all aboard the choo choo train

We are trying to check a few things off of our bucket list before we move out of California.  Less than a month from now and we will be shacking up with Miles and Caroline in Texas.  We should have done some of these things before the chaos of a cross county move and major job change.  So now we are trying to fit some things in over the next few weekends.  I just hope we don't move and have regrets about not seeing and doing everything we wanted to in California.  

I saw something the other day that said "I got all adventurous for a second and then I looked at my bank account."  So true!       

One thing we have been wanting to do was ride the train along the coast.  Both boys love watching the train at the beach and we have never done it.  So we took the Coaster to Old Town San Diego today.  

Old Town is a historic state park where the city of San Diego began.  They have preserved the buildings from the 1800's and it is a unique little place to have lunch and spend an afternoon.

  

      I really wanted to steel the navy and white planters and succulents that we saw outside of one of the restaurants.  They would look really good on my new door step in Texas.  But we ate churros and bought some beef jerky instead.  

After walking around for a few hours, but before jumping on the train home, we had lunch at Cafe Coyote (one of the dozen or so Mexican restaurants within a block of each other).  It's one of those places where the old Hispanic woman is making the tortillas in the middle of the restaurant.  Then they bring them to the table and they are all warm and chewy.  Probably some of the best tortillas I've had.  I could seriously just eat the flour tortillas as my main dish.  

It was a really great Sunday afternoon in San Diego with my boys.  I am sure going to miss Southern California and all that it has to offer.  It is such a beautiful place and I remind myself often that we are so lucky to have lived here for the past six years.  But I guess its not about where you are it's about who you are with.           

Christmas: part III

We had three different places to spend Christmas and we actually broke it up enough that I didn't feel too rushed.  

Our first Christmas was at my Mom's.  Santa actually came early (Christmas Eve morning) and Carson was so happy to see that Santa had eaten the cookies and drank the milk we left out.  However, he really wanted to know why none of the reindeer ate the food we had left outside for them.  I had suggested someone go out and mess with it a little bit but they all thought he wouldn't notice.        

We were able to see my Aunt Linda, Uncle Tim and my cousins.  It has been awhile since I saw them last and they were able to meet Maddox for the first time too.  They are also my God parents and as a child, every Christmas, gave me an ornament until I had kids.  Now they give ornaments to both boys.  This a tradition that I have started with our God child, Finley. And I hope that he can continue it when he becomes a God parent. 

(On a side note, Carson did not want to take any pictures.  So he made his "mad" face in almost ALL of them.)   

Next stop was my Dad's.  We arrived to a mountain of gifts, no joke.  Carson was enthralled.  The one gift he had really been asking for was a fire station and of course Grandma and Grandpa Smith delivered!  Maddox got this little egg set and he loves to play with it.  

Baby in a box-the best gift of all!

It snowed Christmas Eve night and the guys went out for a little "ABC" (as Carson was calling it) ride.

Christmas Day we headed to Madison to celebrate with the Spelldalgo's.

I know I had my Camera with me but it must have gotten put down in the basement, where we were staying to never be taken out.  So we have no pictures from our Christmas with them.  Andrea made an amazing prime rib for dinner and we sat up playing Texas hold'em.  I lost big time!  

Of course our kids had round 2 of the flu and gave it to my nephews and niece.  Ugh.  I hate being that parent.  I guess that is what winter in the mid-west does to you.  They were all impressed with Carson's mad skills to make it to a trash can to vomit.  I have him trained well.  He tells me all the time "we throw up in toilets and trash cans."  ha!

We hit up one of Jared's favorite spots, Culver's and of course also got the grand tour of Wilde East Town Honda.  It is a beautiful dealership and I cannot wait to get a brand new 2013 Honda Pilot.  Hint hint, Jared.       

  

currently

Some random bits from what's currently happening...

Loving this LOVE print.  I've had my eye on it for sometime now.  Maybe I will gift it to myself for Valentines day. 

