandma's house, a skein of red yarn and clothes from my closet, all equaled to a $13 halloween. holla!

It was a night filled with cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, chili, front yard bonfire, roasted marshmallows, piles of candy and glowsticks, and a never-ending sugar high. Halloween 2011 sweet memories are locked in, and the candy eating is still going strong. :)

happy halloween!

2011-10-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

Last night, Jeff's mom had her annual carving party and it was the biggest turnout yet! Strangely though, we had the least amount of carved pumpkins ever. Must have been due to all the baby bouncing the ladies were doing this year. Lots of baby's first Halloweens today!

As Ewan would say, have a "fooky" day!

{see pumpkins of past here!}

shortcut crochet: holiday wreath

2011-10-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome new followers! To me, fall is all about cozy time with my yarn stash and crochet hooks!
Who needs a new wreath idea... You? Perfect.

Gather your supplies, which will include single crochet chains, learn how HERE. Pumpkin optional.
(And just today found a genius idea of hardware store tubing for wreath making on pinterest!)

Aim your glue gun. Be generous.

Wrap, wrap, glue, wrap. Tuck ends. Or not. Loose ends are cute too.

Hang. Smile big.

This wreath is part of my "shortcut crochet" projects I'm sharing for first time crocheters or anyone that wants to get that instant satisfaction of a finished project in one sitting. And when asked about this little lovely hanging on your wall, go ahead and soak up that, "yeah, I totally made that!" moment.

And don't miss the others...
shortcut crochet: jar cozy
shortcut crochet: mug cozy
shortcut crochet: the single chain

Now, click the button above to visit the rest of the Followers Fest bunch!

There's lots more fall ideas, crafts, decorations, tricks and treats, costumes, and recipes to soak up.

Thanks for visiting! Please leave a shoutout to your post so I can be sure to hop over!

so nervous

2011-10-28T00:05:00.000-07:00

I was invited to do my first guest post! eeek!

Me and my mug cozy are over on A Girl In Transit's blog today.

Go leave me a shoutout that you visited, and say hi to my sweet Sarah!

shortcut crochet: jar cozy

2011-10-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

These lovelies are from dottie angel,

which I immediately covered my mantel with and christmas gifted last year.

Now here's the shortcut version...

Gather those crochet chains of yours...

Aim your hot glue gun at a clean jar. In my case here, Prego sauce and baby food jar.

Wrap, wrap, dot of glue, wrap. Tie on new color as desired.

Viola!

Add some water and pretty flowers or tea light candles...

mine here at home hold all my colorful crochet hooks. :)

All these shortcut crochet projects I'm sharing are for first time crocheters or anyone that wants to get that instant satisfaction of a finished project in one sitting. And when asked about these pretties, go ahead and soak up that, "yeah, I totally made that!" moment.

shortcut crochet

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

For all those who have said to me, "you have to teach me how to crochet!" This one's for you. :)

Simple steps to a single crochet chain stitch after the jump!

CLICK HERE!

..............................................
I am super excited to share my idea of "shortcut crochet" with my very first tutorial! The idea is to learn the first basic stitch, the single crochet, to make oodles of colorful chains. Then those long chains can be implemented in several quick projects to gain the accomplished feeling of handmade, and confidence in crochet!

Here we go!

Grab a hook and yarn. Any will do.

You need a slipknot on your hook to begin the chain...

Wrap the yarn around your first two fingers,

and insert the hook through the loop from behind.

Hook the long piece of yarn (that's coming from your yarn ball) and pull through.

Slip your fingers out and release the yarn.

Pull ends tight.

The slipknot!

(Keep in mind, there are several different techniques for both the slipknot and single chain. This tutorial is just the exact way I do it, which is most comfortable to me. YouTube instructional videos are a great resource for the many other techniques used to crochet. Also keep in mind, I am right-handed.)

............................................................

Now for the chain...

Thread the yarn between your fingers so there is resistance while you are working the chain.

Now grab the yarn end that is hanging from the hook with your thumb and middle finger,

leaving your pointer finger to hold the yarn coming from the yarn ball.

Next, hook the yarn coming from your pointer finger...

Twist the hook to get it to grab the yarn...

(also called a "yarn over" or "yo" in patterns)

Then pull through the slipknot you made!

