I Just Can't Look At That June Bug Anymore.....

Here are some cute photos, courtesy of Ashley, of Ava, Ella, and Olive playing at Seal Beach yesterday.
Thanks for a great day, girls!

THEY'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!

I was walking into my living room and saw something small struggling in my Berber carpeting. To my absolute horror it was one of these:

A JUNE BUG!!

I HATE JUNE BUGS!!!

I just don't understand what their purpose in life is!
What is it exactly?
Somebody please help me out here.
Why is it they only appear once a year for about 6 weeks and do nothing but Kamikaze dive into lamps, windows, foreheads and your hair? They are so annoying!!!
I am so sad that is is not yet June and already the infestation has begun.
Oh, woe is me.

Our Fun Week!

We're back!!
We survived a shark party, strange encounters with exotic peacocks, fun times with relatives and friends, park outings, an afternoon tea party, and slip n' slides, to name a few. We had a great time and here is a sample of what we did.

Jackson's Shark Party!
Kasey did an awesome job! There was yummy food, cute decorations, and lots of activities for all 99 kids in attendance.


These two bottom feeders ate most of the baked Cheetos and gummy sharks before the guests arrived.
O.K.... Maybe I had some involvement too.


Kasey's homemade shark cake.
And yes, as per Jackson's request, the inside of the cake was pink.


The next day we made it over to the world famous Folsom Zoo, where the kids observed amazing animals while being stalked by beautiful, semi-aggressive peacocks.


Olive riding a rare, long haired, albino, mini elephant.
Oh wait, that's my mom. (Also semi-aggressive.)


Parched from all the zoo activities, we headed over to Sutter St. to partake in a delightful afternoon tea at ParTea Time.
Dressed in vintage hats, feather boas, and gloves, we dined on fine tea cakes (tuna on expired wheat bread) and sipped fine tea and lemonade (a wheat grass and cauliflower flavored beverage and imitation Country Time). It was a memorable afternoon!

Jackson was heaven.


Shoulder length, velvet gloves.... the boy has exquisite taste.


Miss Sue...


What a lady.


Mr. Riley Scott...


What a lady.


So special.


So very special.


After tea, Olive and Jackson broke in Jackson's new slip n' slide.
What a pro!


Kasey assisting Olive on her first and last attempt.
Apparently, not a huge fan of the slip n' slide, that Olive.


When we returned home, Rob surprised us with tickets to an Angel Game!

It was yet another wonderful and eventful trip with a nice homecoming. I just love visiting my sister and the boys and also love coming home to my boy (especially when baseball stadium food is involved).

And...We're Off!

My mom and Olive and I are off to Folsom for this guy's 5th birthday!


He's having a "Shark Party"


And has requested that Olive and I wear "all blue" to the party. So, thanks to my current size, I will be going as a blue whale.


I'm sure we will have a good time and hope these awesome visors will be included in our goodie bags.


Have a Great White week!

A Totally Beachin' Weekend

To beat the 199 degree heat this weekend, Olive and I spent a lot of time at Seal Beach. Last week my mom moved there, literally across the street from the beach. Although I will miss our old house, being this close to the beach isn't so bad.
Here's a run down of all we did.
Woke up at 7am and 15 minutes later, with Nemo buckets and sunscreen in tow, we were out the door.


We played in the water.
Olive enjoyed jumping over the shore break while I swam out to the tankers and swam laps around them for exercise.


After our water fun, we relaxed in the sand and soaked in some unhealthy rays.


It was wonderful enjoying all the beach has to offer. But most of all, it was nice being able to spend quality time with my mom. I definitely look forward to the summer, more so now, than ever.

Lucky Me!!

Guess what's back?

MY SHREK FOOT!!!

In my case, one of the many joys of being pregnant (in addition to the nose bleeds and vomiting) is swollen feet. And it gets better. As I discovered when pregnant with Olive, my right foot swells about 20 times larger than my left foot. And it has wonderfully reappeared with this pregnancy.

Oh joy!

In addition to my outrageous weightgain, my Shrek Foot does wonders for my self esteem and overall appeal to my husband. He just can't keep his hands off of me! (Nervously wrapping my legs in Ace bandages in hopes of controlling the swelling.)

Since appearing this past Monday, I have decided instead of tears and layers of heavy socks, I will take a different approach.
I am going to adjust my attitude and embrace the Shrekness that has been bestowed upon me from the heavens above.

In fact, I think this photo of my "foot" should be used on my baby shower invitation.

