this month's joy

hanging out with friends...terrenea morning coffee with my old mela friends and the february book club meeting to discuss (for 5 minutes) gone girl.
 
watching documentaries...

the arrival of our new juicer...after watching forks over knives and fat sick and nearly dead, bean and i were convinced we needed a juicer. our fridge is now stuffed with organic veggies.  i actually REALLY like the juices. after a month of more veggies and water, no coffee, and less sugar, i am still waiting to look and feel 25.  will report on how this goes...

valentine's day...

 

scrapbooking...working on projects for an upcoming special CK Summer issue.  refreshing to scrapbook and be creative again after the 4 month holiday hurricane.

reading... this month for the bookclub...unbroken and angry housewives eating bon bons.  how i love to become one with our green couch and a good story.  unbroken, for me, is a choppy read...hence the 300+ pages still left to go.  housewives...i am luxuriating in the emotional drama.  i like to tell bean about the parts that make me chuckle or tear up. at first he feigns a moment of interest.  when his eyes glaze over, i know as thunder follows lightening, the fake gag reaction will follow, thus ending our conversation about angry housewives (or pride and prejudice, or the help, or Shakespeare in love etc.)

of course disney...we renewed our passes for the umpteenth year.

,

watching the girls get closer...

reaggie...why is circle happy?  because his mommy and daddy lubbie him
reaggie...what's happening?
reaggie...a singing machine
autumn...mommy who gave you permission to empty out my box?
autumn...missing her two front teeth...so cute

this week's joy

making things...this weekend, aut and i were inspired to make our own heart crayons after finding this post on whipperberry.  i LOVED how it was so easy to make something SO cool.  

we also worked on tissue jars...

and shrinky dink hearts...

magic castle...on saturday, bean and i ventured into hollywood to the magic castle for a friend's 21st birthday. standing in line to enter a club at my bedtime reminded me of my 20's.  SO glad to be an old folk now.  still, gotta love the kitschy-ness and the people watching.

magic tent...lots of magic this weekend.  we set up a make-shift tent in reagan's room this week using a book shelf,  fur chairs, and scarves.  it was REAL cozy especially with the rain. the girls spent many hours huddled in the tent, reading stories, watching movies, and munching on snacks.  the magic was at night when we turned on the lanterns and stars.

scooting...lately after school, the girls like to play in the courtyard.  they make leaf soup, dig for fossils, and scoot around on their scooters.  the contrast between the girls makes me chuckle...aut takes slow graceful strides, while reaggie barrels around the courtyard like a bowling ball.

flu...not that the fever was joyful for my auttie, but slowing down the day and just spending unplanned time together was the silver lining.

this week's joy...

being thankful...always late, but i rarely forget to say thank you for kind gestures.  it is a value i want my girls to learn...to feel genuinely thankful for the kindness of others. being in the valentine-y mood - i made heart thank yous

valentine's crafts...on the search for kid craft inspiration.
with the girls home sick this weekend, we got a head start on valentine's day with some hand stitched cards and model magic munchkins.

 

disneyland w/ bean...sunday, bean and i snuck off to disneyland...just the two of us.  such a different experience without the kids. we walk, talk, eat, hold hands...all at a leisurely pace...what a luxury!

 

cooking...i can't believe this, but for the first time in 40 years i can say that i enjoy cooking.  up until a few weeks ago.. i never cooked...ever...well rarely and begrudgingly.
something clicked. now i want to see what i can create each night. bean is both bewildered and delighted.

reaggie

at the end of preschool, reagan goes up to each teacher and in her little quacky voice says goodbye to each teacher...bye lisa...bye jackie...bye kendall

hello cooey = hello kitty

loves to dance to the ponyo song that plays during the end credits.  she does her funny gallop dance around the living room rug and occasionally body slams into our couch
green tub = reagan's new boat
her red box of credit cards

 

auttie

into science...wants to take a science class and asked if she could enter the science fair

asked grandpa if she could take golf lessons - so she starts this month at the club

asked me if she could get a new big girl backpack...sniff

us

planning for summer (seriously)
loving our new routine of cooking breakfast and dinner together

this week's joy...

disneyland...no matter how many times we visit, the joy of disneyland never ceases. the biggies this visit...riding the mark twain riverboat, the gorgeous cloudy after a rainfall skies, riding the long anticipated indiana jones ride w/ auttie.  like i usually do, i spent most of the time watching aut's reaction to the ride.  her eyes and mouth were open wide  for the entire 2 minute ride...a combination of fear, excitement, and i hope laughter.

she told me afterwards that she was only a little scared of the skeletons.  i wanted to cuddle and baby her because i know she was more than a little frightened, but i let my big girl be tough.

being published...this month these two layouts were published in the latest CK special issue

this week's joy

descanso gardens: wandering the trails on our annual new year's eve trek to descanso gardens. we visit the garden throughout the year, but this particular visit has become a tradition. we spend it reflecting on the year past and planning for the year to come.

new years eve at home:  the girls shortly after the 2013 ball dropped in ny.  when i see the million + folks with their chattering smiles on tv, i always feels so lucky to be in my pjs and cuddled up next to my 3 loves (with a bathroom and warm beverages within reach) .  the only thing about all the coziness is that bean and i are finding it harder each year to make it to midnight.   this year we dozed off a few minutes before.

 

date night w/ auttie: + 8 moms + 11 girls + crowded arena.  when aut and i see a show together, i usually spend the time watching her reactions as it is brings me much more joy than the show itself.  aut, who NEVER wears or does anything girly, happily put on a dress and crown for the show.  i was stunned.

auttie embracing her big sister role:   a new phase.  she reads reaggie stories, she helps guide her, she holds her hand, she ties her shoes.  reagan is less game and often protests with an arched back NOOOOO!

date w/ bean...bean and i were destined to not see the hobbit...after botching the times at two theaters,  we gave up and dined on hamburgers and had coffee by the sea...a lot more romantic than watching hobbits and dwarves

the reagan library...this was the first visit for the kids, as we normally try to avoid taking them to quiet venues where you cannot run or touch (a lesson learned after the titanic exhibit).   we sped through most of the museum and  headed to air force one, where as we expected, the girls were amazed by the hugeness of it all. i mean how often do you get to stand between the wheels of a 747?   aut's favorite part about air force one? the jars of jellybeans...and explaining to any that would listen that her little sister was named after the president.  to truly absorb his life and legacy, bean and i will return sans kids. 

auttie

her question: is that when you asked daddy if you could marry him?

 our nightly magic tree house sessions

our fruit ninja competitions

her insistence on wearing short sleeve shirts

reaggie

reading her stories while she sits on my lap

playing coffee w/ water and circle crackers

puppies here puppies here

i hear ponyo

what was that? that's a...
why he sad? oooo

us
schedule free
lamenting the loss of our faithful 4runner
 rejoicing in our newly finished garage door

hello 2013!

wow...2012...that was a speedy year...with a hyperspace finish.  SO MUCH i'd like to do, but it will just have to wait.  no more rushing and racing and missing the point of why i do what i do.  this year, i'm working on slowing down.  thinking an awful lot on how best to do that.

2013, i want to appreciate the unique joy in each day...i believe happiness can be found in every moment if thought about in the right way.  pretty simple goal for 2013.

the weekend...

 these are the few moments we spent out this weekend due to a nasty stomach bug that decended upon us the day after thanksgiving.  all of us were slugs, moving in slow motion the entire weekend.

 

luckily we were in good shape to host thanksgiving and to shoot christmas photos on wednesday.  keeping my fingers crossed that tonight will be peaceful...free of baths, bed changes, and feverish crying in the wee hours of the night.