12

Twelve years ago I was in a show at West Valley when someone in my cast said I would be a good match with a good friend of hers. I was just getting ready to move down south at the end of the summer to go to school and the last thing I wanted was to be set up. Timing was bad. Then after one of the shows she introduced me to him and I immediately changed my mind as I thought he was rather good looking (I still remember the smile he had when we shook hands). Best change of heart I ever had. 12 years ago today Josh and I had our first date. It was a double date with Katy and Max to Santa Cruz. I met at Katy's house first and her mom said "Dont have too much fun, cause Katy is going to marry Josh one day." I laughed it off thinking this would be a date and maybe a few more that summer and nothing more. I was leaving for school and he went to school in Arizona. It would never work. Best first date I ever had. It was so comfortable (as many first dates are not). We walked through downtown and laughed and talked. He was testing every cheesy pick up line he had and I would laugh and rate them...most were horrible.

Here we are 12 years later. Wow. I am one lucky lady. Thanks Katy!!!

We Heart Tahoe

This weekend we were invited to stay at the Wolkstein's condo in Northstar. We jumped at the chance since Tahoe is probably our favorite place (we both came from families that instilled this love). The weekend was fabulous with Grandma and Grandpa. We beached, we pooled, we ate, we napped. The weather was perfect the entire weekend. Haley loved all the swimming and asked if we could go there every day. Ryan had no problem crawling right from the beach into the lake. 

His vocabulary is growing (mostly staring at our lips and repeating) as this weekend he said "boat," "whoah," and "cheese." On his own he says "ma" (more), "dis," "dat," and "dit" (light). Where's Mama and Dada? Yah, you're asking me.

Ahhh...Tahoe...we adore you.

How?

How is it possible that we are planning Ryan's 1st bday? Talk about a time warp. I told myself that I would stay especially aware of every moment and every phase because I saw how fast it went with Haley. I did all that and STILL is was a fast year. We have decided his 1st birthday will be a small family affair, so know that you are not being left out!

A Weekend of Firsts

This weekend included a few firsts for me. Saturday morning I ran my first 5k. My staff organized it and a bunch of us went to Los Altos Hills for the race. It was a beautiful day and I ran most of it. A couple of the hills were just too steep. I have meant to do something like this for years. I really liked it. I kept regretting that we didn't have the camera to catch the energy of it all. Josh brought the kids to root us on with other families who came to support. It was a great way to start the weekend and I can see myself doing more things like that.

This was my first Mother's Day with my complete little family. When we had Haley we always knew we wanted another. Well, he's here and the day felt very special. In fact, at breakfast Ryan just kind of leaned into me for kisses. Although he has always been cuddly, this particular act was new. I kept going in for more and at the end I came up with tears in my eyes. I feel blessed to have my peanuts.
p.s. it must have been the full moon last week because Haley is back to her old self like nothing ever happened. Deary me.

Cousins!

Where or Where Did My Little Girl Go?

I write this now that the Haley we know and love is back. But for 3 days (actually nights) she was possessed by someone else. Diane said that she was no different with her during the days. On Tuesday I met a friend for dinner and Josh did bedtime solo. He completely lost his patience (a rare occurrence) while Haley whined and cried about wanting Mommy. Ok, the next night Josh had a work event. The Garcia girls were over for dinner before they headed over the hill and Meredith and Drew stopped by while Nate worked out. The Snyders were leaving and I asked Haley to go say goodbye (just like we do every single day to people) and she flipped out crying and whining. What?! She finally calmed down after she was asked to clean up her toys, another daily chore. She called her aunt and uncle to apologize for her reaction. I talked to her about her behavior and we talked about other ways she could have reacted. All was good and she seemed to understand. Then it was bedtime and it started all over. The pajamas she wanted were in the laundry and you would have thought I told her she would never taste ice cream again. I then lost my patience while she was brushing her teeth and left her in the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. I went to our room, checked email and put some laundry away while she wailed in the bathroom. I finally heard silence and she walked into my room and asked me to join her. In bed she screamed because the balloon animal Josh made her had come undone. Again, it was a cry as if she had broken her arm. She crashed in her bed and that was the end of it. The last 2 nights she has been back to her normal self and has been reacting normally to our every day routines. What happened? I have no idea. I am sure it is all about being 4. I feel lucky that we didn't see much of this in the 2s and 3s. We both have a lot of patience, but the whining seriously kills us. So glad she appears to be back! And so glad that Ryan sleeps through it all.

Lunch is on Oprah

Oprah is buying lunch! KFC has a new grilled chicken and for the next 24 hours you can go to Oprah's website and get a coupon. I just did it. Haven't eaten there in years. A friend just passed on the info.

www.oprah.com/kfc

The Gals

Let the Good Times Roll

Haley is signed up for fall soccer. The fun begins the middle of August. Can't wait!

This Morning

I was getting Ryan dressed and Haley kept asking me for her chapstick. I said "Haley, please be patient. I will get it for you in a second." In which she replied, "Mommy, I am being patient. I am just repeating it so you don't forget."