But don't let go of your loop...

With the new loop you made still on your hook,

hook the yarn from your pointer finger again...

and pull through...

Now you've got TWO chains!

Keep going!

You've made a single crochet chain!

You will always have one loop on your hook at all times until you are ready to finish it off.

To finish your chain, cut the yarn coming from the yarn ball, then pull your last loop all the way through...

Pull tight to knot the end, done!

Now make another! And another...

Try different yarn colors, textures, sizes...

(The blue chain in the tutorial pics was made with medium yarn and size 6mm hook.

The red chain in the picture above was made with super bulk yarn and an 11.5mm hook.)

Chain stitches are the foundation of everything that is crocheted. For example, Hat: chain 5. Scarf: chain 15. Blanket: chain 160... all first lines from patterns I've tried. So learning how to crochet a chain is the first thing you need to know when starting this art of yarn.

And you've done just that!

Now, back to the beginning where I said "shortcut crochet"...

I will lead you into several quick projects with these chains this week,

so pick your favorite yarn colors, keep your hook moving, and fill up a basket next to your couch with crochet chains. They're gonna make you smile. :)

weekend recap

2011-10-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY:

cousin pumpkin patch day no.1 with Ashley's Wyatt and Violet

FRIDAY:

SATURDAY:

SUNDAY:

my mom and dad and grandbabies

cousin pumpkin patch day no.2 with Felicia's Abigail

We ate and ate and drank and ate, 'til the sun went down tonight.

A wonderful way to end the very full weekend.

♥

5 months, 6 months, 7 months, whoa.

2011-10-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

{chalkboard: rachel denbow, here, crochet blanket made for graham by family friend Dinah}

{chalkboard: rachel denbow, here, knit blanket made for graham by Jeff's grandmother}

Graham is 7 months old! Had to play a little catch up on the monthly photos. Didn't miss out on taking them, just hadn't gotten around to sharing them since we moved. Which is also why, out of all the adorable monthly photos pinned out there, I wanted a simple lay him on the floor gig... no matter where we lived, blanket photos would all be consistent. And the fact that we are just overflowing with handmade blankets here! Each one made special and loved to the last stitch. And in need of a monthly showcase!

My all-time favorite baby age is 6 months, and I can't believe it came and went so fast! Graham learned how to sit up, eat from a spoon, eat those toes finally, and reach for all those toys. 6 months brings all that happy social playfulness that I can't get enough of. Not to mention, better SLEEP. Through the night! Finally. Took both my boys a good 6 months to learn that trick, and it's always a game changer. The sun shines bright and the roses smell glorious again now that we're all getting some sleep. Ahhh.

see graham grow:
{month one and two}
{month three}

{month four}

now for those seven month photos.... :)

wip wednesday

2011-10-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Delicious yarn projects coming next week!

Get your hooks and fall colors ready...

♥

weekend recap

2011-10-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday: New glasses! My poor eyes keep getting worse and worse. I started out in 5th grade wearing glasses occasionally, only when needed to read the classroom chalkboard. Now, they are the first thing I reach for as I roll out of bed, otherwise I'm blind. I usually peel them off my face and hold them behind my back before a picture is taken. Buuut I think fresh, new lenses won't have me doing that as much now.

Sunday: Boys went to my parents house, Jeff and I drove to LA with his fam to see his sister in a musical, Singin' in the Rain! (Support your local theater! Always full of passionate, hard working, talented performers.) Then we all took her out to a spooky mexican dinner to celebrate her birthday. (And twin brother in Missouri gets another facebook message this year... come home soon!)

And can't forget Friday... iphone4s delivery day! Until then, we were an i-nothing, apple-what? family. Now, Jeff and I have our very first iphones (finally Sprint!) and spent the first afternoon with them Facetime-ing each other from opposite ends of the couch. I also immediately downloaded the Instagram app, as evidenced in the pics above. yeeeee! :)

Hope you had a happy weekend!

fall family time

2011-10-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

with candy corn and sugared peanuts

annual traditions

vintage shoes

sugar highs

grass eating

porch rocking

brother love

cousin love

family paparazzi

babies on laps

pee-in-your-pants, had-to-be-there laughs

my brother, always behind the scenes letting the sisters shine

but a rockstar uncle who deserves some blog credit. :)

family + friends + fall + food...

we're off to a good start.