Reading The Night Circus.  I actually just finished it today.  It was very well written but I wish the first 400 pages had been as good as the last 100.  Also there were far too many characters to keep track of as a result I feel like I never had the chance to "know" or like the main charter's   

Waiting for the medical bills from chemo to stop coming.  Seriously. Stop.

Excited to take the boys to Disney before we move.  

Trying to keep up with the blog but I have no desire to finish part 3 of the Christmas post. 

Enjoying my little book club.  It's just some friends and I and we take turns picking books and hosting  the discussion.  We don't read anything too serious and the best part is you get to wear pj's to book club.  Next we are reading Tina Fey Bossypants.  I will miss my little book club...hopefully I can follow along in TX.

Using these SQUOOSHI pouches.  Once I realized how much I was paying for the baby food and applesauce pouches I had to find a solution and they are working quite well actually. 

Wearing my hounds-tooth and leopard scarves.  They go with everything.  I think I mainly like them because I miss my hair so much and the help fill the void of where hair once was.  

Planning a move.  Ugh...

Wanting some new throw pillows for the couch.  I like these from zGallerie but $90 a pop!  They must be kidding right? 

Needing a cleaning lady.  We had one during the 4 months I was going through chemo and boy oh boy, do I ever miss that! 

Listening to Thomas and Friends since Carson does not nap and I need a little break.  

Wishing to find the perfect starter home, in a nice neighborhood near good schools. 

Doing the dishes and sweeping the floor 24/7 it seems.

Dreaming of a vacation with Jared.  Without kids.  To some place tropical.  Turks and Caicos maybe?

Christmas: Part II

The last two Christmas' we spent in California so this year we decided to have a white Christmas in Wisconsin.  It was also Maddox's first Christmas.  Makes me a little sad that we didn't spend our last Christmas in California but it's so nice to spend it with family.  Carson had been anticipating this trip since we booked it a few months ago and lo' and behold he was vomiting the day before we left.  Luckily he was better to fly the next day.  So off to Wisconsin we went...

     

We were gone for a little over 2 weeks.  I don't think I can do that much time away from home until the kids are a little older.  By the end of the trip everyone had fevers, was puking and/or wasn't sleeping.  I slept in 7 different beds and 5 different places while we were there, makes me tired just thinking about it.  

The first few days we stayed at my Dads.  While we were there Maddox took his first steps, Carson made his first gingerbread house and it snowed!  Carson could hardly wait for the snow and once it started falling he looked out the window and said "it looks like Christmas."  He also said "I want to throw snow in Uncle Jay's face." 

He played in the snow for an hour and was out to work shoveling the drive way, which he loved.   

Maddox on the other hand...well you can see how much he liked getting bundled up for the snow.

We also took Carson to see Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer.  It was adorable and just like the movie.  It would be fun to see it every year before Christmas.  My Grandma watched Maddox while we went to lunch and the play.  Maddox actually took his first steps at her house so Jared and I completely missed it!  

Four generations!  

Next we headed to my Moms house.  Carson had his first trip to the dentist and saw a Marquette basketball game.  I think he was a little scared at first to have his teeth cleaned.  He kept saying "My teeth are already clean."  But when his turn came he got into the hygienist's chair and did a great job.   

We also did a girls trip to Chicago and my friend Angie and her daughters drove from Indiana to meet us.  We did a little shopping on Michigan Ave, ate some amazing Chicago style pizza and went to the top of the John Hancock building.  The view was amazing.  I had a great time and it was so nice to get away, just the girls.  Although next time I said "no kids."  Sorry boys!  

  

Christmas: Part I

I am finally tackling a Christmas post.  I have put it off for a while but I need to get it done before March.  I will probably break it up into a couple of posts so I can try to cover most of it.

So here is Part I...