Or, better yet, on the baby's birth announcement. Right next to a a beautifully shot portrait of her precious newborn face.

For now, I will be proud of my ballon-like figure and Shrek foot by wearing cute, body hugging summer dresses with these comfy shoes.

Firsts

This past week was full of "firsts" for Olive. We did a lot of new and exciting things as a family and were able to document some of them.

First face painting.



The park by my mom's house had a festival where there were face painters. On our way to the funnel cake line (yes, please), we happened to stroll pass the face painting booth when she said to me, "I want that, mommy." Needless to say, I was surprised that:
A. She willingly wanted to have something dirty her face (she's very picky about having her face wiped clean at all times).
B. She was going to have a complete stranger dirty up her face.

I obliged and she chose the turtle or "Crush" (from Finding Nemo) as she referred to it.
She held very still for the three minutes it took to decorate her face and was so serious after it was on. My mom and I were trying to get her to smile for pictures and she refused. She would just purse her lips together and mutter out the words "go" as a cue for us to snap away.
Very funny.


First encounter with Traveler.

This is Traveler.
He and Tommy Trojan are the official mascots for USC.
My husband, a USC fanatic, has brainwashed our innocent child to love all things USC, thus including Traveler. At bedtime, Rob's USC book is one of Olive's most requested books to read mainly because she wants to see"'Tra-a-a-a-a-a-avler the horsey" .


Yesterday, Rob and I decided to take Olive to the local Equestrian Center to check out all the horses. Low and behold, the first horse we see loose in the corral is this beautiful white stallion, or to Olive's two year old eyes, her beloved Traveler.
She was so excited! In fact while this picture is being taken she is happily chanting U..S..C! U..S..C!
Very scary.


First time watching the Pixar Play Parade at Disney's California Adventure.

This a relatively new parade to DCA and it's very cute. It represents all of Disney and Pixar's movies like Toy Story, Monster's Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. I strongly recommend it to those with little ones. It's got it all: dancing and singing, fun music, and of course, Lightning McQueen.
Very Fun.


First time driving a car.

We waited in line for 35 minutes for her to have a chance to drive Suzy the car at Disneyland's Autopia. She and Rob loved it. I on the other hand was tired and craved a churro.
When she got out of the car I excitedly said to her, "You drove a car!"
With her eyes wide open and bulging out of their sockets she replied, "Her name was Suzy and she was to-o-o-o-o fast!"
Very traumatizing.


First born.

My little gal is my "first". She now sleeps in a "big girl" Twin bed and can't wait to be a big sister. She has grown up so quickly, it's frightening. She is the most incredible thing in the world to me and being my "first" is something that will never change.
Very special.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Change Of Scenery

Nothing to blog about.....
I just don't want to look at Jason Castro's face anymore.

Oh, Happy Day!!!

Peace out my patchouli soaked friend. The magic bus ride ends here!

Please Put Me Out Of My Misery...

I Shot The Sherriff????

SERIOUSLY???

I almost shot my t.v.

It's FINALLY Been Confirmed....

Thanks to the talented Dr. Smith and modern ultrasound technology, we are now certain it is a girl. To quote Dr. Smith, "I'm positive I am looking at a girl, honey, Shawna, honey. O.K?"

I am so excited! And only 9 MORE WEEKS until we get to meet her!

Rob, who was sure it was a boy, but always the optimist for some sort of athlete said, "Now we will have two olympians".

If these two girls are anything like me, they will be olympic eaters.

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!

Attention Caramel Fans....

You need to make this.
Right now.

CARAMEL FROSTING:
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 milk
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the milk, stirring all the while. Return to heat and bring to a boil again.

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool until lukewarm (approximately 20 to 25 minutes). Stir in the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth and cool enough to spread. You might need to add a few drops of milk if frosting gets too stiff.

I smothered this caramel goodness over an apple spice cake I made (pregnancy craving #619). It is divine.
I would frost sugar cookies, vanilla cake or even chocolate cake with it. I would add it to sandwiches and serve it over pasta...it's that good.

How I Spent $31 Dollars Rather Than .31 Cents

Last night, in the name of charity, Olive and I headed to our local Baskin Robbins to partake in their 31 cent scoop sale to benefit our brave firefighters. To our dismay, the line looked something like this:


So, with an insatiable hunger for ice cream, we headed to this horrible food store


And bought this yummiest ice cream


And this one


And all the sprinkles, caramel and chocolate sauces, and cones necessary for an ice cream pig out.
My total came to $30.21.
Now I have


And I feel like one of these