♥

weekend recap

2011-10-10T20:21:00.001-07:00

It's holiday time! And weekend activites are picking up around here again!

Friday: celebrated my best friend's birthday with a little anthropologie and pizookie.

Saturday: early morning farmers market trip in old town with jeff's sis and babies.

Sunday: backyard harvest party with jeff's fam, then dinner bbq with my fam

which included lots of sister time.

Today: me and boys sick in bed all day with the sniffles. but happy it was columbus day and got to have healthy jeff home from work to take care of us [which included homemade soup with all our famers market fresh veggies] But law school students know no holidays, so he headed out to school a bit ago after dinner, and I'm now headed back to bed. hope you had a happy weekend!

camp spooky

2011-10-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

breakfast with the Peanuts gang.

cutest scrunch-nose pumpkin in the patch.

ewan's superman costume was jeff's when he was three years old, handmade by his mom.

the best kind of vintage.

We waste no time around here when it comes to holidays... October 1st, we were in costume! We are big fans of Knotts Berry Farm and Camp Snoopy, but this was our first visit to Camp SPOOKY. It runs through the 31st, but we wanted first dibs of all the spooky and candy opening day. :) It was a huge hit with the kiddos. Pumpkin hay maze, trick-or-treat stations, rides, photobooth, ferris wheel, Snoopy bounce house, breakfast with the Peanuts characters... all decked out for halloween! Ewan being three, was the perfect age this year. So excited to make Camp Spooky a yearly tradition!

happy october!

2011-10-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

Helloooooo!! [Anyone there?] Did I say I'd be back in September?... I meant October. :) We did it, we moved! And boy do we love our new (rental) home! We've been unpacking boxes slowly and organizing new rooms and the garage (a garaaaage!) for the last month, and just been livin' life (without blogging about it. Ahh, sweet break.) Been playing in the yard (a real-deal backyarrrrd!), running up the stairs, rolling every ball we own down the stairs (note to self: must introduce the Slinky to a certain 3 year old), setting up an office, a big boy bed, a new crib... I'm blown away with the amount of awesomeness a bigger space has been for our family. And as much as I love the excitement of moving, I think we're gonna stay put here for a long while. It's perfect.

As for the boys, Graham sits up now! wahoo! And eats food, which is always a fun adventure. And Ewan tells me everyday, "I love our new house. I have a room UPSTAIRS!" He's a happy kid, with room now to burn some energy. As for Jeff and me, we celebrated our 7th anniversary with our annual tradition of ordering our wedding cake. We also bought our first antique piece of furniture, which you'd think we brought another newborn into the house... it's our baby that we care for very gently. :)

I've got so much to share! Keep tweet following, and feed following for some fun October posts ahead... I've got a guest post (my first!) lined up over on Sarah's sweet blog, and there's a Followers Fest hosted by some of my fave gals coming up! I also just got back from a Blogger event (another first for me!) this past weekend... write-up on that coming soon! So happy to be back!

we're outta here

2011-08-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Ewan made this strategic plan the night before our Disneyland trip...

9 out of 17 rides for the day. Not bad.

A week later, all those toys have been tossed in a box and the chalkboard has had us on a new focus...

pay no attention to the boy rockin' out, in the way, on purpose. little stinker.
back to the to-do-list...

easy enough, right?

Oh man, life has been lame over here this week.

The apartment smells like cardboard and dust.

The boys are so over the sound of screeching packing tape.

I'm overworked and in need of a 10 hour nap.

Jeff gets home at 10pm again tonight.

Thank you to family for all the boxes collected. Haven't had to buy one yet.

Thank you to sisters for playing with the boys so I can pack. And pack and pack.

Sorry to those who I have been short with. (See 5 lines up... I need a nap.)

But beyond all that is right now, we've got a shiny new everything ahead. Moving friday!

And not to be outdone in the busy business, our families scheduled THREE birthdays and a friend's bridal shower this weekend. I'm really going to have to put my foot down soon when it comes to God's day of rest that we're commanded. :)

For now, utilities are being transferred and the computer is going in a box. I will still be socially available and tweeting my way through the move-in excitement, follow here. And will be back to blog share all the new happenings in september. xo!

button boys at disneyland

2011-08-19T11:07:00.002-07:00

Ah! I've been dying to share our disney day! It was the BEST day.