Our elf, Clyde, arrived at our house a few days after Thanksgiving.  He comes each year and keeps an eye on the boys for Santa.  He reports to Santa each night to tell him if the children have been naughty or nice.  It is a clever idea and the women who invented it are filthy rich.  If it helps my kids behave for a month then hey...it can't hurt.  

The problem was that Carson could have cared less if the elf saw him push his brother or not listen to his parents.  I would remind him that the elf was watching and would tell Santa if he wasn't being nice and to behave if he wanted presents.  To which he would reply "I don't care. "  So it didn't exactly work but we still had fun with it.  

The morning he arrived he made cinnamon rolls.  Most of the time he sat on a shelf or hung from the chandelier.  But he got into a little trouble too.  He ate Carson's Halloween candy and tried fishing for burger face.     

While we were in Wisconsin, at my Moms house we watched The Grinch and Carson really liked the movie.  His sassy-ness was a little out of control while we were in Wisconsin (it usually is, since he gets used to being the center of everyone's attention).  So when he was acting up we would do what every parent does during Christmas and remind him that Santa is coming in just a few days and to behave if he wanted any presents under the tree this year.  So after watching the Grinch his response to us was "I hate Christmas.  I don't want any presents."
It was really hard not to laugh because he was dead serious and would say it with his angry face.
Wonder what his face would have looked like Christmas morning if there really weren't any gifts for him?      

Carson got a kick out of the shindigs that the elf pulled but hopefully next year he'll get more into  the behavior part of it.

******

It was nearly impossible to get a picture of the boys for our Christmas card.  I would have liked a family picture but we really had no one to take it and I really don't want to remember myself with my hair how it is.  So the less pictures of me the better.

I tried 3-4 different times to take some pictures of them most of the pictures Maddox was crying or not looking.  My blood pressure was probably through the roof just trying to get one...just one picture of the boys together smiling.  Seems easy but its not.

I thought some thing in front of the tree would be nice but all they kept doing was waving this damn stick around.   

So I took them outside...and we got this...

cute pictures, but nobody is looking at the camera. 

All Maddox wanted to do was stand at my legs.  

So to the park we went and I strapped Maddox in the swing so that he could not move and we finally got a picture...not the picture I was hoping for (Maddox's face is blurry...ugh) but it captures both of them perfectly.

  

Happy First Birthday Maddox!

 A year ago today Jared and I left for the hospital to meet our second son.  My Mom snapped this picture (somehow I smiled during contractions) and just two hours after this picture was taken we held our baby.

And today our little baby turns one!

His first year seems to have flown by.  I feel incredibly lucky to be his Mommy.  He is a perfect combination of feisty and sweet.  He is strong willed and puts up a fight until he gets his way but yet he can be very sensitive and snugly.  He has been obsessed with Carson since he was born and has done a great job keeping up with him too.  He likes dogs and makes a cute little "motor" sound when he pushes cars around.  He could eat a whole container of raspberries in one sitting.  He also crawled like a baby ape-the most adorably funny thing I've seen.  He is a Mamas boy and would love me to carry him around all day.  He will also be our wrestler and that is what him and Dad do best.  I love him so much and I can't believe that his first year is already over. 

Today we went to the park and had lunch with friends at Chipotle.  My kids love Chipotle and scarfed their quesadilla, rice and beans down (cupcakes too, of course).  Jared picked up Zpizza on his way home (another favorite).  I made Maddox his own little "smash" cake.  He was very funny and didn't know what to do with it at first.  He kept saying "na"  and grunting because I'm pretty sure he thought we were going to tell him "no."  Once he had the courage to taste what we had laid in front of him he dug right in.

 
Happy Birthday sweet baby!  We love you to the moon and back.

On Wisconsin!

Jared was able to skip out of work a few hours early to come home to watch his Badgers play in their 3rd consecutive Rose Bowl.  So far it's not looking too good.  I was hoping they could pull off a win this year. 

 

But we are all dressed for the occasion, queso and chips are on the coffee table and chili will be on the stove momentarily. 

 



 

Tackle!

 

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2013!