Ewan chose his favorite ride as Graham's first.

In the tiki tiki tiki tiki, tiki room...

ready, set, timer!

found a new favorite... fried green tomato sandwich/sweet potato fries.

bumped into pluto in toontown, and was later reunited when pluto spotted ewan along the parade route. big points for pluto, ewan was the happiest boy ever. and still talks about his bff.

aunt aimee, err incredi-girl, was the superhero of the year for signing us into the parks.

...and later joined us incognito for the parade.

CHEEKS!

Pretty summer parade.

Too loud, summer parade.

Ah, mary blair gallery, I love you. And want to buy everything in you.
But Jeff said, pick ONE. So I did. :)

And main street, you are beautiful. Thank you for another forever-favorite-memories visit.
........
We spent the day at Disneyland last friday, also known as Jeff's last day of freedom.... because on saturday morn, we sent a disneyland-pooped daddy off with his new backpack, piles of books, and lots of kisses... it was first day of law school! 9am-6pm. Then he started his work all day/school all night schedule this week... Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays, 7am-10pm. It's gonna be a long 4 years.

newbies

2011-08-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

I've been talking about these unborn babies forever...

and they're finally BOTH here!

The newbies graced us with their sweet-smelling presence at ewan's party last week...

at 4 weeks old and 4 DAYS old! It was newborn heaven.

crabby party

2011-08-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

Our first baby is threeee! And likes crabs. (As seen this summer here and here.) Crabby party details included streamers and pompom garlands, twinkie and red velvet crab cake, my parents' backyard, giant crab sandbox from jeff's parents, mama-stitched number shirt just like his first birthday, unlike his second. :) chicken salad and crab salad crostinis, juice boxes and wine, boudin bread, familyfamilyfamily. It was a happy, HOT day!

.......

Ewan's birthday always marks the end of summer for us, the last big family event before everyone goes back to school and weekends get quiet until the fall holiday time kicks in. We've got a busy two weeks... packing! moving! and looking ahead at new memories to be made with our THREE year old and baby boy in the new place soon.

three kiddo kind of day

2011-08-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

I was a mama of three on wednesday! And I've been recovering ever since. kidding. kind of. :)

But while newest cousin, baby wyatt, was being born via scheduled c-section, I was hosting a crazy cousin crew at jeff's mom's house. Pool play, puzzles, and pillow forts... the only one to slow down for a nap was graham. good baby. :)

{see graham's nap space? ...laundry room. hehe.}

I love these kiddos together. And so exciting to add yet another to the bunch.

And it's been so wonderful enjoying the last bits of summer.

Now back to party prepping... ewan's birthday is this weekend!
{want a hint at the party theme... check my pinterest!}

ch-ch-changes

2011-07-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

"It is ten o’clock and, like most nights, my wife and I are sitting on separate ends of the room. Each of us typing away at our computers, Katrina spends her nights updating the world on our family’s happenings through her blog and I pass the time with homework, online discussions, revenue projections or browsing through a countless number of golf websites. The previous three hours, having been spent with our two sons, are now forgotten as we both try to find just a few last moments in the day for ourselves. Hunting for ladybugs named Thomas, building “pillow caves” on the bed, spinning, jumping, running, screaming and an hour spent trying to figure out if our three-month-old’s cries were out of hunger, pain, fatigue or intestinal troubles no longer seem as if they occurred within this same day. This is the time I am able to chase my dreams, to work on my education, my company, my relationship with Christ and my golf game. My aspirations are endless and having two kids under the age of three has helped me realize that sleep is often times a trivial matter."

That was the beginning paragraph to Jeff's law school application personal statement. To which HE WAS ACCEPTED! To his first choice school, WITH a scholarship. Praise Jesus! And the very following day to the school acceptance phone call, we got the call from the owner of the rental we looked at, WE GOT THE HOUSE! God is good! Or tying to kill me. Way too much emotional excitement to handle for one family. And you read that correctly, HOUSE. We're moving outta the apartment bubble, into a 2-car garage, 3 bedroom, laundry room, backyard, real-deal house. I feel like such a grownup all of a sudden. And if you're local, you may recognize the place in the photo above and know exactly where we're moving to. More inland, which means goodbye ocean. But closer to family, which is a priority for us while Jeff works his way through night school and I'm home with the boys as a single-parent essentially, three nights a week for the next four years.

There ya have it. Our new life waiting for us, all set to begin August 26th. I'm so extremely proud of my husband and love him for his ambition and passionate spirit, his faith, and the security and incredible example he provides for his family. And I'm overwhelmed with all the decisions and changes being made and haven't had the words to express it fully for the last week. I'm a big mess of excitement and nervousness, anxious, worried, pleased as punch happy and exploding with joy (all at once!) when I get lost in the thoughts of all that is ahead.

wip wednesday

2011-07-27T23:51:00.000-07:00

For my nieces, sisters, and bff. I'm a tiny bow factory lately.

.....

What a week so far. As Graham gets older, things get busier, messier, and louder over here... it's crazy house! And let me tell you, re-training a four month old is no walk in the park. And I miss the happy baby park. From birth to now, his life has been eat, sleep, cuddle, and ride on mommy's hip all day. Well, not anymore. A schedule has been introduced and so far unwelcome, to say the least. Jeff says I baby Graham too much and he needs to learn independence. To which he's right, and recently realized the reason I do so is because with Ewan I was back to work already 8 hours a day, and kinda missed this stage of growth. I also prefer quiet, so content baby on my hip versus screaming baby on the floor... yeah, the choice is made hourly. :)

four months

2011-07-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

{chalkboard: rachel denbow, here, knit blanket and knit ball made by Jeff's grandmother}

This is it, the month of cousins! Baby Abigail was born last week, and baby Wyatt is due in two weeks! My sis had this onesie made a long, nine months ago to announce she was expecting. Luckily she bought it big (Graham's wearing 6 month size!) and it just hugs his round belly and rolls perfectly.
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And those two roly-poly pudgy fingers are in his mouth all day. At four months, Graham has turned into a sweet, slobbery, drool machine. He chews on everything. But prefers his fingers, my fingers, or sophie. Ewan's first tooth showed up at five months, and Graham may not be far behind. However, he still hasn't shown an official signs of fussy teething... he's still an all day smiley flirt.

I also re-read this article last night. It worked with child #1. It's time for child #2 to get with the program. Just thinking about sleeping through the night makes me drool in a happy stupor. :)

see graham grow:
{month one and two}
{month three}

pinterest interest

2011-07-15T23:15:00.000-07:00

{image via pinterest}

My list of things-to-do when my 2 year old spends the day with his grandparents is long and extravagant. (Mind you, I still have to bring a 4 month old along so unfortunately the day spa is out of the question.) What did I cross off my list today... crochet and watch movies, play with graham without interruption, eat cookies in plain sight, and just be lazy and quiet. Ah, quiet. Quiet is nice. And Graham soaked up the quiet and napped better than ever.

And with all the quiet around here, I finally dove head first into Pinterest. I had been holding off with all my might so as not to have one more thing to take away precious sleeping minutes while I'm on the computer late at night. But hey, I tried it and I liked it. It's actually easier to use than I thought, and now I can stop cluttering up my desktop with "inspiration-ies". So far, I have a whoppin' 8 pins. But I can guarantee I'll have a full yarn board stat!

Not only did I have time to myself today, but Jeff and I took a sleeping baby out for a bbq patio dinner and had some sweet time together... ordered drinks, had uninterrupted conversation and laughs, and licked our fingers after sharing a sauced-up artichoke, bbq sandwich, and sugar biscuits. We love Lucille's.

We picked up Ewan from Disneyland, listened to him talk a mile-a-minute about the fun he had with Violet, Nana, and Papa, until his voice faded in the backseat and he fell asleep.

Time for bed for all, we have a rental hunting/appointment planned day for tomorrow.

Remember that extension? Yeah, it's already coming to an end.

6 weeks and counting till the next move!

sweet sleepy baby

2011-07-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I got to go hold my niece again tonight. I couldn't stop staring at her, she's beautiful!

But after I got home, I immediately went to hold my baby (4 months old tomorrow!)...I wanted to just stare at him and soak up every passing second because they grow so fast! And even though I just went through it, it's hard to grasp the reality of how short and miraculous that newbie phase is.

......

However, this age starts to offer a little relief in the sleeping category. Also know as thee BEST time to stare away at your God given angel. Graham just started to "talk" himself to sleep, just like Ewan used to when he was a tiny one. Chalk up another sweet point for baby boy....
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worth the wait

2011-07-13T02:21:00.000-07:00

Hours and hours were spent in a tiny waiting room yesterday. My sisters and I passed the time by catching up on reading ("Heaven is for Real", "The Journals of Rachael Joy Scott") making trips to the basement cafeteria for cookies and chocolate milk, and friendship braclet-ing our hearts out.

And finally, 18 hours after Felicia's water broke and she rushed to the hospital,

baby made her grand appearance... Abigail Lin is here!

Baby girl is beyond beautiful. Tiny button nose, pouty lips, and holy HAIR! That sweetness was worth the wait, love her! And seeing my sister with baby, an exhausted/excited first-time mom, experiencing that overwhelming love, is amazing. So happy for her and all that is to come.

♥

And now I'm counting down the hours till Jeff gets home to watch the boys again,

so I can hop over to the hospital to spend more time with that fresh, beautiful baby!

and more crabs

2011-07-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

Success! We found sand crabs!

Carlsbad Beach couldn't have been prettier this past saturday. And catching the tiny sand crabs (or "ladybug crabs" as ewan called them) couldn't have been more fun! And our beach setup couldn't have been stripier. :) And spending quality time with your best friend and her family couldn't have been a lovelier way to soak up the weekend sun.

This was summer saturday perfection.

♥

catching crabs

2011-07-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

Yep, this short week flew by. But excited for another beautiful weekend ahead.

These pictures are from a few weekends ago at our fave beach spot again (as seen in the last post) in Dana Point. It also happens to be the closest beach to us at only 8 mins down the hill, score! It was a fun day for Ewan who has quite a love for crabs... lucky boy caught one this day!

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We're headed out to Carlsbad beach tomorrow, where if you're lucky in the timing of the season and find the perfect spot near the waves, you can dig your shovel in the sand and scoop up a pile of tiny sandcrabs that quickly scatter every which way before they bury themselves back down in the sand. Cross your fingers for us, cause I'm dying to have Ewan finally discover these fun little guys.

Have a great weekend!

our fourth! (and third)

2011-07-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else feel the extreme exhaustion after the super long, hot, holiday weekend? Jeff went to work today and said everyone was practically asleep at their desks, if they made it in at all. And here at home, we stayed in our pjs all day and played any game that required us to lay on tummies on the floor. But that's the price to pay for a fun in the sun weekend that included a beach day for the fourth, after a pool day the day before. To end the sluggish Tuesday, Jeff picked up frozen yogurt on his way home for me and him, while I popped a bag of popcorn for ewan (since he won't eat anything cold, which includes ice cream. hey, more for me!)... and we watched Bee Movie.

I can't believe tomorrow's Wednesday. It's like lazy today didn't even count. This first week of July is going to fly by!

ewan was super excited for fireworks. and graham actually reeeeally liked 'em, silly baby.

And sidenote, both sisters are still pregnant!

My sis is due in ONE DAY. And Jeff's sis is due in one month. Babies coming soon!

red, white, and pool day

2011-07-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

for poppytalk’s summer colours week. from my flickr.

Last day! Thank you poppytalk for a super fun summer color week!

{see all the summer colours HERE}

On wednesday, my sis and I dipped and splashed with the boys at my apartment's baby pool.

My boys are water babies. And I love wearing out all their super energy in the sun.

And you don't want to miss my sister in all her 39 week glory (bare belly and bikini!)

...check out her blog here. She's beyond beautiful.

.......

Have a happy holiday weekend!

Fireworks, food and family, oh my!

poppytalk: rainbow

2011-06-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

for poppytalk’s summer colours week. from my flickr.

Out of the entire color lineup, I was most excited to see everyone's summer rainbow finds!

{see all the summer colours HERE}

And I was also super excited to share my latest obsession: oldschool friendship bracelets!

Been stash-busting all of my embroidery thread using this tutorial.

And in true friendship bracelet fashion, I'll be sharing these with my bff.

Tell your wrist to get excited. ;)